Praying with Jesus

When you pray, be intentional. This is the reason Jesus gave the "Lord's Prayer" to the disciples - they needed to understand the dynamic elements of prayer. (Matthew 6 & Luke 11)

Here are some of those dynamic elements that make our prayer intentional, and therefore, effective.

·        acknowledging the Holiness of God

·        recognition of which 'kingdom' we are to be addressing

·        submission of our will to His

·        request of basic needs common to all humanity and for all humanity ("our")

·        confession and repentance - "forgive us our sins"

When you pray, pay attention to the rules (“according to His will”).

 I John 5:14. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

When you pray, be polite (“to those who ask him”).

Luke 11:13.  If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

We have all seen 'demanding' children, and it's not pretty. Watch your tone with God. The phrase 'come boldly to the throne' does not mean come crassly or in a demanding manner. A person who takes it upon himself to 'remind' God of His promises is as ill-mannered as a child who 'reminds' an adult of a past promise.

We serve a God who is by definition a 'Gracious' God. If we are His children then we need to take upon ourselves the semblance of His Graciousness. There is no humility in a demanding person or prayer.