How to Pray (Matthew 6:5-15)
When you come before God in prayer, don't turn it into a dramatic performance. Don't be like hypocrites who love to make a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for others to notice them! I assure you, that is all the reward they will ever get.
Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.
The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They babble on and on, thinking their prayers are answered only by repeating their words again and again. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:
| Our Father in heaven |
Our Father in heaven, |
| hallowed be your name |
May your name be honored |
| your kingdom come |
Set the world right; |
| your will be done |
May what you want to happen be done |
| on earth as it is in heaven. |
on earth as it is in heaven. |
| Give us today our daily bread. |
Meet our daily needs |
| Forgive us our debts |
Forgive us for our sins |
| as we also have forgiven our debtors |
as we forgive others. |
| And lead us not into temptation, |
Keep us safe from our sinful desires |
| but deliver us from the evil one |
and the Devil. |
Regarding forgiveness: In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can't get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God's part.
Adapted from The Message, New Living Translation, New International Version, and New International Reader's Version.
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