Session 3
How To Pray According to Jesus
From Understanding and Applying The Bible
Matthew 6:5-14
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
You might not know…
Prayer is how we have a conversation with God. He hears us, and we can hear from Him.
What does it say?
Jesus is explaining how to pray. It can be broken down into three sections: telling God we know who He is, placing our trust in Him, and asking Him to provide for us.
What does it mean?
The most important part of prayer is posture. Prayer isn’t like a Christmas list you hope makes it to Santa Claus. Notice how the Lord’s Prayer doesn’t say, “Hey, dude who might be God, who might be up there in Heaven, give us daily bread, if you can.” The Lord’s Prayer says, “Our Father in Heaven…Give us this daily bread.” There’s a confidence in who God is that makes prayer work.
What does it mean to me?
I don’t need to pray the Lord’s Prayer word for word every time I pray. I don’t even have to pray it once, if I don’t want to. But the Lord’s Prayer is an example of the prayers I should be praying. I should be praying full of expectation and with firm knowledge that Jesus is going to do what He’s promised. If I pray with the right posture, I’m given power, trust, and certainty in who God is. Prayer is comforting and it brings me that much closer to Him.