The Prayer that Releases God’s Promised Blessings

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 9:13 KJV)

The disciples asked the Lord to teach them how to pray.

They had noticed that prayer was the helm that turned the ship toward the winds of destiny. When Jesus taught on prayer, He was teaching us how to steer the ship of life through the boisterous winds of adversity. If we can follow the “manner” of prayer, then we can follow the course of life. In order to pray effectively, we must know the personage of God. Hence He said, “Our Father.” This establishes the basis of the relationship that we have with God. He is more than just Creator. He is our Father. We can create something and not be related to it, but if we father it, a part of us will always be in the things we father. So I must know that I am related to God and not just created by Him. “Which art in heaven” addresses the fact that the God I am related to is the Ruler of the universe. He sits on the circle of the earth. The Bible teaches us that Heaven is God’s throne. So when we say, “which art in heaven,” we are proclaiming the absolute sovereignty of our Father. We say, in effect, “Not only are You my Father, but You also are uniquely qualified to answer my prayer. You are related to me and empowered to perform.” This phrase points directly to God’s position. Now knowing the person and the position of Him, let us praise Him.

“I am not ashamed to praise You as I know the extent of Your authority. I take this time to approach You correctly. ‘Hallowed be Thy name.’ I almost forgot that just because You are my Father, my ‘Abba,’ that doesn’t give me the right to show disrespect for Your position as Ruler in Heaven and earth. So ‘hallowed be Thy name’ reminds me that I must enter into Your gates with thanksgiving and into Your courts with praise.” (See Psalm 100:4.) Praise will turn God’s head. It will get His attention. I dare you to learn how to praise His name. When you praise His name, you are praising His character. He is “above board.” He is holy!

“Thy kingdom come” releases the downpour of the power of God. Praise will cause the very power of God to come down in your life. But what good is power without purpose? Thus Jesus taught the disciples, “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” That is a step up from power to purpose. Now the purpose of God comes down to your life. Have you ever gone through a time that God began to show you His purpose in your life? You can’t have success without purpose!

“Give us this day our daily bread” deals with the provisions of Heaven coming down. This is more than a prayer; it is a divine direction. After receiving the power in your life, you come to understand the purpose. Never fear; if you know your purpose, God will release the provisions. Then the provisions you couldn’t reach at one stage in your life suddenly fall like an early morning drizzle at another stage in your life. There’s nothing like provisions to give you the grace to forgive. It is easier to forgive when you discover that your enemies didn’t stop the blessing from coming down. Here Jesus teaches His disciples to pray for the penitence of a forgiving heart. “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” So penitence also is flowing down from the throne. Finally, Jesus taught us to seek deliverance from evil. Pray for the problems that still exist at every stage, and better still, at every success in life!

Purpose

You can’t have success without purpose! And never fear; if you know your purpose, God will release the provisions.

Action

If you were raised in church, you’ve probably prayed this Matthew 6:9-13 prayer hundreds of times. Little children learn this in Sunday school classes around the globe. Sometimes something becomes so familiar that we forget the meaning of the words behind it. I’ve taken the time to break apart the prayer Jesus taught His disciples because I want you to really understand how to pray. I want you to know what each word is communicating. Jesus based His ministry on the Father’s voice. He didn’t even start His ministry until the Father spoke over Him. Then He constantly broke free from the crowd to pray, to communicate with His Father.

This is how we ought to live our lives, constantly connected to God. Let this prayer go deep into your heart. Every word and phrase is a key to connection with your Father.