Magandang umaga green olive tree! Lean on JESUS and do what is right (Proverbs 37:3). « [...] But those who wait upon GOD get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind.» (Isaiah 40:31, MSG). Your FATHER says « Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your GOD. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.» (Isaiah 41:10, NKJV). You are blessed with a blessing that cannot be stolen.
Part 1: GOD is our FATHER and he loves us. We are a family and a body of which CHRIST is the head.
No effective prayer without GOD
In this manner, therefore, pray
Our FATHER who is in heaven
9 In this manner, therefore, pray [proseuchomai, Strong n° 4336, greek] : Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earthas it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil [poneros, Strong n° 4190, greek] one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. (Matthiew 6: 9-13, NKJV)
I identify 14 types of prayer in the Bible. By grouping them, the number would be less, but I prefer to list them separately.
The prayer of praise and thanksgiving.
The Worship prayer
The prayer of faith
The prayer of agreement
The prayer of petition
The prayer of consecration
The prayer of intercession
The prayer of blessing, declaration and proclamation,
The prayer of imprecation, of authority, more often called the warfare prayer or deliverance prayer
The prayer of supplication and childbirth (birth the will of GOD)
Prayer in tongues
The prayer for repentance
The prayer for advisory
The prayer of the SPIRIT (when the HOLY SPIRIT prays within us). Not to be confused with the expression prayer by the SPIRIT or prayer led by the SPIRIT (the manner and the subjects).
With the exception of the first two, all the prayers are more or less prayers of petition.
A system is a set of elements, principles, and procedures organized to achieve a goal. A system is independent of the identity of the person who operates it. The structure is the environment designed to support, protect, maintain, repair, and improve the system. It is one thing to bake a successful cake at home. It is another to run a catering service, a bakery, or a factory 🙂 If we want our prayer life to produce good cakes and go beyond the home level, we must follow and imitate JESUS.
Prayer was a pillar of JESUS' life. It is a pillar of his ministry. The disciples understood this and asked him to teach them to pray. In chapters 6 and 11 respectively, the Apostles Matthew and Luke share with us JESUS' recommendations. The Greek word translated as pray in these two chapters is [ proseuchomai, Strong's #4336, Greek ]. It is a Greek word composed of two words: pros (Strong's no. 4314, Greek) and euchomai, (Strong's no. 2172, Greek). Pros (Strong's no. 4314, Greek) means "to the advantage of, to, near, towards, with, in consideration of". Euchomai, (Strong's no. 2172, Greek) means "to pray, to desire, to wish, to will, to ask, to wish". The prayer of Our FATHER is the model of the prayer of petition.
A model is a person or thing that can serve as a reference for imitation and production. A petition is:
A request to a person or persons with authority to make a decision, overturn a decision, or order an action.
An instruction allowing the processing of data or a selective search in a database or on the Internet.
In order for a request to be received, it must be addressed to the competent persons: those who have the authority to decide, whose jurisdiction extends (or may extend) to the place of the facts and to the persons concerned (natural and legal persons). For example, the Commercial Court of Beijing (China) is not competent to handle family law petitions in Bamako (Mali). Some petitions require specific formats. For example, you cannot file a petition with the Supreme Court in the same way as you would file a petition with the Court of Appeal or the Court of First Instance.
GOD hears all prayers. He hears the prayers of children, adults, the elderly, the illiterate, the stammerer, the mute, the deaf or the visually impaired. If you are mute, you can speak inwardly. GOD hears thoughts (Psalms 139:4, Psalms 19:14). Therefore, he hears silent prayers.
David used to say (Psalms 139: 1-5, NKJV) " 1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me. 2 You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. 3 You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. 4 For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. 5 You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me."
2. In this manner, therefore, pray
❖ In this manner, therefore, pray [proseuchomai, Strong n° 4336, greek] (Matthiew 6:9).
❖ So He said to them, “When you pray, say [Epo, Strong n° 2036, grec] (Luke 11:2).
On that day, JESUS did not just teach the disciples and give them recommendations. He also prayed with them. He inserted the model into his teaching. That explains the difference between the verse in Matthew and the one in Luke.
Apostle Matthew was a Jew. His first intention in writing was to prove to the Jews that JESUS CHRIST is the Messiah. The Apostle Luke was not a Jew. He wrote the gospel based on the accounts of different people (Luke 1:1:4). His primary intention in writing is to reveal the ministry and compassion of JESUS. He is also the author of the book of Acts. Matthew and Luke had the reputation of being very meticulous men. Matthew (a former tax collector) worked with JESUS, while Luke (a physician) worked with Peter and Paul. If Luke had made a mistake in writing, the HOLY SPIRIT would have corrected him. Either directly or through the other apostles. The HOLY SPIRIT is the inspiration for the authors of the Bible. He is GOD and as we know, there is neither lie nor contradiction in GOD. Therefore, there is no lie or contradiction in the Bible.
Sometimes we exhort during prayer times. Quite often, preachers insert a moment of prayer in their preaching. It is not surprising that when leading the prayer, the leader asks the congregation to repeat certain words. I don't know if you have ever prayed a prayer of salvation, but if you have, you have probably repeated someone's words 🙂 Your prayer was answered because you had faith in JESUS CHRIST, not because you repeated the words.
Before being a model, the Our Father prayer is a prayer in its own right. It is a starting point and a benchmark. It is not a text to be recited on any occasion, anyhow. But let's understand the model before customizing. It is neither Moses, nor David, nor a prophet, nor an Apostle who taught this prayer. It is JESUS. He who is GOD, son of GOD, Word made flesh, the way, the truth, and the life (John 1:1-4, John 8:58, Colossians 1:17, Revelation 19:13, John 10:30, John 14:16). JESUS teaches what he knows, understands, and does. He never asked the disciples to do what he doesn't do, or say what he doesn't say.
It is impossible to be like JESUS without following JESUS. And it is impossible to get the results of JESUS without following JESUS (John 14:12). You cannot follow JESUS without believing in him. You cannot believe in JESUS without loving him. One cannot love JESUS without keeping his commandments (John 14:15, 21). There is no excuse for idolatry. Praying to angels, dead people or statues, even quoting Bible verses, is not biblical. Either you read your Bible or you don't. Either you follow JESUS or you don't (Matthew 12:20, Luke 11:23).
3. Our FATHER who is in heaven
We are loved, GOD is our FATHER. No one has asked GOD permission to call him FATHER. From the beginning, he declared himself our FATHER. He did not impose any competition to select the best among us. He loves us with perfectly unconditional and eternal love.
The goal is not to call GOD " FATHER ", but to be aware that He is our father, our source, our support, the one who has eyes on us. This implies for us, that GOD is not an option but the only option. Let's read Romans 8: 15-16 (LSG) "And you have not received the spirit of bondage, that you should still be in fear; but you have received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out : Abba! Father! The SPIRIT itself bears witness to our spirit that we are children of GOD." It is by revelation that the HOLY SPIRIT bears witness to our spirit that we are children of GOD.
He is a loving, kind, and responsible father. He is the perfect father. He knows our needs, challenges, and struggles better than we do. We have no reason to be embarrassed or afraid to ask him for anything. Let us approach him without fear and with confidence (Hebrews 4:16). Let us not only call GOD " FATHER ", but let us have a genuine relationship with him. He is Love, Truth, and Holiness. Because his love is perfect, even his rebukes are perfect.
The higher you are, the further you can see. Heaven cannot contain GOD. To be aware that GOD is in heaven is to be aware that he is not subject to earthly limitations. He will always be able to respond and act. It is therefore to pray with faith and to trust him for the future. He is Omnipotent. He is Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Transcendent, and Immutable. He has a perfect microscopic and macroscopic view of the universe. He knows what is, what has been, what will be, and what could be. He knows the past, the present, the future, the possible, and the unimaginable.
We are a family. We are a body whose head is CHRIST (1 Corinthians 12:26-27, Romans 12:4-6, 1 Corinthians 12:12, 1 Colossians 1:18). As a family, we are called to include others in our prayers. Many have the same, similar, or greater needs than we do. GOD cares about all of us. There are blessings and answers that we receive directly from GOD. There are also some that we receive through others. Our individual needs are included in corporate needs. We are channels of blessing from GOD. The collective fulfillment of the family is linked to the fulfillment of its members, and to the quality of their relationships.
Exemples :
You pray for a home. GOD blesses the current tenant or owner of your future home so that he or she can leave or be willing to sell.
A sister is looking for a job, GOD blesses your company so that you can hire her.
Your wife (if you are a man), needs a car. GOD blesses you financially so that you can buy her one.
You pray for GOD to transform the character of your husband (if you are a woman). GOD starts by transforming your character, then corrects your relationship with your husband, and finally transforms the character of your husband.
We pray for the salvation of souls. But without workers, there is no salvation (Romans 10:14, Matthew 9:38, Luke 10:2). These workers must be good: trained, qualified (characters), anointed, and willing. Praying for workers means praying that each family member will be healthy (spiritual, emotional, physical, financial), in the right field, doing what GOD has called and equipped him to do. We are laborers called to sow, tend and reap. We are also laborers called to train other laborers. So in praying for the salvation of souls, you are praying for workers and the workers who will be trained and influenced by those workers.
** Magandang umaga = Good morning in tagalog (Philippines)