by Dr. Charles Stanley
Wednesday January 18, 2006
A Pattern for Prayer
If your conversations with God consist of a checklist of needs and a catalog of feelings, then you have missed a key element of prayer. Expressing concerns is certainly appropriate, but the most important part of prayer is focusing on God Himself — loving and worshipping Him.
There are three things about the Father that we are to ponder in our prayers: His name, His kingdom, and His will.
Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Jesus contrasted two types of prayer attitudes: some people pray to be admired by their peers, while others talk to God in secret. The former have their reward in the praise of men while the latter will be honored by God and receive an answer. We know there is an important place for public supplication, but it will be only as effective as our private prayer life. Before others, we are to speak simply and to the point; in private, our words are to bring us humbly into God’s presence with praise and thanksgiving.
Your kingdom come, Your will be done. As believers, we are declaring our faith in the coming
From the Lord’s point of view, our prayers represent a time of communion with Him. Do you see prayer that way?
