Good evening Gems!!!
Sorry for yet another late post and email! I'm currently on the bus on my way back to NYC. I had a blast in TN and got the chance to really sit down and talk with my ministry leaders (Bishop and Pastor) about things. I also got re-established as a minister-in-training during my time down in TN.
Today we are going to begin breaking down the Lord's Prayer verse by verse. I think 95% of us know what the Lord's Prayer is, but if not let me tell you briefly. The Lord's Prayer is the prayer Jesus gave His disciples when they asked Him to teach them to pray. Though we've discussed how simple prayer is, we understand that we make it complex, so Jesus gave us a "starter" prayer that incorporates supplication, warfare, intercession, confession and praise into one.
For further understanding study Matthew 6, but the Lord's Prayer is specifically in Matthew 6:9-13.
The scripture starts out with "in this manner" which tells us that Jesus is giving us a way to do something. Manner simply means a way of doing, being done, or happening; mode of action or occurrence.
He is preparing to give us a specific way to do something, so in this portion of the verse He tells us clearly what that is: "therefore, pray." Jesus is giving us a blueprint of prayer in the coming verses that we should follow in our own prayer lives.
He then follows up by telling us what to pray first, "our Father in heaven." When we are praying to God we need to acknowledge Him as our Father. Children go to their parents to ask for things and seek forgiveness. We need to understand that it's a privilege, as God's daughter (or son) to come to Him with our questions, thoughts and concerns.We say "Father" because it's intimate and we say "in heaven" because it allows to remember that He is sovereign, holy and glorious.
The final part of verse 9 is "hallowed be Your name" which is now giving reverence to His very name. A name is highly important to a person. The name of God is highly important. He is the one, true, triune God. The Alpha and Omega. We are simply declaring His name as holy.
With just the first verse of the Lord's Prayer broken down you can begin to see how powerful, raw and vulnerable this prayer is and why it's truly essential to the Christian lifestyle and prayer life.
Journaling Prompt
Please be as true to yourself as possible when answering the prompt to get the most out of this challenge.
Today's scripture comes from Matthew 6:9:
Spend 3-7 minutes journaling your thoughts, feelings and emotions. Use the prompt.
Verbal Prayer
Take 3 minutes and verbally speak your written prayer. Pray out loud so that He can hear your voice. If your prayer is short, try to add to it. Use the scripture to pray today.
Listen
Sit quietly in a position that will not make you tired and wait on God. You may feel His presence, you may hear from Him. If you do, write down what He says or what you're feeling. Give yourself at least 2 minutes of pure silence to be able to hear from and feel God. This is a conversation, not a rant. Allow Him the opportunity to speak to you after you've spoken to Him.
Let's end in prayer...
Blessings,Sorry for yet another late post and email! I'm currently on the bus on my way back to NYC. I had a blast in TN and got the chance to really sit down and talk with my ministry leaders (Bishop and Pastor) about things. I also got re-established as a minister-in-training during my time down in TN.
For further understanding study Matthew 6, but the Lord's Prayer is specifically in Matthew 6:9-13.
The scripture starts out with "in this manner" which tells us that Jesus is giving us a way to do something. Manner simply means a way of doing, being done, or happening; mode of action or occurrence.
He is preparing to give us a specific way to do something, so in this portion of the verse He tells us clearly what that is: "therefore, pray." Jesus is giving us a blueprint of prayer in the coming verses that we should follow in our own prayer lives.
He then follows up by telling us what to pray first, "our Father in heaven." When we are praying to God we need to acknowledge Him as our Father. Children go to their parents to ask for things and seek forgiveness. We need to understand that it's a privilege, as God's daughter (or son) to come to Him with our questions, thoughts and concerns.We say "Father" because it's intimate and we say "in heaven" because it allows to remember that He is sovereign, holy and glorious.
The final part of verse 9 is "hallowed be Your name" which is now giving reverence to His very name. A name is highly important to a person. The name of God is highly important. He is the one, true, triune God. The Alpha and Omega. We are simply declaring His name as holy.
With just the first verse of the Lord's Prayer broken down you can begin to see how powerful, raw and vulnerable this prayer is and why it's truly essential to the Christian lifestyle and prayer life.
Please be as true to yourself as possible when answering the prompt to get the most out of this challenge.
How have you viewed the Lord's Prayer previously? What did you think of it? When you pray, do you reverence God's name?Scripture
Today's scripture comes from Matthew 6:9:
In this manner, therefore, pray: our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.Prayer Journaling
Spend 3-7 minutes journaling your thoughts, feelings and emotions. Use the prompt.
Verbal Prayer
Take 3 minutes and verbally speak your written prayer. Pray out loud so that He can hear your voice. If your prayer is short, try to add to it. Use the scripture to pray today.
Listen
Sit quietly in a position that will not make you tired and wait on God. You may feel His presence, you may hear from Him. If you do, write down what He says or what you're feeling. Give yourself at least 2 minutes of pure silence to be able to hear from and feel God. This is a conversation, not a rant. Allow Him the opportunity to speak to you after you've spoken to Him.
Let's end in prayer...
Our Father, who are in heaven, hallowed be Your name. We come to You this evening just to say thank You for being our Father in everything. We thank You for loving us. Thank You for Your saving, sustaining and everlasting grace and mercy. We pray to always remember Your holiness and acknowledge You alone as God of our lives. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.
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