When You Pray – Part II
A Model For Prayer

Matthew 6:9-15 (KJV), ⁹ After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. ¹⁰ Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as 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 lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. ¹⁴ For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: ¹⁵ But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

In Verse 9, Jesus says “in this manner therefore pray.” It’s not Jesus’ intention that we recite this prayer but rather this prayer serves as the model or pattern for framing our prayers. Recite The Lord’s Prayer. Every phrase is a verse.

The Five P’s of the Model for Prayer

Praise – Hollowed Be Thy Name

Hollowed means consecrated, honor, authority, and character. When you pray say or begin to direct your attention toward God. That is why God’s name should never be attached to profanity. Beginning with praise turns our focus from ourselves and toward God. The more we praise Him, the more He becomes magnified (enlarge, increase and amplify). The more we praise Him, the larger He becomes in our eyes. Praise Him.

Priority – Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done

Kingdom is royalty. Every place that You have dominion—I want it to come into my life. And Your will be done–meaning Your choices–Your decisions. As believers of Jesus Christ, the stronger our prayer life becomes—the easier it is to submit to His will. When you know someone loves you, it’s not as difficult to surrender your will over to them because you know they are going to do right by you. In prayer, the first earth you have to declare His kingdom coming–is right here in this flesh. The flesh does not automatically want what God wants. The purpose of prayer is not to get man’s will done in heaven, but to get God’s will done on earth.

“If you knew Jesus was coming back tomorrow, who would you snatchout of the fire today.”—Dr. D’Ann Johnson

Provision – Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

It’s interesting that He put praise and priorities before provision, because we do not always know what we need. Our daily bread means what we need for sustenance for this day or day-by-day. In Exodus 16, the Children of Israel had come out of Egypt and they got hungry or had flashbacks of what they had in Egypt. God provided for them every day, but told them to get enough for today. When they got more than they needed it rotted and stank. (Proverbs 38:8-9) You don’t need tomorrow’s mercies today. We have to grow to a place where we say, “give me what I need right now.” Worry is rooted in a fear of what is going to happen. We have to get to a place where we say” give us this day, tomorrow is going to worry about its self.” Praying for daily provision demonstrates trust in the unlimited resources of God.

“We never worry about what has already happened.”—Dr. D’Ann Johnson

Pardon – And Forgive Us our Debts As We Forgive Our Debtors

Even If you are struggling with forgiveness, you cannot exempt it from your prayer life. To forgive means to take away—to send away the guilt. Debt is not talking about just what’s owed monetarily but it means to be under obligation. AS means in the same manner. A debtor is a person indebted, a moral delinquent, a transgressor against God. (Matthew 18—The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant). The forgiveness you want from God is what you give to someone else. A component of our prayer has to include pardon and we then have to be pardoned by God. Matthew 14:6:14-15 NKJV/MSG

Proof (A Putting to Proof)- And Lead Us Not Into Temptation But Deliver Us From Evil

God does not tempt anyone with evil. There is nothing that the enemy throws in your life that you cannot be delivered from—absolutely nothing! (John 17:15) Don’t blame God for what happens in this world. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Rescue us from evil or anguish—from that which is hurtful. Some things you can avoid on your own, but He says we should pray and ask Him to deliver us from evil.  The first step in deliverance is stop blaming the devil. Own it and He will pull you out of it. (John 17:15) Don’t blame God for what happens in the world. We are in the world but not of the world.