How to pray

This devotional is written by Charlotte Anderson. Charlotte is our prayer queen!

9 'Our Father, dwelling in the heavenly realms,
may the glory of your name
be the center on which our lives turn.
10 Manifest your kingdom realm,
and cause your every purpose to be fulfilled on earth,
just as it is fulfilled in heaven.
11 We acknowledge you as our Provider
of all we need each day.
12 Forgive us the wrongs we have done as we ourselves
release forgiveness to those who have wronged us.
13 Rescue us every time we face tribulation
and set us free from evil.
For you are the King who rules
with power and glory forever. Amen.'

Over this ‘how to pray' series we are working our way through Matthew 6:5-15 which contains one of the most famous prayers in the whole Bible: the Lord's Prayer! Many of us are familiar with the Lord's Prayer so I have used a different translation to help us hear it in a new way.

Today I want us to focus on the first line of the Lord's prayer. ‘Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be your name' or ‘Our Father, dwelling in the heavenly realms, may the glory of your name be the center on which our lives turn.'

For me this line invokes the imagery of us being like the Earth turning around the sun: each of us held safely in orbit by the captivating nature of God's glory. There is something powerful that happens in prayer when we begin from a place of worship that comes from choosing to focus on our loving heavenly Father. Our God who is kind and compassionate, a lover of justice, peace and mercy. As we see God for who he is and remember what he has done for us, praise is a natural response. When we put God at the centre of our lives, it puts things back in perspective. As we remember we are God's children and get to call the Most High King ‘Father' it makes space for hope to rise in us and we pray with increased faith because we remember that God is able to bring change in response to our prayers. It is comforting to remember we have a heavenly Father who is for us.

Why don't you try starting your time of prayer from a place of worship today?

Response:

Make yourself comfortable and say:
Come Holy Spirit, reveal Father God to me today. Please help bring me to a place of worship.

Be still for a few moments and invite more of the Holy Spirit's presence:
Holy Spirit, I welcome you here.

Begin by ‘hallowing' or glorifying God's name. This simply means to honour him and we can do this by declaring who he is. Remind yourself of the characteristics of God and turn them into praise. It is often helpful to use bible verses to help you do this.
I praise you God because- you are good and your love endures forever (Psalm 136:1)
you are faithful (Deuteronomy 7:9)
you never give up on us (Luke 15:20)
you are the lifter of my head (Psalm 3:3)
you never change (James 1:17)
you are just (Revelation 15:3)
you love mercy (Psalm 86:15)
you endured the cross for us (Hebrews 12:12)
you go with us and never leave us (Deuteronomy 31:6)
your compassion never changes (Lamentations 3:22)

You might like to continue by listening to a worship song or thanking God for specific answers to prayer and then ask God for the things you need.