" And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil." (Luke 11:2-4) When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, Jesus obliged them. He laid down for them an eternal formula for prayer - one that never fails. He taught them the key elements that make up a successful prayer, and one that God answers..
In this short lesson on prayer, Jesus outlined four basic principles about prayer that every christian must learn and internalize.
- Rule 1 - Hallowed be Thy name: The first rule of prayer is that it must be in honour of God's name. When we pray, everything about us must honour God - our speech, our life, our character, our will, our faith. We must be willing at every time to dance to God's tune. Prayer should not involve any form of profanity or foul language. It is not just talking to God. we must recognise that it is a fellowship with a Supreme Being. It is an act of submission in honour of God's name.
- Rule 2 - Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven: Prayer is all about furthering the will and kingdom of God. Any prayer made in contrast to the will of God will fail. Our prayer should be disciplined to align to the will of God. It should be about manifesting the kingdom of God on earth - as it is done in heaven. How is it done in heaven? In heaven, everything is in accordance with the will of God. God is worshipped, exalted, glorified. This is the same objective our prayers should accomplish.
- Rule 3 - Give us this day our daily bread: Now this is my favourite part. Prayer should be daily. Jesus teaches us the principles of continuity and consistency in prayer. All the great people who made impact in this world both in Bible times and in contemporary times through prayer knew that prayer is something you do repeatedly. it has to be a lifestyle - a part of your daily routine.
- Rule 4 - And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us: Perhaps the most important aspect of our prayer is that they must stem from a heart of forgiveness. Without a forgiving spirit, our prayers are not acceptable to God
This is just a brief summary of the method that Jesus taught us to adopt in our prayer life. One of the days, I will take the time and treat each of these points one after the other. But let us learn today that prayer has a pattern. Everything does not constitute prayer. Prayer must be done properly to achieve result. The Bible says "The fervent prayer of the righteous availeth much (James 5:16). The Greek word translated as "fervent" is energoumenē which means "working" or something that works. In other words, the working prayer, the prayer made in a manner that works availeth much.
Keep praying!