The past few weeks have been hard ones for me. In addition to the stress we all feel during this tumultuous 2020 season, my dad’s been hospitalized for over three weeks now.
You have your own stress, too. We all seem to be living with our stress levels very near capacity, given everything that has happened, and is happening, in our country and our world.
So, in times like these, how do we pray?
Jesus makes it simple.
And I need simple right now.
Maybe you do, too.
Here’s what our Savior said…
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
~Matther 6:5-13
I’m keeping it simple today, because Jesus did.
The Lord’s Prayer (as this prayer is often called) isn’t merely a prayer we are to recite, but a template for how to pray anytime, anywhere, for anything.
So, how do we pray?
- We honor God, recognizing life is not primarily about our comfort, but about His Kingdom.
- We pray for God’s will to be done right here on earth. (Wow!!!)
- We ask for our needs–physical, emotional, relational, spiritual–if it’s a need, we ask God to meet it.
- We ask for forgiveness for what we have done and we extend forgiveness for what has been done to us.
- We ask for protection from what we might do that would dishonor God, and bring us, or others, harm.
So, as you pray for yourself, your loved ones, and for our country, mirror the heart of Jesus.
Because this is how He taught us to pray.
You are loved,
Donna
PS. Over on Instagram (@donnaajones) and Facebook Donna shares short videos called “Weekly Wisdom”. She’s currently in a series on “How to Discover God’s Will for Your Life”. She’d love to see you there!
PSS. If you need a scriptural encouragement in this tumultuous time, read Psalm 37 and Psalm 23. They are great!!!
