How should I pray to God?

Prayer is by its simplest definition “man communicating with God”. There are many different types of prayer and ways that we can communicate with God. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus challenged those listening with many different principles of the Kingdom one of those concerned prayer.

He presented to the disciples a model in which we could pattern our prayer life.

Broadly speaking this prayer in Matthew 6 shows us 3 priorities which help us in the way we pray.The first speaks of relationship. “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” we address God as our Father.

God is the one who wants us to see and relate to him as a father. This therefore is the
primary reason why we pray , to develop a relationship with God, everything else will flow
out of this.

Secondly, Jesus commands us to pray about the things of the Kingdom 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We need to be seeking the advancement of Gods causes not our own.

Thirdly, we look to our heavenly father for natural provision, forgiveness and protection.

11 Give us today our daily bread.12 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.’.

These then are the priorities for our prayer life. Unfortunately as believers we tend to reverse these priorities. We continually seek out God for what we need and want, rather than building relationship. As someone aptly said “we seek the gift and not the giver”.

This month we will be examining our prayer life to reverse those tendencies and help us develop a right relationship with our heavenly Father.