PRAYING WITH POWER

In this manner, therefore, pray….  (Matthew 6:9a)

God designed you with a skeleton.  We are more than a skeleton, of course, but the skeleton gives shape and strength to us.  So, the model prayer Jesus gave is not the end all to praying, but His teaching is meant to give strength and structure to our supplication.  Jesus assumes we will pray—as naturally as a child breathing and crying out to his parents—but is concerned about the motive and manner of our praying.  Perhaps this acrostic will help us grasp our Lord’s teaching and lead to praying with power.

P stands for PRAISE (Matt.6:5-6).  Prayer is not for the praise of man, but for the praise of God.  It is to glorify His name and not ours (Matt.6:9).  The focus is not self-centered, but God-centered.  Thus, prayer should begin with a God focus and offering worship.

R stands for REPENTANCE (Matt.6:12, 14-25).  A proper perspective on the glory of God brings a clear comprehension of who we are—sinners in need of forgiveness..  The channel must be clear, if the grace we need is to flow in.  Thus, the psalmist said, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.”  (Ps.66:18).  We experience forgiveness, however, in the measure we are willing to forgive others.

A stands for APPRECIATION (Matt.6:9).  We have such a loving Heavenly Father.  Too often we race into His presence as though He were a cosmic Santa Claus with our wish list of goodies, when we ought to spend time first expressing appreciation for all He has already done.  This is to show reverence—to hallow His name.

Y stands for YIELDEDNESS (Matt.6:7, 10).  Powerful praying is not a result of our twisting God’s arm—wearing down His resistance by our persistent whining.  We do not come to demand our will be done in heaven, but to determine God’s will for us that is to be done on earth.  The advancement of His kingdom and the accomplishment of His will are paramount for ourselves and for others as we pray.  Yielding to God yields results!

I stands for INTERCESSION (Matt.6:9, 11-13).  Note the pronouns, “our” and “us.”  Too frequently, our praying uses “I” and “me.”  The ministry of intercession targets our fellowman and their needs.  God has made us priests, and the duty of a priest is to bring man’s request before God and bring God’s response to man’s need.

N stands for NEEDS (Matt.6:8, 11).  We should not conclude that it is wrong to ask for our needs to be met.  What God requires is to have them in the proper place.  In sharing our needs, we are acknowledging our humble reliance on God—and that is a good thing!  Our prayer is for the need and not for our greed, however.  Ask for bread, not steaks! 

G stands for GUIDANCE (Matt.6:13).  If we follow our Commander, He will lead us to victory.  We are no match for the Evil One, but he cannot stand before God!  Marching to triumph over temptation begins by kneeling in prayer.  There the issue is settled.  This is praying in power.