Before beginning this week’s post, I would like to thank those who have responded to the recent tragic events in the Philippines with their heart-felt prayers for the people of Cebu and the neighboring provinces. Relief and recovery work in the hardest hit areas is ongoing, and there is still much to do.
Please continue to pray and give generously through STUDENT LIFE ORGANIZATION, INC. as you demonstrate God’s compassionate care to the Filipino people. Please go to the link at the end of this post. Thank you!
Now to continue:
One of tbe things many don’t understand is that though Jesus was God in tbe flesh He lived and ministered as a man.
He experienced temptation, hunger, thirst, physical fatigue, as well as almost constant conflict and clashes with religious leaders.
Jesus prayed, not as a religious obligation, but as a vital necessity. Prayer connected Him to the wisdom, strength, power, and infinite resources of the Father.
So He prayed… purposefully, passionately, productively, and powerfully!
If Jesus needed prayer as His life-line to heaven, how much more do you and I need prayer, prayer, and ever more prayer!
When one of His disciples asked Jesus to teach him how to pray, He responded by giving them a model-prayer that is often referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer”.
(Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:1-4)
In reality, this was almost certainly not a prayer that Jesus prayed personally. That seems obvious if you notice that the prayer includes the line, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” The Lord wouldn’t need to be praying that, would He? But we sure do!
I believe it would help us to see this prayer more as a “How-To Manual”. It should be considered as a framework upon which we can build and radically transform our prayers from religious rituals into genuine heart-to-heart conversation and communion with our Father. Perhaps it should be known as “The Disciple’s Prayer”.
We have already seen the seven essential elements that Jesus revealed as He taught His disciples to how to pray: adoration, consecration, supplication, intercession, restoration, protection, and proclamation.
Now we will “flesh out” these elements with the Word:
ADORATION
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”
Abba, our Loving Father, holy is your name! You are the Creator of Heaven and Earth. You are the Self-Existent One, the Most High God!
We are your children, born of your love. Your breath is the breath of our lungs. In you, we live and move, and have our eternal being.
You are our Healer, our Deliverer, our Redeemer, our Saviour, and our Lord! You are the King of the Universe, Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, the Only True God!
Reveal yourself more fully, we pray. Show your merciful and loving nature to the world, so that multitudes from every nation, tribe, people, and language are drawn to you and make you the very foundation and center of their lives.
May your holy name always be praised and exalted, and may you forever be given the reverence, the adoration, and the worship you so richly deserve!
CONSECRATION
“Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Father, we worship you in Spirit and in Truth! May your kingdom rule be expressed in and through our lives today. We make a decisive dedication of ourselves as living sacrifices, holy, devoted, and well-pleasing to you. We are yours, heart, mind, soul, and strength.
We are your own handiwork, masterpieces of your workmanship, living poems, recreated in Christ Jesus, born anew, that we may do those good works which you predestined and planned beforehand for us, taking paths which you prepared ahead of time, that we should walk in them, living the good life which you prearranged and made ready for us to live.
Abba, we are united with you, forever one spirit with you. Your kingdom is within us. Your will is our guiding light. Our hearts long for the day when your kingdom will be fully and finally established in the earth, as it is in heaven.
Until that day comes, we know that you will continue to work in us, bringing to maturity, completion and perfection the good work you have begun in us.
We believe that we are continually being changed by your Spirit, moment-by-moment, and day-by-day, from glory to glory, so that when the Lord Jesus is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
For this reason, we make the quality decision that we will not be conformed to this world, but will be transformed by the renewing of our minds, to prove what is your good, and acceptable, and perfect will in our lives.
Now we pray that your kingdom come and your will be done, not only in our lives personally, but in our families, our churches, our cities, our nation, and throughout the earth, as it is in heaven! Make us to be the instruments you use to advance your kingdom rule in the earth.
SUPPLICATION and INTERCESSION
“Give us this day our daily bread.”
Father, we thank you that you abundantly supply all our physical needs: food, clothing, and shelter, according to your riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
But our deepest needs are for the spiritual food and drink that you alone can provide. Only the Bread of Life can satisfy our hunger for you! Only the Living Water of your Spirit can quench our deepest thirst!
Your promise to those who hunger and thirst is fulfillment, so we thank you, Lord, for continually filling us to overflowing with all your fullness today!
We also know with certainty that you will meet the needs of those around us. You are the giver of every good and perfect gift, therefore we call forth the rich treasures that are now needed for life and godliness.
RESTORATION
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
Abba, today we pray for those we may have wounded and failed. We also pray for those who have sinned against us. May your grace and mercy heal all wounds, and repair and remove all scars.
Bring your forgiveness, and peace into all of our lives. Heal the broken-hearted, and make all things fresh and new!
PROTECTION
“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one…”
Father, we thank you that you have delivered us out of the control and dominion of darkness, by the precious blood of Jesus! You have redeemed us, spirit, soul and body, and transplanted us into the kingdom of your dear Son.
Now, we pray that you would also deliver us from temptation, and strengthen us to resist and overcome the evil one, by the power of the greater one who lives in us!
Help us to stay awake and alert, watching strictly and cautiously in prayer, so that we will not yield to temptation.
PROCLAMATION
“For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
Father, let our prayers be as incense before you today! May the lifting up of our hands be pleasing in your sight! May our offering of praise and thanksgiving honor and glorify you! May our lives be living testimonies of your unfailing, unending, unchanging, unconditional love! May our lives be a worship of you. For yours is the kingdom! Yours is the power! And yours is the glory, forever, and ever!
In Jesus’ name, Amen!
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Once again, instead of giving a “like” or “comment” on this post, please consider a donation to the Student Life Organization, Inc. as they show Jesus’ love to the hungry, hurting people of Cebu.
Just $13.60 (USD) provides food and water for a family of five for three days, or for a family of five for three days!
What an awesome opportunity we have been given, to help meet the physical and spiritual needs of these precious people. Would you please give generously today?
For donations please use this link:
paypal.me/anaferuiz
For more information on the vision and mission of SLOI please go to:
His Heart, My Home 
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