Prayer Framework

Luke 11:2-4 (KJV)
2 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. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 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.


Many of you are familiar with the Lord's Prayer, but probably the one recorded in Matthew 9. Either one presents a great outline for prayer. (Matthew 6:9 - "After this manner therefore pray ye...).

Our Father: "Who are you addressing?"

in Heaven: "Where does He dwell?"

Hallowed (holy): "What is His quality?"

Thy kingdom come: "Whose kingdom?"

Thy will be done: "Whose way is best?"

Give us daily bread: "Who provides our needs?"

Forgive us: "Who can pardon us?"

As we forgive others: "How are we to treat others?"

Lead us not into temptation: "Whose path do we follow?"

Deliver us from evil: "Who directs us when we stray?"

If you were to go through this "manner of prayer" each morning where would your perspective be?

You start off by addressing the all powerful God, whom we can call Father. And though He can be everywhere and anyplace He chooses, He still dwells in a place we can only imagine - and though it is our home and destination, it's still beyond our full comprehension. (Do you see how each question provokes a new thought - and most questions I've put up here lead to how great God is.)

Continue to go through the questions and reflect. Try to start off the day with a prayer like this. We are commanded to pray without ceasing (I Thes 5:17) and these prayers can be compared to text messaging or quick phone calls to God. But the prayer we just talked about is our chance to daily give God our all. To put our perspective on Him. To truly acknowledge Him for whom He is.