The Lord's Pattern for Prayer

[Church Poetry]

By Gaynell DeLappe

In the second half of the Lord's prayer, Jesus addressed our need for
daily
provision, forgiveness, and protection. Notice His words remain
focused on
the Father, who provides all three.


Give us this day our daily bread. It is God's will that we pray daily
for
Him to supply what is needed. In doing so, we are acknowledging that
He is
the source of all our necessities, whether they are physical,
material,
emotional, or spiritual. We are declaring our trust in His sufficiency
for
each day. God already knows what we lack; In asking, we place
ourselves in a
position of dependence, like a child to a father.


Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. This part
of the
pattern for prayer is meant to insure that everything is right between
us
and our Father--and between us and other people. Since unforgiveness
toward
others is sin, it creates tension between us and God. His will is for
us to
forgive others every single time. Otherwise, we're hypocritical,
harboring
enmity toward another person but praying for our own forgiveness.


Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. We ask God
to
control our circumstances so that we won't be faced with temptation
too
strong to resist. This is needed because the Enemy and the world stand
ready
to lure us into unrighteousness by evil enticements.


Prayer is all about our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. To
learn
how to pray the Bible way, we take the pattern the Lord has given us
and ask
Him to teach us how to use it properly.


Written by Dr. Charles Stanley