Day Four: Prayer
WHAT IS PRAYER?
We can understand prayer as communication with God. It’s more than just talking to or at God; it’s a dialogue where we speak and posture ourselves to hear from God. In the same way you would talk to a parent or friend on the phone, you can talk to God. He doesn’t require eloquent words but a sincere heart—and if you don’t know what to say, you can ask the Holy Spirit to give you the words!
Even Jesus’ students had questions about how to pray.
“As [Jesus] finished [praying], one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1 (NLT)
So, we must learn how to pray; the more we pray, the more we grow in prayer.
Think about almost any relationship in your life. You likely communicate better with them today than the day you first met. The more you talked, the more you knew each other.
DAY FOUR DEVOTIONAL
Scripture: Luke 11:2-4 (CSB)
He said to them, “Whenever you pray, say,
Father,
your name be honored as holy.
Your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves also forgive everyone
in debt to us.
And do not bring us into temptation.”
Praying Like Jesus
What Jesus gave His students was a model for prayer. There is nothing wrong with repeating this prayer (many Christians do), and it could be a great starting point! Jesus gives us a pattern to follow as we learn how to pray (remember, that’s what His students asked for).
Acknowledge God first and His Character
Focus on God’s Kingdom (His will, plans)
Go to God with your needs
Seek forgiveness where we’ve sinned against God
Recognize the forgiveness we’ve given others
Protection against sin/temptation
Hear From God
Pull out a journal or your notes app, and take a few minutes to reflect on these verses.
Highlight –– Write down part of the Scripture that stood out to you
Explain –– Answer the question, “What is the Bible teaching?” Ask the Holy Spirit for insight, and use the resources below to help.
Apply –– How can you apply this in real life?
Respond –– Use what you’ve learned to pray, write out a next step, or consider who you can share this with.
PRAY
Recognize the power in our prayers
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19
