{"id":4121,"date":"2012-11-17T00:30:19","date_gmt":"2012-11-17T06:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/?p=4121"},"modified":"2013-01-24T23:31:56","modified_gmt":"2013-01-25T04:31:56","slug":"lord-teach-us-to-pray-week-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/2012\/11\/17\/lord-teach-us-to-pray-week-8\/","title":{"rendered":"Lord, Teach Us to Pray – Week 8"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/a>Today we continue a series entitled Lord, teach us to pray!<\/em><\/b>\u00a0 Do you ever cry out with that same desire as Jesus\u2019 disciples did \u2014 “Teach {me<\/b>} to pray”?<\/p>\n

Each Saturday over the next couple of months, we will intentionally pursue asking the Lord to do just that\u2014teach us <\/b>to pray.\u00a0 I believe that, as we continue to look at learning how to pray through the Scriptures, we will develop into daughters who delight, yearn, love to pray to their Father!!!\u00a0 This is my heart\u2019s desire.<\/p>\n

Jesus was asked this important question by His disciples. One of the places that it is recorded is in Luke 11, verse 1: “Then He was praying in a certain place; and when He stopped, one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray….”<\/p>\n

Listen to the words that He spoke to them when they asked:<\/p>\n

Pray, therefore, like this:<\/p>\n

Our Father<\/p>\n

Who is in heaven,<\/p>\n

hallowed (kept holy) be Your name.<\/p>\n

Your kingdom come,<\/p>\n

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.<\/p>\n

Give us this day our daily bread.<\/p>\n

And forgive us our debts<\/b>,<\/p>\n

as we also have forgiven (left, remitted, and let go of the debts,<\/p>\n

and have given up resentment against) our debtors.<\/p>\n

And lead (bring) us not into temptation,<\/p>\n

but deliver us from the evil one.<\/p>\n

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.<\/p>\n

Amen.<\/p>\n

Matthew 6:9-13<\/p>\n

The first week, in this series, we focused on the very first, and most important aspect, of Jesus\u2019 instruction\u2014addressing God Almighty as “Our Father<\/b>….” We found that He wants to be our Father…our Abba <\/i>Father!<\/p>\n

The second week, we looked at the very next aspect of prayer that Jesus deemed of\u00a0 importance\u2014”Who is in heaven<\/b>.”\u00a0 This attribute tells of the utmost importance of God Who is in heaven<\/b>.\u00a0 And we also were reminded of an awesome promise from God, that we will dwell for all eternity with Jesus and our Father, Who is in heaven<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Then we came to the third aspect, as we followed Jesus\u2019 instruction,\u2014 “hallowed (kept holy) be Your name<\/b>.”\u00a0 And we looked at five examples in the Scriptures where Almighty God is described as holy<\/b>: we saw the Psalmist proclaim that \u2018You are holy<\/b>\u2019…that the prophet Habakkuk called Him \u2018my Holy<\/b> One\u2019…that Isaiah saw in a vision God seated on His throne with the seraphim proclaiming \u2018holy, holy, holy\u2019…that Jesus our Lord prayed\u00a0 \u2018Holy <\/b>Father\u2019…that one of the seven angels praise Almighty God saying \u2018You Who are and were \u2018O Holy <\/b>One.\u2019\u00a0 What a privilege that our Father…Who is in heaven…would allow us to come before Him and call Him \u2018holy<\/b>!\u2019<\/p>\n

After that we looked at the next aspect of prayer that Jesus deemed important\u2014\u2018Your Kingdom come<\/b>.\u2019\u00a0 We considered the question, “What is the Kingdom<\/b>?” by focusing on just two ways to understand what Jesus meant.\u00a0 The first connotation that “Kingdom<\/b>” has refers to the eternal Kingdom<\/b>.\u00a0 And then to understand “Kingdom<\/b>” in another way, we looked specifically at Matthew chapter 13\u00a0 where Jesus spoke in parables and used tangible examples to help His disciples (and us!) to understand the importance of having the Kingdom<\/b> established in our hearts.\u00a0 He wants you and me to be in that Kingdom<\/b> along with Him.<\/p>\n

The following week we focused on another aspect of Jesus\u2019 instruction: \u2018Your will be done<\/b>.\u2019\u00a0 It is Almighty God\u2019s will<\/b> that we are to be concerned about…not our own.\u00a0 We considered scripture after scripture and saw our Lord\u2019s constant example showing that it was not His will<\/b> that was important but His Father\u2019s.\u00a0 If it were ever possible for anyone to justifiably state and act on their own will<\/b>, it would have been Jesus; true?\u00a0 Jesus always desired His Father\u2019s will<\/b>, always sought His Father\u2019s will<\/b>, always purposed to know His Father\u2019s will <\/b>so that He always did His Father\u2019s will<\/b>.\u00a0 And what did we find was His Father\u2019s will<\/b>?\u2014salvation and redemption through Jesus Christ.\u00a0 We were assured that at the very foundation of God\u2019s will<\/b> lies our hope, which is salvation through Jesus leading to eternal life.<\/p>\n

And the next week we studied the phrase \u2018Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven<\/span><\/span><\/b>\u2019 from the perspective of our Lord\u2019s life and ministry.\u00a0 In John 6:38 we read that Jesus came down from heaven<\/b> not to do His own will but to do the will of His Father on the earth<\/b>.\u00a0 Jesus was always the perfect example to His disciples, and of course, to us.\u00a0 We, too, can live with that same heart as Jesus did.\u00a0 God has promised to lead us, to guide us, to show us His Will<\/b>.\u00a0 We looked at a number of promises that God has given us regarding our knowing His will<\/b>.\u00a0 Jesus, Who knew His heavenly Father like no one else did, desired to do God\u2019s will<\/b>.\u00a0 God\u2019s perfect will<\/b>.\u00a0 He simply and clearly taught His disciples AND US to do the same.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Last week we considered the phrase, “Give us this day our daily bread<\/b>.”\u00a0 We recognized that Jesus IS the \u2018bread<\/b> of life.”\u00a0 We looked at John chapter 6 where Jesus spoke repeatedly about this.\u00a0 We clearly saw Jesus\u2019 heart of compassion, wanting them (and us!) to live forever by partaking of the Bread <\/b>of Life\u2014Himself\u2014and receiving that blessing.\u00a0 We also looked at\u00a0 Jesus\u2019 instruction that if they would pray, “give us this day our daily bread<\/b>…” they would be humbly acknowledging that their heavenly Father already KNEW what their needs would be that day.\u00a0 For us, just like Jesus\u2019 disciples, it is when we recognize our immense need for God\u2019s provision that we step back from trying to accomplish it (whatever \u2018it\u2019 may be for that day) and let the One Who has so much to give to us provide so perfectly for us!\u00a0 Let\u2019s remember: Jesus answered their plea to teach them to pray, and in the midst of that instruction, He directed them to pray, “give us this day our daily bread<\/b>.”\u00a0 Then, He gently reminded them that God already provided that daily bread<\/b> for them!\u00a0 (AND for us!)<\/p>\n

Here in week eight, we are focusing on the next direction Jesus gave as He taught His disciples (and now us!) to pray.\u00a0 It is the request to “…forgive us our debts<\/b>.”<\/p>\n

In Matthew chapter 18, Jesus addressed the issue of forgiveness<\/b> in two different ways.\u00a0 The first occurrence is recorded in verses 21,22:<\/p>\n

“Then Peter came up to Him and said, Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I forgive<\/b> him and<\/i> let it go? [As many as] up to seven times?\u00a0 Jesus answered him, I tell you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven!”<\/p>\n

Oh boy!\u00a0 Can\u2019t you just picture Peter\u2019s jaw dropping?\u00a0 I\u2019m thinking that is not exactly the answer he imagined the Lord would give him, right?\u00a0 But that was, and is, our Lord\u2019s response.\u00a0 Nothing has changed.\u00a0 We, too, are to forgive<\/b> “…seventy times seven…”\u00a0 (In other words, just keep on forgiving!<\/b>)<\/p>\n

Jesus goes on to give further clarification and direction to Peter along with the other disciples about this important issue of forgiveness<\/b>.\u00a0\u00a0 We are going to look at verses 21-35; you can either open your Bible, or follow this link to read this entire record.\u00a0 <http:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Matthew%2018:23-35&version=AMP><\/p>\n

Jesus tells quite a story in this parable!\u00a0 He hold nothing back in communicating that forgiveness<\/b>, or the refusal to forgive<\/b>, is an issue of the heart.\u00a0 See how He portrays the king towards the man who owed him much money.<\/p>\n

“And his master\u2019s heart was moved with compassion, and he released him and forgave<\/b> him [cancelling] the debt” (verse 27).<\/p>\n

Wow!\u00a0 This king was owed over 10,000 talents.\u00a0 A talent<\/i> was an amount of money used in Jesus\u2019 day and time.\u00a0 Biblical scholars do not agree on the total equivalent in today\u2019s monetary value.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen it quoted in the range of $10,000,000 to $3 billion.\u00a0 But we can say with certainty that 10,000 talents was a vast amount of money to owe.\u00a0 The king had every right and reason to imprison the man for his failure to repay.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t; he forgave <\/b>him the entire debt out of a heart of compassion.\u00a0 This is forgiveness<\/b>.<\/p>\n

As Jesus continues, He depicts this man (the servant) now going to his fellow attendant and demanding what was owed to him.\u00a0 It is NOT with a similar attitude of forgive<\/b>ness that he addresses his peer.\u00a0 Rather, it is with a hardened, merciless heart that he refuses to forgive<\/b> and, instead, he (the original, forgiven<\/b> servant) has the man (his fellow attendant) thrown into prison until he can repay this small debt.<\/p>\n

The record continues as we see the king (the master) call the first man back to him, and chastise him for being pitiless and merciless toward his fellow attendant.\u00a0 The king then does have him<\/i> thrown in jail because of his contemptible attitude and lack of forgive<\/b>ness to his fellow attendant.<\/p>\n

And then Jesus clearly states His second point.<\/p>\n

“So also My heavenly Father will deal with every one of you if you do not freely forgive<\/b> your brother from your heart his offenses<\/i>” (verse 35).<\/p>\n

God through Christ has forgiven<\/b> us for so, SO much!\u00a0 And He compassionately, mercifully, and lovingly continues to forgive<\/b> us as we repent and ask.<\/p>\n

Colossians 2:13,14<\/p>\n

And you who were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh (your sensuality, your sinful carnal nature), [God] brought to life together with [Christ], having [freely] forgiven<\/b> us all our transgressions,<\/p>\n

Having cancelled and<\/i> blotted out and<\/i> wiped away the handwriting of the note (bond) with its legal decrees and<\/i> demands which was in force and<\/i> stood against us (hostile to us). This [note with its regulations, decrees, and demands] He set aside and<\/i> cleared completely out of our way by nailing it to [His] cross.<\/p>\n

Oh. How. He. Loves. Us. So.\u00a0 <3<\/p>\n

—————————————————————–<\/p>\n

This week, in our study A Daughter\u2019s Worth<\/i>, we have been focusing on family relationships and their importance in our growth as Christians.\u00a0 Forgive<\/b>ness is a foundational need among family members.\u00a0 We have so much need to be continually forgiven<\/b>, as well as we must extend much forgive<\/b>ness to our parents and siblings.<\/p>\n

Ask yourself:\u00a0 ______ (insert your name here), how much worth do I have if God has so graciously and mercifully forgiven<\/b> me for my sins?\u00a0 How much worth do I have if\u00a0 Jesus was willing to die for me so that I could have forgive<\/b>ness of my sins?\u00a0\u00a0 <3<\/p>\n

“…Forgive us our debts<\/b>….”<\/p>\n

****************************************************************<\/p>\n

For the A Daughter\u2019s Worth<\/i> Bible Study, you will need the book, your Bible, pen or pencil, a highlighter and a quiet place. You can order the book right through our website from clicking the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage.<\/p>\n

If you are interested in joining us in our GCH:decaf Teen Girls Ministry, please click the sign-up form button at the top of our webpage. Just follow the instructions on the form and hit submit. We\u2019ll be happy to add you to one of our Online Bible Study Groups! Our new study is A Daughter\u2019s Worth<\/i>! Please email megan@girlfriendscoffeehour.com<\/a> for more information<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today we continue a series entitled Lord, teach us to pray!\u00a0 Do you ever cry out with that same desire as Jesus\u2019 disciples did \u2014 “Teach {me} to pray”? Each Saturday over the next couple of months, we will intentionally pursue asking the Lord to do just that\u2014teach us to pray.\u00a0 I believe that, as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[21],"tags":[68,147,235,388,10,411,425,554,616,619,961,1032,1035,1039,1042,1043],"class_list":["post-4121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-teens","tag-a-daughters-worth","tag-bible-study","tag-coleen-hayden","tag-forgive","tag-forgiveness","tag-gch-decaf","tag-girlfriends-coffee-hour","tag-jesus","tag-lord","tag-lords-prayer","tag-siblings","tag-talents","tag-teach-us-to-pray","tag-teen-girls","tag-teenagers","tag-teens-2","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p39pHp-14t","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4121"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4121\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8327,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4121\/revisions\/8327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}