{"id":5955,"date":"2012-12-15T00:01:26","date_gmt":"2012-12-15T06:01:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/?p=5955"},"modified":"2013-01-25T09:48:43","modified_gmt":"2013-01-25T14:48:43","slug":"lord-teach-us-to-pray-week-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/2012\/12\/15\/lord-teach-us-to-pray-week-12\/","title":{"rendered":"Lord, Teach Us to Pray – Week 12"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today we are finishing the series entitled Lord, teach us to pray<\/em>!<\/p>\n

Do you ever cry out with that same desire as Jesus\u2019 disciples did \u2014 \u201dTeach {me} to pray\u201d?<\/p>\n

\n

Each Saturday over the last few months, we have been intentionally pursuing asking the Lord to do just that\u2014teach us<\/em> to pray. I believe that, as we have looked at learning how to pray through the Scriptures, we have developed the heart of daughters who delight, yearn, love to pray to their Father!!!<\/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: \u201cThen He was praying in a certain place; and when He stopped, one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray….\u201d<\/p>\n

Listen to the words that He spoke to them when they asked:
\nPray, therefore, like this:
\nOur Father
\nWho is in heaven,
\nhallowed (kept holy) be Your name.
\nYour kingdom come,
\nYour will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
\nGive us this day our daily bread.
\nAnd forgive us our debts,
\nas we also have forgiven (left, remitted, and let go of the debts,
\nand have given up resentment against) our debtors.
\nAnd lead (bring) us not into temptation,
\nbut deliver us from the evil one
\nFor Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
\nAmen<\/strong>.
\nMatthew 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 \u201cOur Father<\/strong>….\u201d We found that He wants to be our Father…our Abba Father!<\/p>\n

The second week, we looked at the very next aspect of prayer that Jesus deemed of importance\u2014\u201cWho is in heaven<\/strong>.\u201d This attribute tells of the utmost importance of God Who is in heaven. 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.<\/p>\n

Then we came to the third aspect, as we followed Jesus\u2019 instruction,\u2014 \u201challowed (kept holy) be Your name<\/strong>.\u201d And we looked at five examples in the Scriptures where Almighty God is described as holy: we saw the Psalmist proclaim that \u2018You are holy\u2019…that the prophet Habakkuk called Him \u2018my Holy 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 \u2018Holy Father\u2019…that one of the seven angels praise Almighty God saying \u2018You Who are and were \u2018O Holy One.\u2019 What a privilege that our Father…Who is in heaven…would allow us to come before Him and call Him \u2018holy!\u2019<\/p>\n

After that we looked at the next aspect of prayer that Jesus deemed important\u2014\u2018Your Kingdom come<\/strong>.\u2019 We considered the question, \u201cWhat is the Kingdom?\u201d by focusing on just two ways to understand what Jesus meant. The first connotation that \u201cKingdom\u201d has refers to the eternal Kingdom. And then to understand \u201cKingdom\u201d in another way, we looked specifically at Matthew chapter 13 where Jesus spoke in parables and used tangible examples to help His disciples (and us!) to understand the importance of having the Kingdom established in our hearts. He wants you and me to be in that Kingdom along with Him.<\/p>\n

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

And the next week we studied the phrase \u2018Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven<\/strong>\u2019 from the perspective of our Lord\u2019s life and ministry. We read that Jesus came down from heaven not to do His own will but to do the will of His Father on the earth. Jesus was always the perfect example to His disciples. He simply and clearly taught His disciples (and us!) to do always seek to do the same.<\/p>\n

The following week we considered the phrase, \u201cGive us this day our daily bread<\/strong>.\u201d We recognized that Jesus IS the \u2018bread of life.\u201d We clearly saw Jesus\u2019 heart of compassion, wanting His disciples (and us!) to live forever by partaking of the Bread of Life. We also looked at Jesus\u2019 instruction that if they would pray, \u201cgive us this day our daily bread…\u201d they would be humbly acknowledging that their heavenly Father already KNEW what their needs would be that day.<\/p>\n

Then we focused on the next direction Jesus gave as He taught His disciples (and us!) to pray. It is the request to \u201c…forgive us our debts<\/strong>.\u201d We looked first at the record where Peter asked Jesus how many times did he need to forgive? Jesus answered him, \u2018I tell you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven!\u201d Nothing has changed. We, too, are to forgive \u201c…seventy times seven…\u201d (In other words, just keep on forgiving!) Then Jesus gave further clarification and direction to Peter and the other disciples. He held nothing back in communicating that forgiveness, or the refusal to forgive, is an issue of the heart. God through Christ has forgiven us for SO much! And He compassionately, mercifully, and lovingly, continues to forgive us as we repent and ask.<\/p>\n

We looked next at His direction to His disciples (and us!) to ask our Father to \u201clead us not into temptation<\/strong>…\u201d Of great importance is to remember that God does not \u201ctempt\u201d anyone (James 1:13, 14). And in Matthew 4:3 we clearly saw that THE tempter is satan, our enemy. We are not alone in handling temptation. He understands and has shown us how to handle satan\u2019s tempting. We saw Jesus\u2019 great example in Matthew 4:1-11. His response\u2014the very thing that kept Him from being tempted\u2014was the truth of the Scriptures. Jesus replied to satan each time with \u201c…it is written….\u201d We, too, can have the assurance of the truth of the Scriptures when our enemy tries to tempt us.<\/p>\n

And then we focused on the final instruction Jesus gave to His disciples (and us!) as He taught them how to pray–\u201cAnd lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one<\/strong>.\u201d These two phrases are to be understood together in their context. Jesus clearly stated that not only did they need to recognize temptation but also recognize that they could not \u2018handle\u2019 it on their own\u2014they needed to pray for God\u2019s deliverance. One portion of Jesus\u2019 prayer (in John 17) includes asking God \u201ckeep and protect them from the evil one,\u201d and also Jesus praying for \u201c…all those who will ever come to believe in (trust in, cling to, rely on) Me.\u201d THAT IS US! You and me…mentioned in Jesus\u2019 precious prayer to God! Our reliance on our heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus (seated at His right hand) gives us the ability, the strength to be delivered from evil.<\/p>\n

Now, the phrase we studied last week was \u2018for Yours is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever<\/strong>.\u2019 In Jesus\u2019 teaching His disciples (and us!) to pray, He began and ended with praise. Praising God should be a part of all of our communication with our heavenly Father but especially in our prayers. Jesus made sure that His disciples (and us!) knew that God was to be glorified and praised! His final point to them (and us!) when they asked Him to teach them to pray was the importance of praising and glorifying God.<\/p>\n

_____<\/p>\n

And, finally, we come to Jesus\u2019 very last word as He taught His disciples (and us!) to pray—\u201camen<\/strong>.\u2019 In the Hebrew language, \u2018amen\u2019 simply is an affirmation, a recognition of truth, \u201cso be it.\u2019<\/p>\n

I read a quote that impacted me greatly, and I would like to share it with you.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cThe word “amen<\/strong>” is a most remarkable word. It was transliterated directly from the Hebrew into the Greek of the New Testament, then into Latin and into English and many other languages, so that it is practically a universal word. It has been called the best known word in human speech. The word is directly related\u2014in fact, almost identical\u2014 to the Hebrew word for “believe” \u00a0(amam<\/em>), or faithful. \u00a0Thus, it came to mean “sure” or “truly,” an expression of absolute trust and confidence.\u201d*<\/p>\n

But equally important, I think, is to put yourself in the sandals of the disciples. Think about it for a moment…. Here they are with their Master. Throughout the months that they have spent with Him, they have seen Him pray all along. And finally, one of them blurts out, \u201cLord, teach us to pray!\u201d And so, as we have seen, He takes them step-by-step through a series of instructions; helping them to have the right heart attitude towards God when they pray.<\/p>\n

That, truly, is what this instruction of our Lord\u2019s is all about\u2014having the right heart…not the perfect words…not a \u2018method\u2019 of praying. But rather to approach our Father God with humility and to…<\/p>\n

Acknowledge that He is our Father,
\nand that He dwells in heaven,
\nand that He IS Holy, Holy, Holy.
\nRecognize that His Kingdom will come
\nand that His Will will be done on earth
\njust as it is in heaven.
\nAsk for our daily bread, every day.
\nDeal with forgiveness,
\nand to give up resentment against others.
\nAcknowledge where temptation truly comes from,
\nand our need to be delivered from the evil one.
\nPraise Him…giving Him the honor and the glory forever!<\/p>\n

Jesus had so much compassion towards His disciples (and us!), knowing of their need to be led in such a way that they then could pray after He left them and returned to His Father in heaven. His instruction gave them (and us!) the ability to pray on their own.<\/p>\n

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

In our study A Daughter\u2019s Worth<\/em>, we have focused this week on being ready to hear God\u2019s voice..being sensitive to leading of the holy spirit…being prepared to wait on God…being willing to accept His answer…being confident in Who God is and His perfect provision for us. Perhaps could we say that we have been working on preparing our hearts to say \u2018amen<\/strong>.\u2019 Or \u2018so be it!\u2019<\/p>\n

This week instead of a question, I believe we can confidently make the statement, \u2018I, ______, (insert your precious name here<\/em>) am a daughter of the Most High God, and to Him I am of SUCH worth!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cAmen<\/strong>!\u201d<\/p>\n

* I found this quote in a number of sources (the Online Bible, Bible.org, etc.) and have quoted from the \u2018The Blue Letter Bible.org;\u2019 source unknown.<\/p>\n

\n
\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! Please email GCH_Decaf@girlfriendscoffeehour.com for more information.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today we are finishing the series entitled Lord, teach us to pray! Do you ever cry out with that same desire as Jesus\u2019 disciples did \u2014 \u201dTeach {me} to pray\u201d? Each Saturday over the last few months, we have been intentionally pursuing asking the Lord to do just that\u2014teach us to pray. I believe that, […]<\/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":[68,89,144,147,235,365,10,411,425,616,791,795,1173,1174,1035,1065],"class_list":["post-5955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-teens","tag-a-daughters-worth","tag-amen","tag-bible","tag-bible-study","tag-coleen-hayden","tag-faith","tag-forgiveness","tag-gch-decaf","tag-girlfriends-coffee-hour","tag-lord","tag-prayer","tag-praying-the-lords-prayer","tag-self-image","tag-self-worth","tag-teach-us-to-pray","tag-the-lords-prayer","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p39pHp-1y3","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5955","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=5955"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5955\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8438,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5955\/revisions\/8438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}