Do you ever feel inadequate or frustrated with your prayer life? If so, you’re not alone. It appears even the disciples wanted more when they said, “Lord, teach us to pray.” In our New Testament reading, we’ll talk about Jesus’ outline for prayer and how we can use it during our devotional time, along with another help that can lead to a more consistent, satisfying prayer life. We’ll also talk about our motives for praying and other things we do.

From our Old Testament reading check out “How Do You Evaluate Opportunities?” See how not to make decisions and some ways to evaluate opportunities.

Also, today, “The Joy of Spiritual Prosperity,” “The Fear of God,” and “The Importance of Forgiveness.” 

Welcome, to “God’s Word Day by Day.”

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Today’s Readings:

Genesis 13 & 14
Psalm 4.4-8
Proverbs 2.1-5
Matthew 6.1-18

Are You Frustrated with Your Prayer Life?

Matthew 6.1-18:

Motives

In the introduction to what we call the “Lord’s Prayer,” Jesus begins by talking about motives. Why do we do what we do? Whether that means praying, fasting, giving, reading the Bible, or any other spiritual activity, motives matter.

1 Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.² Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.³ But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,⁴ that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

He goes on to say much the same about prayer and fasting (vv. 5-6, 16-18).

We shouldn’t do things to look spiritual or receive recognition. If we do, Jesus said that’s all the reward we’ll get!

Are You Satisfied with Your Prayer Life?

Now let’s turn to the subject of prayer itself.

Most of us are, to one degree or another, dissatisfied with our prayer life. Sometimes we believe our prayers are inadequate. At other times we feel guilty because we don’t believe we pray enough. Sometimes, if we admit it, we’re bored with prayer because we seem to pray the same way about the same things day after day.

First, we need to realize that we don’t earn God’s love by how much or how fancy we pray. The Christian life is not about earning anything. Jesus paid it all on the cross. If we belong to Him we have all the love and acceptance there is. Instead, prayer is about our relationship with God. It’s about spending time with Him and acknowledging our dependence on Him.

But while we don’t need to earn God’s love, I believe there are some things that we can do to have a more satisfying and consistent prayer life. Jesus left us with what we often call the Lord’s prayer. In so doing, He helps us understand how important each part is to our prayer life.

The Lord’s Prayer

Matthew 6.9-13:

⁹ In this manner, therefore, pray:

I have been reading a little gem of a book my husband has had for a long time. It belonged to a pastor friend who went to be with the Lord a decade or so ago. Even though we were both familiar with the author and appreciated other things he had written, neither of us had read it until recently. The book is The Beatitudes & the Lord’s Prayer by A.W. Pink. It has blessed me enormously and grown my understanding of this passage.

The author says this:

This prayer is found twice in the New Testament, being given by Christ on two different occasions. This, no doubt, is a hint for preachers to reiterate that which is of fundamental importance. The variations are significant. The language of Matthew 6.9 intimates that this prayer is given to us for a model, yet the words of Luke11.2 indicate that it is to be used by us as a form.

He explains that it’s often been disputed as to which is correct. He goes on, “The right answer to this question is that it is to be considered as both.”

There are times when it’s appropriate to pray this prayer word for word as the Lord indicated in Luke 11.2 (“When you pray, say …”). Though we should be careful not to pray it repetitiously, superstitiously, or without thinking about what we’re praying (v. 8). 

But we can also use it as a model or outline to guide our prayers as today’s passage seems to indicate (v. 9, “In this manner, therefore, pray”).

A Model or Framework for Prayer

If we take each phrase and expand on it in our own words, it becomes a framework on which to build our prayers.

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name” – Let worship be the starting point. You might pray one or more of the names of God or talk to Him about His various attributes or worship Him in some other way. Perhaps by reading a psalm or singing a worship song.

“Your kingdom come, Your will be done” – This is an opportunity to submit your will to His verbally.

“Give us this day our daily bread” – This is about more than food. It’s about expressing all our needs to Him. Be specific. And remember to thank Him for all He has provided.

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” – We should be asking Him to forgive us of our sins on a regular basis and staying in an attitude of forgiveness toward others. Again be specific. Confess known sin to Him and ask for His help to repent and go His way in that area.

“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” – Ask Him for His protection. guidance and discernment. Bring your struggles to Him.

“For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever” – We should end as we began, with worship.

There is much more to be said about each of these petitions, and I hope to share more of Pastor Pink’s insights in the coming weeks. But for now, I hope this general overview will give you a pattern to follow if you have never used it in that way.

And if you’d like to watch a short video on the subject, I have linked one at the bottom. Just a note, there is a rather long instrumental introduction. You might want to fast forward two or three minutes.

The Importance of Forgiveness

Jesus ended this passage on prayer by re-emphasizing the importance of forgiving others.

¹⁴ For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, ¹⁵ but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

If you are struggling to forgive someone, take it to the Lord, repent of your unwillingness to forgive, and ask for His help to forgive from the heart, and then step out in faith and act on that forgiveness.

Prayer & Bible Reading

Another way of re-invigorating your prayer life is by praying the Scriptures back to God as you do your Bible reading. The Psalms are especially good, but many passages can be turned into prayers.

You can read more about praying the Bible in “Praying the Bible: Why We Don’t Pray More.”

Today’s Other Readings:

Genesis 13 & 14:

Abraham & Lot

Chapter 13 contains an interesting story about Abram and Lot. We find them both prospering with growing herds and a growing need for water and pastureland. This caused strife between their herdsmen, so rather than allow that to happen, Abram suggested they split up.

Abram was the elder and certainly had the right to the best land, but he unselfishly gave Lot the first choice of the land. Lot’s response was quite different, verses 10-13:

10 And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. 12 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. 13 But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD.

Lot, it seems, looked longingly at the prosperity and blessings this region offered without concern for the spiritual conditions to which he would be exposing himself and his family, setting the stage for events to come.

How Do You Evaluate Opportunities?

What is your first thought when offered a job or some other opportunity? Is it the thought of material blessing? Is it the prestige? Or are your first thoughts about how it might affect your family spiritually, how it might affect your marriage, or how your relationship with God might be affected?

Will taking on a new opportunity allow you to be involved in ministry? Will you have time to devote to God and your personal relationship with Him? If it involves a move, do you check out the churches or do you look primarily at the temporal advantages? Do you pray and seek God or do you make the decision that seems right to you and expect God to get on board?

Perhaps, too often we do the latter and then wonder why God isn’t blessing what we do. Let’s purpose as we start this new year to follow Elizabeth George’s advice when she says, “No decision made without prayer.” You can read more about it in this post, “4 Questions to Ask When Faced with Decisions.”

Psalm 4.4-8:

The Joy of Spiritual Prosperity

You have put gladness in my heart, more than in the season that their grain and wine increased. I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety (vv. 7-8).

The psalmist understood that God offered something far beyond material blessings, something the “Lots” of this world do not understand.

God’s blessings include a kind of peace, joy, and safety that cannot come from the world and cannot be purchased with money, fame, or success. They come from a relationship with Jesus Christ and a willingness to allow Him to be the Lord and Master of our lives.

Proverbs 2.1-5:

The Fear of God: Awe-Filled Respect

1 My son, if you receive my words,
And treasure my commands within you,
2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;
3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
And lift up your voice for understanding,
4 If you seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
5 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord,
And find the knowledge of God.

The Word of God and the wisdom of God lead us to the fear of God—that awe-filled respect in knowing that He alone is God and we are not!

Coming Up:

As we continue through Genesis, we’ll meet more real people with real stories like yours and mine. In the coming weeks, we will read more about Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob, Esau, and Joseph, just to name a few. We’ll witness sibling rivalry, murder, favoritism, idolatry, deception, manipulation, and revenge. But through it all, we’ll see God’s sovereignty and grace and find hope for the messes we make of our lives.

In the New Testament, we’ll talk about our functional gods and consider those scary words, “I never knew you!”

I hope you’ll join me and, if you haven’t already signed up, take the challenge to read through the Bible with me this year. Even though we may do it imperfectly or miss a day here and there, I find when we set it as a goal, we read far more of God’s Word than we would otherwise.

You can sign up here. 

And now you can watch or listen to these studies on my YouTube channel. I hope you’ll take five minutes and watch the trailer.

You can also follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. Just click on the social media icons. But nothing replaces having the daily devotion pop up in your inbox each day. It will provide a link to the daily post and the YouTube video. It, generally, goes out at 6 a.m. MST.

Blessings as you grow in Christ,

Donna ♥

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer. 

I recently read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.