When we pray, “Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors,” we are asking God to forgive our sins according to the same standard we have used in forgiving the sins of others. When you pray this prayer you are really saying, “O God, deal with me as I deal with other people.”
Text: Matthew 6:12When you pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” you confess that God is the sources of every blessing. Daily bread living means taking life one day at a time, being confident that God will take care of your needs day by day by day.
Text: Matthew 6:11Praying “Your will be done” is an act of God-ordained rebellion. This is not a prayer for the weak or the timid. This is a prayer for troublemakers and rabblerousers.
Text: Matthew 6:10“Your kingdom come” is not a passive prayer. If you ever decide to make the kingdom of God the first priority in your life, you may not become a missionary, but you will become fundamentally different from the world around you.
Text: Matthew 6:10When you pray, “Hallowed be your name,” you are both the voice and the feet of that petition. As the very words leave your lips, your life is part of the answer.
Text: Matthew 6:9The Lord’s Prayer answers the greatest question of the universe–Is there anybody up there who cares about me? Is there anybody up there who knows my name? And the answer comes back-Yes. Yes. Yes. There is a God in heaven who cares about you. And he is called Father.
Text: Matthew 6:9We approach the Lord’s Prayer with humility, saying with the first disciples, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Through prayer we journey from wherever we are on earth to the very heart of God.
Text: Matthew 6:9Through prayer we have the privilege of lifting the burden from our brothers and sisters. Through prayer we may become agents of healing to those who are sick. What an honor to be used of God in this way. When we pray for the sick, we are doing the work of Jesus in the world.
Text: James 5:14-16If we pray at all, sooner or later we will spend time paying for the sick. Our prayers matter to him. Our prayers matter to the sick. When we pray for the sick, we are bringing God’s mercy into the hospital room and inviting the Great Physician to take up the case.
Text: James 5:14-15Anyone can sing “Shout to the Lord” when life is good, your health is good, your marriage is strong, your kids are doing well, and all is right with the world. If with Paul and Silas you can sing praise to God at midnight in jail, then what you’ve got is real.
Text: Acts 16:25