Keeping It Real With The Father

Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)

(16) Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

It is wonderful to lift up a loved one, a friend, or even a complete stranger up in prayer, but how often do we come up well short in our prayer life? I can spend time praying about this or that, for this person or that person, and never come to the point where I actually tell my Father what is really going on in my life. Psalm 147:5 reminds us… (5) Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite… His understanding is infinite, why do we try to hold things back then?

Confidence In Prayer

The awesome thing is that God knows our needs, and He wants to answer our prayers. I am not sure if I do not feel worthy, feel ashamed of what I am asking for, or what, but I am not always forthcoming with my prayers. If we allow our mindset to remain in that place, we are really missing out on one of God’s greatest promises. We read in 1 John 5:14 about the confidence we should have while going to the Father in prayer… (14) Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us… If we ask anything according to His will, He will hear us! That, of course, is the key part there, if we ask in His will.

Do Not Pray Like This

Sometimes it is just as important to know how to not do something as it is to know how to do it. Prayer is very much that way. In Matthew 6:5, we are given an example of how not to pray… (5) “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward… There is no place for pride in prayer no matter how subtle you are.

Pray Like This

Jesus gives us the framework for the structure of our prayer in Luke 11:2–4… (2) So He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

(3) Give us day by day our daily bread.

(4) And forgive us our sins,

For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.”

This should be the framework of each of our prayers. We should address Him appropriately, Lord, Father, God, etc. Secondly, we should be speaking of His awesomeness! We should be asking that His will to be done, not ours. Then we must make our request known. We should also be asking for forgiveness. We should be seeking a humble and forgiving heart. Finally, we should always be asking for protection from the evil one. That is a full prayer, a prayer God will listen to, a prayer God will surely answer.

Closing Thoughts:

If you are struggling with something, have a certain need, or just want clarification and wisdom, seek the Father with your whole heart, in His will, and He will be faithful to answer. Are you living in that blessed assurance? I pray you are.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NKJV)

17 pray without ceasing!