"7 "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
8 "DO NOT BE LIKE THEM", for your FATHER knows what you need before you ask HIM.
9 Pray then like this: "Our FATHER in Heaven, hallowed be YOUR name.
10 YOUR kingdom come, YOUR will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
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."
The fellowship I attend has a practice of having the deacon of the week offer a prayer every Sunday right before the Pastor steps into the pulpit to deliver his message from GOD. Being set aside as a deacon in the mid 1990's, I was asked to serve a couple of years back. With that being said, my "word-recall" since the brain hemorrhage has not quite been restored, and my belief is GOD's Plan does not include me NOT being CHANGED from the hemorrhage! When I pray on my assigned Sunday the words aren't as eloquent as others, but usually they are what GOD lays on my heart!
When JESUS was instructing the crowds how to pray, HE began by telling them "DO NOT BE LIKE THEM", meaning the people who thought their prayers would be heard because of their fancy words. HE followed those words with "for your FATHER knows what you need before you ask HIM." GOD knows our hearts and minds, so we can't camouflage what we have in our hearts and deceive GOD! JESUS is/was GOD IN THE FLESH, and HE instructed them to come before GOD with both humility and adoration. The word HALLOWED in verse 9 defined in one dictionary means to be regarded as HOLY; VENERATED; SACRED. We can come boldly before HIS throne (Hebrews 4:16), but that doesn't mean we can nonchalantly with no reverence. While it is true HE is our HEAVENLY FATHER, even JESUS said HIS name was to be HALLOWED!
One thing about the model prayer that needs to be addressed before moving on, in verse 11 JESUS instructs us to pray "Give us this day our daily bread". Notice JESUS doesn't pray for unlimited wealth and an easy life. In spite of what many "television preachers" would have you believe, the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel didn't originate from the poor carpenter from Galilee! GOD may grant earthly wealth to some, but it is no sign of a greater love for them than the remainder of us. Surely HE loved JESUS, so why wasn't wealth and comfort on HIS list of blessings???
We could come to the THRONE ROOM with an oratory that would sound like a regal sonnet to OUR FATHER, but GOD knows that isn't me, and HE knows it probably isn't you either! Our prayers should be a plain spoken with "heart-felt", respectful conversation with the CREATOR of the Universe, and CREATOR of our lives! "DO NOT BE LIKE THEM" when you approach your HEAVENLY FATHER. Certainly you wouldn't want HIM saying of you "DO NOT BE LIKE THEM"???
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