Discipleship
How to Pray (Part 9 of 9)
Dec
… Amen.
Scriptures:
Matthew 6:9-13
“Pray, then, in this way: Our Father, who is in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your Kingdom come. Your will be done, On Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
John 14:13KJV
Jesus said, “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
1 Timothy 2:5-6KJV
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
The final word of the Lord’s model prayer is the word, “Amen”. Some may think that “Amen” is just what you say at the end of a prayer, or when the preaching is good. The word Amen is a Hebrew word that means, “this shall be true and surly certain” or “so let it be”. In the setting of prayer, “Amen” means that you can be certain that God has heard your prayer and will answer if it is according to His perfect will for your life. Why doesn’t Christ tell us to say, “In Jesus’ Name, Amen” or in “Christ’s Name, Amen” here? The answer to that is found elsewhere in verses such as John 14:13, when Jesus said “whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” When you have been born again and saved by Christ, it is only because of Christ that you can approach God the Father in prayer. Christ is your mediator (1 Timothy 2:5–6) and it is only by Him that you can approach such a Holy God. Every portion of the Lord’s Prayer is made possible by Christ and that is why we pray, “In Jesus Name, Amen” or “In Christ’s Name, Amen”. When we pray in Jesus’ Name we are expressing that we have no righteousness of our own. It is only by His shed blood that we can come to God in prayer and He will receive us. After you have brought all of your petitions to God and after you have expressed your heartfelt needs to Him, you can say “Amen” which is to express your trust in Him alone. When you say “Amen” you are also expressing your thankfulness to Him because He will answer your prayer if it is according to His perfect will for your life. Lastly, when you say “Amen” you are depending on the Faithfulness of God to faithfully care for you. In other words, “Amen” is leaving it all in God’s Big Hands.
Practical Steps:
Brothers and Sisters, as we have mentioned before, prayer is of vital importance to your walk with Christ. We as Christ followers must be praying to God about everything. Pray when you are busy, pray when you have nothing to do, pray when you are lonely or anxious, and pray for others. Brothers and Sisters our God is a God who pays closer attention to our prayers than we do. They are important to Him. He is a good and loving Father who wants us to depend on Him as a small child would their Father. Just imagine for a moment the infinite capacity of our God. His children speak hundreds of different languages. They are scattered all throughout the entire world, yet His listening ear is to each of their lips, attentive and caring. If your prayer is to admit sin, don’t be ashamed to run to Him. He already knows what you have done and will receive you and wash you afresh. Brothers and Sisters, our God is faithful to answer our prayers. Let us trust fully in Him and intently look to Him for the answer. If His answer is no, thank Him because His no is always wiser than our yes. If His answer is yes, thank Him because it was His hand that made it occur. If His answer is wait, thank Him because it is never a waste of time to wait on our loving God.
Final Comments:
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we trust that this 9 part series has helped you and encouraged you to pray. We pray that you will stop trying to figure this life’s worries out without the One who is holding you in the palm of His Hand at this very moment in time. Don’t be like those who despise God and try to get Him out of their thinking. Let us be those who pray without ceasing. Let us be those who are in constant communication with the One we long to be with for Eternity. God is nearer to you then you can imagine, He is more aware of every microscopic aspect of your life then you would ever know. When we pray, we are acknowledging that God is in control and that it is He who put us here and it is He who will supply the strength and necessities to live this life for Him. We can do nothing without Him. Let us not be ones who gossip, but those who pray. Let us pray about the lost, the loved one, the sick, the bills, the food and water, the sin in our hearts, the sin in the hearts of the Church, and everything else!
If you have any questions regarding prayer or would like us to pray for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us: Click Here
