DRAWING NEAR
March 12
Praying as Jesus Prayed
"Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on
earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And
forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And
do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For
Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.
Amen'" (Matt. 6:9-15).
Jesus gave six elements that constitute true prayer.
Many people have memorized the Disciples' Prayer so they can recite
it often, but as beautiful as it is, it wasn't given for that
purpose. In fact, after Jesus gave it, no one in the New Testament
recited it--not even Jesus Himself (cf. John 17)!
The disciples didn't ask Jesus to teach them a prayer, but to teach
them how to pray (Luke 11:1). There is a significant difference.
Jesus preceded His prayer by saying, "Pray, then, in this way" (v.
9), which literally means, "Pray along these lines." His prayer was a
general pattern for all prayer, and although it wasn't recited, its
principles are evident in all New Testament prayers.
Christ's model prayer teaches us to ask God for six things: (1) that
His name be honored, (2) that He brings His kingdom to earth, (3)
that He does His will, (4) that He provides our daily needs, (5) that
He pardons our sins, and (6) that He protects us from temptation.
Each one contributes to the ultimate goal of all prayer, which is to
bring glory to God. The last three are the means by which the first
three are achieved. As God provides our daily bread, pardons our
sins, and protects us when we are tempted, He is exalted in His name,
kingdom, and will.
If you understand and follow Christ's pattern for prayer, you can be
assured that you are praying as He instructed, and that whatever you
ask in His name, He will do, "that the Father may be glorified in the
Son" (John 14:13).
Suggestions for Prayer:
Do your prayers reflect the six elements outlined in the Disciples'
Prayer? If not, work on making them a regular part of your prayers.
For Further Study:
Read Matthew 6:1-8, where Jesus discusses some of the practices of
the Jewish religious leaders.
What practices and motives did He mention? How did He feel about
their spiritual leadership?
Drawing Near, Copyright c 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
John 17 (NKJV)
1 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said:
"Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may
glorify You,
2 "as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should
give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.
3 "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true
God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
4 "I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which
You have given Me to do.
5 "And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the
glory which I had with You before the world was.
6 "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out
of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have
kept Your word.
7 "Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are
from You.
8 "For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and
they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from
You; and they have believed that You sent Me.
9 "I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom
You have given Me, for they are Yours.
10 "And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified
in them.
11 "Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and
I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You
have given Me, that they may be one as We are.
12 "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name.
Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except
the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
13 "But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world,
that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.
14 "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them
because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
15 "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but
that You should keep them from the evil one.
16 "They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
17 "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
18 "As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the
world.
19 "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be
sanctified by the truth.
20 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will
believe in Me through their word;
21 "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in
You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that
You sent Me.
22 "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may
be one just as We are one:
23 "I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one,
and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved
them as You have loved Me.
24 "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me
where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me;
for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
25 "O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have
known You; and these have known that You sent Me.
26 "And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that
the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."
Luke 11:1
Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He
ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to
pray, as John also taught his disciples."
Matthew 6:1-8
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.
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.
6 "But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut
your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your
Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
7 "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.
For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
8 "Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things
you have need of before you ask Him.
~~~
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
letters@gty.org
NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
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To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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