Here's a simple guide I did up a while back to pray through the Lord's prayer:
PRAY: Our Father. Jesus invites you to approach God as His child. Rest in the gift of being a child of God. No voice is sweeter to God than yours! Plant yourself on His lap and tell Him what’s up with you today. He wants to hear from you. In heaven. Your Father is as close as the air that you are breathing. He is closer than your own pulse. Become aware of the presence of God in which you dwell and which dwells within you. He is near. He is listening. He is present.
Exercise: Place your hands (palm down) on your knees. Symbolically release through your hands anything that might hinder you from drawing near to God as Your Father. Let go of anger, distractions, and anxiety. After a few moments flip your hands over (palm up) and in this posture of receiving ask God to fill your hands with His presence, His fullness and His love. Receive from Him.
PRAY: Hallowed be Your name. A name in the Bible is always a reflection of the character and identity of a person. To hallow God’s name is to set all that He is up as #1 in your lifestyle, heart, words. Return Him to the throne of your thinking, relating, speaking and spending. Pray that God’s character be set up as holy in all that you are. Spend some time honoring His qualities.
Exercise: Which quality of God do you especially honor God for today? Love? Acceptance? Peace? Creation? Grace? Hope? Forgiveness? Pick one and let it guide your words of gratitude and worship.
PRAY: Your Kingdom come. Think about what I would mean if God’s kingdom should be the reality in our world. Think of the love, the compassion, and the order that would be present. Think of the freedom from war and famine. Pray for the leaders of our country and those in authority that they would conform their plans to His plans. Pray that His Kingdom come in your heart, home, workplace, city and world. Your kingdom come means no locked places in your heart – no places where the Holy Spirit is not welcome.
Exercise: Lord, let your Holy Spirit show me right now any
part of my heart where I have locked you out. (wait until you receive an answer from Him and then pray) OK God, here’s the key open that door – come
into that part of my heart.
PRAY: Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. This is an affirmation that God is God and you aren’t. It is a time when you submit to Him all that you all that you want to be. It is a time when you can tell God that He knows best and that you relinquish all your plans, all your goods, and all your hopes to His will. You are praying that up there (heaven) come down here (one earth).
PRAY: And forgive us our debts. Ask God to reveal to you those places in your life where you have disobedient, where you have gone your way instead of his way, when you have acted in ways that you knew were wrong and sinful. Lift before him your sinful thought life and your angry words. Be specific. Consider the debt that you owe God and then ask for forgiveness and thank Him for His grace. As we forgive our debtors. Jesus made a very big issue out of the need to forgive others. Forgiveness is not just an action, it is a process. This is the place to begin the process. Ask God - even if you don’t really want Him to—to bless those who have harmed you, lied about you and tried to destroy you - then ask him to conform your heart to that request.
PRAY: And do not lead us into temptation. Tell God about weakness, your foolishness, and
your unwillingness to be obedient. Share
exactly where you are tempted these days. Ask the Father to help you be aware and honest about your
weaknesses. But deliver us from the evil
one. Ask God to give you the courage and
the strength to stand against evil. Ask Him
to put a protective hedge around you and to be your protector from evil people
and their evil intentions. Pray for the
protection of children, marriages, church and world leaders. You are praying to the One that can
deliver! Ask for fast delivery!
PRAY: For Yours is the kingdom. Pray for reign! God the King and the Coming King. The power. If God’s is the power than dead things can
come alive and lost things can be found. Be specific about where you would like His power to be realized in your
life. And the glory. All
credit for answered prayer goes to the Father. All that you have asked for in prayer - even
our personal needs – we ask for them so that we can show off God and make Him
look good. Use this prayer as way of saying, God use me –
even if it hurts – for Your glory! Forever. God’s
plan will never change. God’s power will
never run out. His character won’t
waver. When you pray you are linked up
to the eternal ways and plans of God. We
pray to the God who is God forever! Amen.
Try this: Pray one petition of the Lord’s Prayer each day. Let one single phrase reside and ride in you throughout the day.
Monday – Our Father in heaven
Tuesday – Hallowed be your name
Wednesday – Your kingdom come
Thursday – Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Friday – Give us today our daily bread
Saturday – Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.
Sunday – For Yours is the Kingdom, the power and the glory forever. Amen.
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