PRAYER FOCUS

1. Introduction

a) To enjoy God's goodness, we need to pray and persistently ask, seek and knock until it comes!

i) 7"Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7, 8 NLT)

2. What is Jesus' prayer focus?

a) 5Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 6'A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ 7And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ 8But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.

b) 9"And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

c) 11“You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 12Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! 13So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” (Luke 11:5-13 NLT)

3. What should we focus on prayer?

a) 2And he (Jesus) said unto them (his disciples), When ye pray, say,

Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
3Give us day by day our daily bread.
4And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever
(Luke 11:2-4 KJV)

4. What does it mean?

a) "Our Father"

i) Refers to God, whom Jesus regarded as not only His father, but ours also. Then, why did he mention "Our Father."

b) "Which art in heaven."

i) Many view heaven a a place in the sky where one goes if he is a good person. I view heaven as "harmony." Therefore Jesus is saying that if one connects with God, he will have a sense of harmony or peace in his life. This peace in an inward thing. So, you could conceivably be in a storm and feel a sense of peace.

c) "Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. "

i) God is to be adored, honored and held in high esteem. The kingdom of God matters much.

d) "Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth."

i) It helps us to know and understand that God is supreme when things are harmonious in our lives, as well as when they seem not to be. In the most challenging experiences and conditions, He is still there with us, embracing and lifting us up. We just have to acknowledge Him.

e) "Give us day by day our daily bread."

i) Bread signifies the "word of God," not food. Therefore, Jesus encourages us to let the word of God or truth be the first thing that we arm ourselves with each day. And when we do, even when our ability to love is severely threatened, we can be loving and affectionate.

f) "And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us."

i) What are the debts that we owe, and to whom do we owe them? The only debt we owe is to God, and that debt is our inability at times to demonstrate His laws, or be a witness to His truth. Even to acknowledge that we cannot obey His laws or that some one else cannot obey His laws, is part of that indebtedness, because He made us in His "image." Therefore, we can always reflect all that He is. Every person who does not see us as this "child of God" is one of our debtors. Most people believe that a debt is money or some material object. I do not share that view. We owe love, patience, respect, understanding, peace and joy to everyone, no matter what the circumstances are. Love is not given to appease someone else, it is given so that we can receive the purification that it brings.

g) "And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil."

i) God never tempts us, challenges us (as some believe). How could He, when He Himself only knows love and goodness? Uniting with God delivers us from sin, sickness, and death. What would God accomplish by tempting us? Temptation is a human quality, not a divine one. We are made in God's likeness, not He in ours. God is never flesh and blood. He is Spirit.

h) "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever."

i) God, nothing else, is the the only power. He is all Life. Truth, and Love; over all people and things, and is the only ALL.

5. Prayer focus

a) The Lord's Prayer gives us a guideline to focus upon prayer. This guideline is about God and everything in life. We need to pray intelligently and accordingly to his will so that God will hear us.