When was the last time you wrote your own prayer? What about a prayer to God? Have you ever done this? If not, today is the day. In this episode, Felice Gerwitz explains how she expressly keeps a small journal in her purse for this purpose.

Have you ever tried to write a prayer? We have such a great example, The Lord’s Prayer that perhaps we think there is no way we can even come close. Well, praying is from the heart, and it can be something you pray about and think about or something that comes to mind quickly. Yet prayer is more than a list of petitions and needs it is also a time to thank and praise God.

So many times, we feel that our prayers are not answered, that God does not hear us, but what I’ve learned over the years is that God absolutely hears us and knows the needs of our heart before we even ask for it, but we still ask. If our prayers look like a list of what we’d like to see happen, even if it is well-meaning, we may need to tack on “your will, Lord, not mine.” That, my friends, is the hardest thing to do, to die to ourselves to die for what we want!

Here are some podcasts to help you with prayer:

• Never Underestimate Prayer
  
• Praying Moms
  
• Joyful and Battle Ready
  

Before Jesus gave us the Lord’s prayer what preceded was chastisement or a warning how not to pray! In a nutshell and in our terms it is:

1. Don’t pray loudly before others (because our reward would be on earth, from those who consider us pious) rather than by our heavenly Father.
   
2. Don’t brag about praying.
   
3. Don’t brag about how much you tithe or give to charity
   
4. Don’t be proud of yourself for how much you give to charity.
   
5. If you pray or you give do it from the heart and not because of your reward in heaven.
   

Let’s read the Lord’s Prayer as the ultimate example of how to pray. Matthew 6:5-14 (Read on Air)

Later in Luke, we read a slight variation. In this case, the Lord had been praying, and his disciples asked him how to pray.

Luke: 11:1-4 (read on air)

In the example of how to pray, we see that first:

1. We praise God’s name.
   
2. We ask for God’s will to be done here and in heaven.
   
3. We ask God for our needs – our daily bread.
   
4. We ask for forgiveness of our sins.
   
5. We ask for the Lord’s protection against the evil one
   
6. We ask that the Lord forgive us as we forgive others.
   

Our prayer does not need to follow a formula or be in this exact order, but it is helpful to see how the Lord taught us to pray. If you feel awkward about this, don’t. I keep a small notebook in my purse for the times I am inspired to pray, usually it is while at church. Most of the time my prayers are for those that I pray for regularly, like family members. Currently, the prayers include dear friends who are struggling and ill. Whoever is on your list, by writing it down, helps us to remember and recall who we should pray for and their needs.

In celebration of the 300th episode of A Few Minutes with God, Media Angels is making the eBook, A Few Minutes with God, free until Saturday, 4/27/24  

Get your copy here.

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