Week Four // What Should I Pray About?

God loves it when we talk to Him. No matter the structure or eloquence of your prayers, God is overjoyed to listen to His children. However, knowing exactly how to pray can feel confusing. How are we to speak with the King of the universe in conversation? Before approaching Him, it is critical to have an awareness of our soul’s deep need for Him. It also helps to recognize that He yearns for a personal relationship with us. He is kind and gentle towards us, and shines His face upon you with the warmth of a Father’s love (Numbers 6:25). Furthermore, not only is He pleased to provide for His children when a need arises (Matthew 7:7-11), but He can do far more abundantly than we could ask or think (Ephesians 3:20-21). Because of who we are in Jesus, we can boldly approach God’s throne of grace with confidence (Hebrews 4:16). We must recognize our need for His love, His provision, and His grace. When we begin to believe these things, it becomes natural for us to crave communion with God through prayer.

As many have asked before, the disciples of Jesus also wondered what they were to pray about (Luke 11:1) His response: the perfect, six-spoked outline.

Read Matthew 6:5-13.

First, Jesus teaches us to approach God in acknowledgment of His character. Notice the wisdom of Jesus in carefully ordering each part of His prayer. Through these six parts, we are guided towards a posture of humility, with each step building off of the one prior. Jesus knows that our hearts are pridefully broken in imperfection. To begin prayer we must acknowledge that God’s character shifts our gaze from the inward to an external focus on Him. Remembering who God is will change us, transform us, and bring us comfort (Psalm 100:4, Psalm 27:4). 

“Your kingdom come, your will be done.” Jesus draws our attention to the heavenly kingdom that we are invited into. As Christians, we know that there is far more to life than what simply meets the eye. God’s kingdom is filled with the outpouring of His glory (Psalm 145:12-13). Although Jesus provides instructions for living into this kingdom in Matthew 5-7, we know that only God can truly bring His glory to earth. In our prayers, we ask that His will abe done in this sin-stained world, knowing that on that final day, all things will be made new on earth as they are in heaven. We ought to pray that He would work through us to bring a beam of that glory now (Philippians 2:15).

Next, we ask God for His provision. God is good to His children, desiring to provide for them. Perhaps asking God for your needs feels silly as you may think your desires are not worthy of bringing to the King. Jesus reminds us that when we ask for something that is in alignment with the Father’s will, it will be given to us (1 John 5:14, Matthew 7:7). If God cares even for the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, how much more does He care for us? Bring both your practical needs and your desires before Him and trust that He has our best interest in mind (Luke 12:24-26).

“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” As a key aspect of the gospel, praying for forgiveness reminds us of the forgiveness that has already been extended to us by God through the atonement of our sins by Jesus on the cross. If this is true, then we also may extend forgiveness to others (Ephesians 4:32). He calls us to confess our disobedience, brokenness, and shortcomings to Him. We may do this with the peace of knowing that where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more (1 John 1:9, Romans 5:20).

As we ask the Lord to lead us not into temptation, we are simply asking for the Lord’s guidance in navigating the murky waters of this world. We need God to find clarity in our steps and wisdom in our decisions (Psalm 119:133, James 1:5).

Lastly, Jesus tells us to pray for the Father’s protection against wickedness. Often, we may be tempted by the enticement of sin. We must ask God to protect us and deliver us from the evil one. Thankfully, the Lord is faithful and will deliver us when we ask Him for help (1 Corinthians 10:13, James 1:12-13). He is a mighty fortress, our protector, and our shield (Psalm 91:1-2).

Again, we must remember God as our Father. He is the God who sees and the very one who knit us together in our mother’s womb. Even if your prayers feel broken, tearful, or awkward, what matters is that you believe you can speak with Him. Every parent knows that even when their child is in the early stages of learning how to speak—perhaps babbling nonsense—the parent still longs to listen to and know their child. Our Father is the same way. Even if the words are hard to come by at first, through the continual transformation of our hearts we will continually develop and mature. Start now, don’t wait to speak with Him. If you need, use the six-spoked example of prayer that Jesus gave to us–not as a rigid requirement—but as a guiding standard for the enrichment and connection you have fully accessible with the God who knows you and loves you most. 

This week, practice praying through the Lord’s prayer. Each day, try focussing on one specific part of the prayer. 

“Our Father 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 also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.”

May these simple steps to prayer act as an encouragement to us, not only enriching our lives but drawing us closer to the giver of life Himself.