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“Your kingdom come,Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10 (NIV)

Burdens, heartaches, and struggles are part of the Christian life.  As a woman who has experienced each of these, I understand praying persistently about something/someone. Prayer is communicating with God – a longing to go deeper still.  The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)  patterns Christ’s example of how to pray most effectively.

He prayed with purpose.  Prayer is much more than repetitious words and requesting ‘things’ of God.   Jesus always prayed with eternal perspective in mind and sought to glorify His Father by submitting to His will.

He prayed specifically – He magnified His Father, requested only daily needs, and concluded with praise – never once mentioning Himself.

He prayed consistently – early in the morning, all night, for forty days/forty nights, following great gatherings, before making major decisions, etc.  He prayed about everything.

He made prayer an intentional priority in His life.  Without question when we realize we are nothing apart from Christ, prayer becomes an element of our character.

As women, oftentimes our prayers are all about self-gratification.  We pray selfishly, complain and compare ourselves to others, want fleshly desires met, feel we don’t ‘measure up’, etc.   Before our next prayer, let’s try asking ourselves the following.  Is this request God’s will, does it glorify Him, and is my heart completely submissive to Him regardless of the outcome?   I’m afraid many prayers will require edits!!  Deletions perhaps because it entails issues we don’t want to confront, are not willing to surrender, and frankly, because it’s not what ‘we’ want.  Living a Christ centered life is always adhering to His will and praying with an eternal perspective in mind.

“Father, please teach me to pray as Christ prayed – purposely, specifically, consistently, and intentionally as I go deeper still.”

For His Glory

Patsy Sanders
TRBC Women’s Life