21 Days of Prayer

When Jesus taught His disciples and the crowds around Him to pray, He began by acknowledging God’s presence by calling on “Our Father in heaven.” Jesus wasn’t engaging in a formality here, but making a statement of faith and trust. God exists, and God is present.

Jesus’ prayer here aligns with what we learn about God all throughout Scripture. Over and over again, God promises His presence to His people. And in verses like Psalm 145:18 He even promises to be near to anyone who calls on Him. That is great news for us. The God of the Universe, our Father who is in heaven is present with us!

Oftentimes when we pray, we naturally focus on our needs and ourselves. We go to God to get rather than to give. Now, there’s nothing wrong with sharing our needs. In fact, Philippians 4:6 tells us to “let our requests be made known to God.” But it’s important to share not just our needs but to offer God our praise in the process, even prioritizing the praising.

Jesus models this in the Lord’s Prayer by praising God. He refers to Him as Holy, and even makes this claim before he thanks God for His grace. He praises God before he thanks Him. We “praise him for his mighty deeds” (Psalm 150: 2) and show the admiration we have for our Father. As the band Housefire says, our Lord is “worthy of all the praise we could ever bring,” so praise the Lord and praise Him with your whole being!

It is comforting to know that God did not spin the Earth into motion and then just leave it. He has a plan for everything and everyone, and because His Kingdom is here and now we get to walk alongside God in His purpose. We get to be a part of God’s plan for our lives, the lives of those around us, and the plan for the whole Earth.

Continue to reflect on the purpose that God has given you. He has given you gifts and abilities and placed you in a specific spot to fulfill both His and your purpose.

What is Daily Bread? I thought we weren’t supposed to eat that many carbs? Daily bread represents what we need to survive. It’s the bare essentials to make it through the day. Jesus was reminding people of a couple of things. First, whatever is stocked in your kitchen, no matter how it got there, how many times it was shipped, or how it’s packaged, it has come from God. Jesus is claiming that if you trace it back long enough, God is the source of whatever sustains you.

God is the source of rain and sun, the originator of minerals and trees that bear olives that give oil when pressed, and the force of fire that bakes. In this prayer, Jesus is reminding you to ask God for what you need, but also to trust that He’ll provide.

Right before this prayer begins, Jesus gives us insight into how NOT to pray (and how not to see God). Reread Matthew 6:7-8.

It’s not your begging, pleading, or repetition that gives you bread - that would rely on your efforts. In fact, Jesus tells us that it is not that only good, praying people get bread. It’s that a good God provides the conditions for all the ingredients we need for bread (Matt 5:45). We are taught to remember where it comes from. Our good Father is at the source of our lives, and we are grateful!

Asking forgiveness usually does not come naturally. To admit we have messed up takes humility and often courage, and offering forgiveness can be even more difficult. Maybe that is why Jesus builds forgiveness into His teaching on prayer. He knew we would need a lot of practice.

Every time we spend time with God, it’s a chance for us to honestly share the things we are struggling with just like we would with a good friend. If there are areas in our lives where we need to ask for forgiveness, we can admit those. If there are people in our lives we need to forgive, we can talk to God about that, too. And as we do this, it’s a great time to remember the incredible forgiveness that Jesus has already offered to us. He has granted us a pardon. When we confess, He is faithful and just and He will forgive.

We tend to try to take on the world as if we are alone. Our pride gets in the way of letting people help us out, and it even gets in the way of letting our God help us out in times of need. Pride can be a harmful thing to us at times. Fortunately, we serve a God willing to protect us and even help us overcome our own pride.

In all areas of our life, even physically, God is our protector. God speaks through Moses to the Israelites in Deuteronomy about crossing the Jordan and facing enemies, letting them know that they have nothing to fear. As children of God, we don’t have to live in fear, or dread, or doubt, or nervousness; we have someone with us to protect us. He will keep us from temptation and deliver us from the evil one (Matthew 6:13).

Our Father in Heaven. These two words set the table for Christ’s patterned prayer lesson. How do you teach a people to pray? First, you help them understand who God is, and who we are. Read Psalm103:19 and 103:8

God is...our Father. He is the originator, creator, in charge. He rules and reigns over everything. And, He is ours! He is not mine only, or yours only. He is accessible. God is...in Heaven. This doesn’t mean He is ONLY in Heaven, but it points to the authority and power of God. God is not bound to earth like we are. He is on the Throne of the Universe. Yet, He is also full of compassion, grace, patience, and overflowing with love! And, if the Father of the Universe if OUR Father, then who are we?

We are all sons and daughters of God! We are...a family. We are equally loved by our Father. We can approach our God in Heaven through simple, heartfelt words. The most powerful being anywhere, ever, is waiting to hear from us. We are loved, cared for, loved, shown grace, loved, watched over, and loved.

Whether you pray alone, or with a huge crowd, this prayer is corporate because God is ours...but He is also your Father. Before you woke up today, God – Our Father – was wide awake, ruling all things, unshaken, in charge. And...He is compassionate, gracious, patient, and overflowing with love for us - for you!

If you’ve ever thought of prayer as making a long list of needs and reciting those to God, you’re not alone. Many of us learned prayer this way, and this is still a common way for Christians to pray.

But prayer is more than making a list. Prayer can be a chance for us to stop thinking about all the things we are facing, and to look with wonder on the incredible God we serve. During Deepen Class at ALIVE, Mark Wilson often says it this way, “Don’t tell God how big your problems are. Tell your problems how big your God is.”

Praise is built into Jesus’ prayer as he praises God, saying “hallowed (or holy and honored) is your name.” Before Jesus asks for anything, he considers who God is and gives Him praise.

The two most important days in your life are the day you were born, and the day you find out why.” Anonymous

Most of us spend significant time, effort, and thought trying to find and live with a purpose. We may base our purpose on pleasure, on principles, or on people we care about. And what we see as our purpose shapes all of our other actions.

Jesus understood the incredible value of living with a purpose, and includes one simple phrase in the Lord’s Prayer that can shape and reshape how we view and live our lives. Jesus prays, “your will be done.” Not our will, but God’s will. God has laid out a purpose for us. He has a plan for this world, and we can find purpose when we align ourselves with that plan and that purpose.

In his letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul, further explains our

purpose saying that we are created for good works. God made us on purpose and with a purpose. And He has prepared work for us to do. How awesome is it to know that when God made His plans, we were a part of it! We get to be a part of God’s work in the world!

Go into this prayer time asking God to speak to you, and then sit in silence. After some quiet time, ask God what His purpose for your life looks like. Communicate with Him some things you may think your purpose involves, and write down any thoughts that pop into your mind. These may be nudges from the Holy Spirit. Now say out loud, “God I trust that you have a purpose and a plan for me. Help me to do your will.”

Take a few minutes to imagine what God might want to do in your life and through you in the years ahead, and thank Him for His plans and His purposes.

A good practice that you can do is write down all the things that you have. It can be as detailed or vague as you like. When looking at that list, it’s an easy temptation to think, “I have worked for all of this; it’s all mine.” Instead, try thinking, “God has given these to me,” and pray over each one thanking God for His provision. If you do this, your perspective on God’s involvement in your life will change dramatically! When we attribute what we have to God instead of chance or our own work, it broadens our understanding of His provision in our lives.

Nobody is perfect. We mess up. We need forgiveness. If relationships worked like banks, we would be in deep debt. We all overspend when it comes to the needs, rights, desires, patience, grace, and feelings of others. Our debts take the form of people we hurt, step on, cut with our words. We create debts with others when we betray their trust, take things out on them, overreact in anger, or ignore their needs. We do this to people, and we do this with God. How many days have passed in our lives without even an acknowledgment of God, His will, His desires, and His opinion? When we live like this, we rack up debt – with God and the people in our lives.

Jesus tells us we should talk to God about our sins, and ask for forgiveness. But, it shouldn’t stop there.

Forgiveness is like a stream of fresh water. It pours into our lives from God, and is intended to pour out of our lives into the lives of others. If we are able to live as debt-free people, we are able to cancel the debts of other people!

Pray a prayer that David prayed, Psalm 139:23-24.

Take a moment to reflect. Is there any outstanding debt you feel you have with God? Ask Him to cancel that debt.

Is there anyone in your life that owes you? That has a debt with you? Ask God to help you to see that debt in perspective with your own and to help you forgive this debt.

Choose to forgive. Maybe it would help if you actually envisioned God ripping up a check you think you owe Him, and saying, “Don’t worry, it’s already covered.” Can you envision yourself ripping up the check someone “owes” you?

Jesus anticipated that trials would come. He knew that he would face temptations, and his disciples would, too. So when he taught them to pray, he showed them how to ask for his Father’s help. He prayed, “God, don’t lead me into situations where I am tempted to do the wrong thing.” He asked God to rescue him.

This is amazing to think about. Jesus, who had all the power and knowledge of God, still asked for God’s help. He needed and wanted God’s protection, and that gives us permission to need and want God’s protection, too. In Jesus’ prayer he shows us that, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever- present help in trouble.”

In your mind, picture a place where you feel safe. It may be your home or with a friend, or out in nature. If you like to draw, consider sketching out that place of safety.

Now read Psalm 46. Imagine God is sitting with you in the place where you feel safe. Or consider going to that place of safety. Pray thanking God that He is a refuge and strength. Thank Him for helping you in times of trouble. If you are in the middle of a challenge, ask God to help you remember that He is a refuge, and ask Him for His protection no matter what is happening all around you.

The second greatest commandment is this: “you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). Jesus calls us to love our neighbors in a tangible way when he prays that we would forgive our debtors.

If we’ve ever been wronged, we know that this commandment is much easier said than done. Maybe that’s why Jesus added forgiveness to his prayer. He knew how tough it is to forgive, and he knew we would need a lot of practice. When he taught his disciples to pray, he taught them to regularly seek forgiveness and regularly offer forgiveness. Jesus knew that this receive and give pattern over time would result in more love flowing out of us and onto the people around us.

By asking for forgiveness and offering it to others, we open ourselves up to become channels where God’s love can flow. He can show us love and we can practice that love by passing it on to those around us.

Open prayer up by thanking the Father for the example of love that He has made so clearly evident to us in Jesus. Pray for the heart of the Lord to enter into your heart. Ask for God to reveal to you where you can be practicing the way of Jesus better in your life. Ask God to show you the names of people in your life right now who might need to know His love. Now pray for one opportunity to show someone Jesus’ love today. And pay attention – God may open doors for you to offer help to someone in need, to leave a large tip, to smile at someone who looks tired, or to serve someone in your own home.

If you have time today and are able, take a walk around your neighborhood. Although it sometimes feels like God is distant in heaven, He is Our Father that has created every living thing and He said that it was good. So as you’re walking or while going about your day, be aware of God’s presence in His creation. Maybe you see God in an awesome looking tree, a bird flying overhead, or in the faces of kids playing in the yard. As the verse in Romans says, we cannot deny that God’s power and divine nature, through His creation, are evident.

Also, contemplate all the ways that God is present in your life specifically. That could be through friends and family, ways that He has provided for you, or moments that He speaks to you. The more that we look for God’s presence in our lives, the more we find Him!

Hallowed means “Greatly revered, honored, made holy, consecrated.” Those are pretty lofty words. Jesus is telling us that as we pray, we should acknowledge that there is something different about God. His name, His nature, His ways, His existence is held in high regard. He’s not like us. Nothing else in the Universe is like our God.

Praise isn’t just about good worship music. It’s about an attitude, a heart, a lifestyle. The Psalms are full of praises. Read over Psalm 66:2-3 and Psalm 145 - they are packed with Praise! We see that God is praised for who He is, and how He treats His creation. It’s not just people praising Him either, it’s also ‘all His works.’

Praise is about choosing to notice who God is, and giving Him credit, where credit is due, for the way God goes about His business. According to scripture, you can praise God by: Shouting with joy, playing instruments, singing, dancing, and more! It seems like praising God can be noisy, active, and fun. Children seem to naturally know how to praise God. They move and sing with no thought of judgment. Praising God does that – it focuses you so much on who He is and how He is, that you don’t have much time to think about yourself or what others think. Praise God for that!

“Your kingdom come, your will be done” – This simple phrase helps reframe the way we prioritize in prayer. It reminds us “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” And this phrase shows that God already had a plan in motion. God is in charge, and God has a purpose.

Because we know this, when we pray we aren’t taking our agendas and asking God to adopt them, but we are looking to God and saying show us your agenda. Help us pray for the things that are already important to you.

This phrase also is a great reminder that God has a kingdom and that it is at work right here right now. God’s work is happening all around us, and our purpose in prayer is to join with God in that work.

Find a place with a great view, or if you can’t do that imagine standing on the top of a hill or a mountain. Look all around. Everything that you see belongs to God—the trees, the mountains, the roads, the people in their cars, the restaurants. Take some time to thank God for the purpose He has for everything that you see.

Now take a few minutes to ask that God would show you what purpose He has for you right now wherever you are (in your workplace, at home, with friends). Pray that God would help you be a part of bringing His kingdom to earth where you are.

“Give us today our daily bread,” is a phrase we rarely hear today. But when Jesus prayed this prayer, all those listening to him would have connected that phrase to its back-story in Exodus. God’s people, the Israelites had been wandering around in the desert. They were desperate, and lost, and God literally brought bread to them from heaven. To them, daily bread meant daily and miraculous provision. Daily bread meant survival. It meant trust.

So when Jesus prays, “Give us today our daily bread,” he expresses his constant dependence on God and his trust that God will provide what is needed for today. God is the Great Provider. And Jesus shows us that we can trust God to provide for us daily—even when we aren’t sure it’s possible.

So as you reflect, maybe write a quick note to someone that you should forgive. Giving it to them could be a powerful moment of healing, but even just writing it out will help heal any bitterness or pain in your heart.

Another step that you can take is to ask God to reveal anything you need to ask for forgiveness from. Maybe you need to approach someone asking for pardon, starting the healing process for everyone involved. When we are less distracted by our grievances with others, we can focus on our relationship with God more!

James 1:12-15

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. 13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

God doesn't tempt us. He also has promised to never leave us, and to be with us until the end of the age. However, sometimes it feels like temptation is going to overcome us! And, sometimes we fall into temptation and sin. What are we supposed to do?

Jesus says we’re supposed to ask God to help us. We should recognize we need help (Matt 5:3). We can recognize that even during temptation, God is not tempting us, and He is right there with us. He even promises to provide an escape route! James, the brother of Jesus, states his view on this in James 1:13-15

So, it isn’t God tempting us. It’s our evil desires. And, if we allow those desires to turn into action, it results in death. That’s a scary thought. But, right before that, James tells us what will happen when we resist that temptation (see verse 12)!

When Jesus offers us a way around, through, or away from temptations, He blesses our perseverance with the crown of life!

Also, when you’re tempted, you should know you’re not unique. And, you’re not alone. You didn’t invent that sin or temptation.

Check this out: No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. - 1 Corinthians 10:1

In his prayer Jesus gives us a vision of what can be. He instructs us to pray for things to be on earth as it is in heaven, but what does that mean? Scripture gives us a few glimpses of what it will look like when God’s will is done. In Revelation, when John is describing the new earth and what life will look like once Jesus has returned he says, “there will be no more death, or mourning or crying or pain...” Can you imagine a world like that?

According to Jesus’ prayer we don’t have to wait until He comes back to start seeing His kingdom happening right here on earth. We don’t have to wait to see suffering diminished. With God we can see kids in loving homes, schools full of hope and potential, communities that look out for one another, marriages healed, people with addictions restored. And we can see that happen through prayer and through our practices. We can live out the Lord’s Prayer and start bringing God’s kingdom to earth today.

Take a few minutes to map out your community. Start with your neighborhood. Draw the homes of people living next to you or down the street; write any of the names you know on their homes. Now draw the location of the closest elementary school, middle school, and high school and write any names you know of students, teachers administrators in those schools.

What needs do you know of in your neighborhood? Your local schools? Your community? Make a short list, and pray that God’s will would be done in those situations as it will be done in heaven. Look over the list; are there any needs on the list that you can help meet through your prayers, your generosity, and your service? If so, take one step this week to start meeting one of the needs on your list.