As we begin the new year, Converge churches and missionaries from around the globe will embark on 21 Days of Prayer. Join us on this prayer journey by reading the daily entries on Converge’s blog, or by downloading your free 21 Days of Prayer: Upside-down Kingdom guide (English/Spanish). In addition, you can share daily posts from our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds. Thank you for joining us as we open 2022 in prayer together.
Day 12: Prayer
Matthew 6:5-15
5“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9“This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Jesus continues to emphasize internal righteousness vs. external religion in terms of prayer. Again, true righteousness in Jesus’ Kingdom is internal. Your relationship with God is something you work on privately and then express to others in your love and actions. Prayer is not meant to be made a show of, but to speak to your Father in heaven. You have a Father who knows you and what you need. He wants to spend time with you and reward you. Just as with giving, those who pray for show already have received their reward, the acknowledgment of others.
Prayer is also assumed. Jesus says “when you pray,” not “if you pray.” For Jesus, the question wasn’t a matter of whether to pray or not to pray, but how to pray. Jesus then goes on to give us the greatest example of prayer, the Lord’s Prayer. This prayer has been repeated daily by believers across the world since Jesus said it. And in it, he succinctly shows prayer is about God, praising him, aligning to his will and becoming more like him. It is succinct, deep and meaningful. Whether you repeat this prayer or just use it as an example of how to pray, it is a daily reminder of who God wants us to be. God wants us to focus on him and his will in this world, to ask for what we need, to accept and give forgiveness and to avoid temptation. How are you using this prayer in your life? Think about its words and what they mean for you. Pray through the Lord’s Prayer with a new heart and new desire to worship your Father in heaven and align to his will and his work.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for your example of prayer. Thank you for being a Father who loves us and knows what we need even before we ask. Help us to continually reflect on this prayer’s words and seek your will for our lives as we spend time with you. Teach us to love and forgive others and be the people you want in this world. Amen
