30 for 30 RESET – Day 11

Gatheringplace   -   September 11, 2024

Do you ever feel like you just don’t know how to pray, or what to pray for? Maybe not always, but at least sometimes, especially when you get into praying every day? Or maybe you feel like your prayers have no real direction and you are just bouncing around. If that is you, here is a great solution to that problem.

One day Jesus’ disciples had this very same problem, so they went directly to Jesus and asked Him to teach them how to pray! (Luke 11:1) Aren’t you glad they did, and aren’t you even more glad that His answer was recorded?

Jesus taught this more than once as He traveled, but I am going to use Matthew’s account today. I see it as a “track” that Jesus gave to us to run on. For me, it gives me a way to reset my prayer life every day. In fact, my former pastor asked Paul Cho, the pastor of the largest church in the world, how he prays. Cho responded, “I run the track, and if I have time at the end, I run it again.” He was talking about this prayer. Let’s read it together:

“And when you pray, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. So do not be like them [praying as they do]; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father, who is 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 have forgiven our debtors

[letting go of both the wrong and the resentment] 
And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil.

[For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]’”

 Matthew 6:7-13 Amp

Now, here’s the crazy thing, Jesus just got done telling us that we are not to say the same thing over and over again. So to remedy this temptation He gave us an outline that gives us direction on what and how we ought to pray. So what have we done with it? We repeat over and over again. Humans.

So then what should we do? I think we should use it as an outline that covers the seven most important needs in a person’s life: (These will all be “Ps” for easy memory)

  1. Paternal – The relationship with our earthly father is critical to our mental and emotional health. God knows this, which is why relating to Him as our Father is where He wants us start.
  2. Presence – We were made for God’s presence. Without this we do not know who we are. This is our identity.
  3. Priorities – God’s kingdom is first. Jesus told us plainly that if we would put God’s kingdom first in our lives, He would add all the things we need to us (He said this in this same chapter!)
  4. Provision – Asking God for things is fourth on the list. The truth is, if you are first secure in your relationship with God, knowing firmly that you are His well-loved child, and you experience His presence in worship, and pray for His kingdom to come, by the time you get to praying for your needs you will have clarity on what is important and faith to see it come to pass!
  5. Forgiveness – We usually begin with this one. Jesus puts it fifth! He does not want us sin-conscious, but God-conscious. Do we need to confess our sins, be cleansed, and commit to forgiving others throughout the day? Absolutely! But Jesus wants us God-focused first.
  6. Protection – Sin and Satan are real, and they can both knock us off track. Ask God to lead you away from temptation and to keep Satan at bay! (Put on the armor of God here – Ephesians 6)
  7. Praise – Exalting God at the end of the prayer keeps Him supreme and is the language of faith declaring that you believe He has heard you and is answering your prayers!

Is this the only way to pray? No. But it is a great way to pray. Each one of these areas could take thirty minutes alone. As you hit each one, get quiet and think deeply about it. The Holy Spirit will help you pray very specifics things in each area. Each day will be different depending on which ones you connect with more than others.

I hope this helps you lay a prayer track to run on each day.

John

QUICK TIP ON HOW TO SPEND 30 MINUTES WITH GOD (REMEMBER: This 30 for 30 is a tool to help you, not a rule to shame you. Just do your best and let God do the rest.)

“Upward, Inward, and Outward”

  1. Upward: Get quiet. Settle down. Begin to thank God for Who He is – patient, kind, merciful. A God Who forgives sins – Who has forgiven your sins. A God Who cares, Who listens to your prayers, a miracle-working God. (There are many other attributes you can thank Him for. Go HERE for a prayer guide as well as a list of God’s names that will help you thank Him for Who He is)
  2. Inward: Read a chapter in the Bible. I would suggest one Psalm per day. Start with Psalm 1 and go from there. Or read one chapter of Proverbs per day. Start with Proverbs 1 and go from there. And as you read, stop, and think about what it is saying. Take your time (even if you do not get through an entire chapter – it is okay!). Ask God to speak to you through it.

A deeper dive: For those of you who would like to read the Bible in a year, here is a fantastic way to do it. It will take more than 30 minutes per day, but it will be well worth it. It not only gives you a reading plan but each day there is a short, very well-produced video explaining what you are about to read. Go HERE for your one year through the Bible reading plan.

  1. Outward: Ask God to show you how He can use you to reach those around you. Then begin to pray specifically for individuals. Pray for your family members, your boss, co-workers, classmates, friends, your church, its members, its mission, and its leadership. Pray for our city and our nation – that God would rule and reign in every mountain of influence, raising up leaders who fear Him: Church, Family, Government, Education, Media, Entertainment/Arts, and Business. You will not be able to get to everything in 30 minutes, but that is okay, just pick an area or two per day.

PRAYER POINTS

Personal:

  • Closeness with God
  • Deeper devotion to Christ
  • Renewed vision
  • Renewed passion
  • Strength
  • Joy
  • A profound commitment to act as Jesus would during this election year.

Church:

  • And increase of God’s manifest presence.
  • To see more CHANGED LIVES!
  • An increase in Miracles
  • Salvation for those far from God (make a list and pray for them every day)
  • More young people joining the vision at GPC.
  • New building for GPC

World:

  • A mighty harvest in our city and nation.
  • That godly men and women will fill the seats of government at local, city, state, and national levels.
  • For our missionaries (Use the bookmark handed out at church, or go to our website and check out our Missions page HERE)