Matthew 6:9-10 2/5/2019*

“This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Jesus was very specific in this verse about how we should pray and yet we tend to get it backwards.

Seldom do we seek God’s will – instead our prayers focus on communicating our will… It’s okay with us if God runs heaven, but we have some very specific ideas about how things should work on earth.

We assume prayer will work like the drive through at the bank - we put our petition in the tube, shoot it into the building and wait for our directions to be accomplished. 

This is more than just a problem with method. It is a lack of trust.  It is a heart problem…a symptom of an attitude that guts our prayers of their power and weakens our walk.

So how do we fix this?  How can we learn to pray like Christ told us to?

He gives us a clue in the first part of the passage when He says the name of God is “Hallowed”.  Look up that word and you’ll find words like holy, sacred, revered.

That’s the key to your prayer life.  Catching sight of God’s glory…. you need to realize who you’re talking to...  God is all knowing and all-powerful to the point that even His name is awe inspiring.

Meditate on that as you get ready to pray.  Acknowledge that He knows best…Think about the times you were grateful you didn’t get what you asked for…the times He stopped your dream before it became a nightmare.

If you realize how “hallowed’ His name is…how overwhelmingly powerful God is, you will trust Him. And only then can you honestly pray “thy will be done”.

Seek to know God. The better you do, the more you will want His will done on earth as it is in Heaven.

“Life works better when I seek to know God’s plans and my role in them, instead of my plans and His role.”
– Bruce Marlin Hayes