FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16
Luke 11:1-4
Matthew 6:6

“…pray to thy Father which is in secret;
and thy Father which seeth in secret
shall reward thee…”

THE BLUEPRINT FOR PRAYER

The disciples observed the Lord Jesus Christ’s prayerfulness. This caused the disciples to ask Him to teach them to pray, and He did. This is taught by the Son, the second person of the Triune God. He taught them how to pray for He knew well how to perfectly communicate with the Father. This is God’s perfect blueprint for prayer.

This prayer is directed to the Father, who is ever ready to bestow His grace. “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” (Matt 6:6). Prayers are directed to the Father through the leading of the Holy Spirit by the intercession of Jesus. Although, the three persons in the Godhead are one, each has His own office. Jesus clearly taught that Christians must pray to God the Father alone, not to Mary or to any so-called saints and pagan idols. Jesus instructed them to praise the Father who is in Heaven and is perfectly holy, and to pray that His kingdom comes according to His will, and for submission to the Father’s will both in heaven and on earth.

This prayer is a necessity for every Christian who desperately needs the Spirit’s and Jesus’ intercession and the compassion of God the Father. Jesus taught the disciples to pray for their needs. These petitions imply our dependence on our God. He understood that man cannot provide for himself without the Father’s help. He reminded them that they should forgive the sins of others as they were forgiven by God the Father. Jesus urged them to ask for God’s protection against sin and temptations, for He was their perfect shield.

THOUGHT: Am I praying aright?
PRAYER: O God my Father, cleanse and forgive me of my sins for I cannot come before Thy holy throne of grace with sins in my life.