Matthew 6
Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
Pray, then, (as a suggestion) in this way:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.
Give us the bread of our need this day.
And forgive us our offences,
as we also have forgiven those who have offended us.
Do not lead us into difficult testing,
but deliver us from the Evil one.
Yours is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever.
For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.What is commonly referred to as 'The Lord's Prayer' is an example to teach us how to speak to Yahweh. Let us not fall into the habit of making it meaningless repetition, a chant, something memorized and spoken without thought.
We acknowledge Him first, whose Name is Yah-weh. He is the only living Elohim. We express our desire to obey His will - as it is in heaven so shall it be on this earth - His perfect governing system for our health and well being. We ask Him to provide for our daily needs, not so much our 'wants'. We desire bread (physical nourishment) and understanding of His Words (spiritual nourishment). We must be willing to forgive others if we desire His forgiveness, so get busy and review yourself to uncover any grudges you may have held onto. Forgive those who have done you wrong and don't forget to forgive yourself for past behavior (this may take a few days for some of us). He will test us as He did the Hebrews along with the mixed multitude that traveled the wilderness 40 years, in order to reveal what is in our hearts, whether or not we will obey His Instructions. We would rather be delivered from the deceptions of Satan than go through difficult testing. We know His is the Kingdom to come and it is His power and glory we will someday witness with our own eyes when He restores all things.
The importance of prayer cannot be overstated. Yet, to be in divine communication with our Creator, there is no need for:
- Prayer beads
- Chants and mantras
- Prayer circles
- Wine and wafers
- Candle lighting
Quote:
We are called to be a Set Apart people because He is Set Apart and this is done by welcoming His Spirit inside of us and having His Instructions written upon our hearts so that we may live according to the Ancient Paths, also know as The Way. (A.G.Roth)
Prayer is a spiritual conversation.
