3 Things to do when praying- Matthew 6:5-13

Have you ever been scared to death that you would be called upon to pray in front of people? Did you remember the prayer requests? In case you didn't know, I am an extreme introvert. I used to be terrified that I would be called on and I have a few times. Yet I survived and prayed a simple and somewhat canned prayer.
I remember growing up in the Nazarene church and sometimes there would be someone who would just stand up and start praying. He would start hooping and hollorin' (that's Southern for Hollering or yelling) and sometimes waving a hankie around. It was a sight to see and it lasted for quite a while.
Jesus might have witnessed people in His day putting on a display like this. He probably saw them stand up in the synagogues or maybe the street corners. Actually, He said that he did. He tells us NOT to be like them and gives us 3 things to do when we pray:

1. Instead of praying out in the open and drawing attention to yourself we should "go into our private room". Doing this we are by ourselves and our focus can ONLY be toward the one we are praying to. 
2. We are also to "shut the door". When we "shut the door" it allows us to open up in honesty toward God. We are more likely to confess before a Holy God our sins and repent from them.
3. We are to "Pray to our Father who is in heaven." We are to remember who exactly we are talking to. The "Creator of the Universe", the one who SPOKE everything in existence. Humbling to think about isn't it? That is the point.

Jesus was not at all forbidding public prayer and saying that we should ONLY pray in our closet. But He was saying that people who ONLY pray in public and never in private are praying for the wrong reasons.
Since when we pray and we do not truely know what or how we should pray Jesus gives us a model for prayer. We know it as the "Lord's Prayer". Some recite this as an actual prayer but in the context in which it is used it is a teaching tool.
Tomorrow we will break the steps down and examine each part. Today be thinking about your prayer life. Do you pray? If so, how often? Do you use scripture to help you?

The Prophet's Prayer Life

Daniel is one of the few individuals in Scripture about whom nothing negative is ever written. How did he live a life of such conviction and courage? What was the secret that enabled him to please and glorify God so consistantly?
A number of answers could be given, but consider this. Time and again, Daniel is revealed to be a man who prayed faithfully. You'l find his key prayers in 2:17-23; 6:10-11; and 9:1-3.
No matter what circumstances he faced- and he faced some very treacherous ones- no matter how busy his schedule was, he found time to commune with God through prayer. As a matter of fact, the awesome revelations of chapters 10-12 were given to Daniel by God as a direct answer to his prayers (10:10-12)
We can gain much insight into the lives of the prophets of God. Certainly, they were uniquely chosen by God for a unique task. And yet their lives were set apart for that purpose through their heartfelt devotion to God- a devotion that was fueled by fervent prayer.
While the page is not quite fully set up, you may view the Prayer Group page. As this blog grows in readers, my hope is that people will pray for each other by using this page as a guide to pray for specific needs.

Options for Daily Study

Updated 7/23/2011

So far Experiencing God is in the lead for the most votes. Keep it coming! Voting ends tomorrow at 8pm! Monday will be the big announcement and then the first devotional post.

 

I would like to hear from my readers. Since this Blog is going under construction in the days and maybe weeks to come, I am still working things out.

I have a few ideas on Daily Devotionals:

1. The Mind of Christ by T W Hunt and Claude N. King

2. Spending Time Alone with God, from the moving toward maturity series, by Barry St. Clair

3. Experiencing God, by Henry Blackaby

Comment on which of these you would like to see every morning. My understanding is that you could sign up for email updates and get the post sent directly to your email.

Also I can get permission to recreate any worksheet items so you too can follow along.

What do you think??

Operation Andrew

Yesterday, I had the privilege of bringing Alex Aguilar to the saving knowledge of Christ. It was a wonderful experience as he was the first person that the Lord allowed me to share the Gospel with by myself.
Tonight I saw him in the service with his mother and his two younger brothers. How good God is!!!
I am too excited to write anything about it at this moment but I promise I'll give details later.
For now, I am asking that everyone please pray for Alex. Pray that God would put a hedge of protection around him so that satan could not discourage him. Pray that he would have inner strength.
Praise God!!!
Galatians 2:20 <><