~ written by Connie Dunmyer
Sometimes we recite prayers. Sometimes we blurt out prayers. Sometimes we silently pray. Sometimes our tears pray. Sometimes we’re thankful. Sometimes we’re desperate. Sometimes we pray in song. Sometimes we pray in unison. Sometimes we have blessed conversations of prayer. Sometimes we don’t know what to say. Sometimes we pray for others. Sometimes we pray for our own restoration.
One of my favorite prayers I ever heard was my 4 or 5 year old granddaughter’s. It was her G-Pa’s birthday dinner, and she wanted to pray over it. I've never heard a better prayer. Think of the best pray-er you’ve ever heard pray. Billy Graham. Alveda King. Pope Leo. Pastor T.D. Jakes. She started off just chatting with Jesus. And she just continued having this conversation for a while. (Yes, we were hungry - but patient.) I couldn’t hear all her words or even understand them all. But I didn’t need to. For I tell you the truth, Jesus was sitting there at that table, having a very personal conversation with our little one. And then at some point she said “and thank you for the food” and with great excitement she said “and thank you for G-Pa’s birthday!” I wept. Then … and now.
Jesus’ disciples knew how to chat it up with Jesus, but they wanted to know more about prayer. And to prove it's not only for the elite, the apostles, or just the preachers, the Bible says “crowds” were there at that mountainside for His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5), all wanting to “know more”. And Jesus provides what we now call “The Lord’s Prayer” (Matthew 6), which is more of a pattern, a guide, a typoi, a heartbeat, rather than exact words. However, I do like the words. So quite often, I will start off praying with the specific scriptural words of Matthew 6, and then extrapolate from my heart. I am sharing one of my prayers based on The Lord’s Prayer. I encourage you to try this from time to time. It’s amazing what the Lord will reveal. (Scripture is in bold. My extrapolations after.)
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Our Father in heaven, my Father, my Daddy, my Abba; Father of all, who loves each of us, even me, with a perfect love. Hallowed be your name. Holy are You. Loving. Gracious. Powerful is Your very Name. That same power that raised Jesus from the dead. You are above all and over all. Your kingdom come, that kingdom of heaven here with us, with me, O I pray it will come upon me, upon my family this hour. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. I ask that Your will, not my own, be done today in my life and especially in my heart – in the things I do and the things I say AND the things I think about. I pray your will be done here on earth – that the wars will end, and hatred for one another will cease, and that the light of word of God will spread to darkened hearts. Heaven cannot exist here on earth – but I pray that your heavenly will, your heavenly warriors, will be. I pray for peace. I pray for justice. I pray for love for one another – including me.
Give us this day our daily bread. Thank you for providing for our needs today and everyday. Thank you for the food we have to eat. But more importantly the daily bread, the sustenance, we read from your Word... the bread you feed our souls. Please let me hear from You today.
Forgive us our debts… Forgive my sins. Surely I ask for forgiveness for the sins I know about, but I’m also sure I do and say and think things that are wrong that I don’t think about. I either pass it off – or I’m vaguely unaware. Forgive me. Clean my heart. Wash me clean. I know I don’t deserve it. I have no plea but the blood of Jesus. I beg you to cover me, my sin, with that blood. Daily. Hourly. Minutely. … as we also forgive our debtors. Help me to forgive others. I’m not very good at that. Show me who and the practical application of that forgiveness. And when I recall the wrong they did, remind me that I forgave them and cannot hold it against them anymore.
And lead us not into temptation … please keep me from temptation. I pray that you will blind me to it – or lead me away from it. No where close to it. Open my eyes to the things I permit in my life, that will only tempt me away from Your will. But deliver us from the evil one. Deliver me from the evil one. He knows things. He kinda like knows “where the bodies are buried”, and how to dig them up. He knows my weak points because he helped make them. I need your protection from him, and I need Your deliverance from his constant attacks. May Your Spirit surround me like a bubble – like armor – the armor of God like in Ephesians 6.
For yours in the kingdom … because the kingdom is Yours both here and in heaven. It’s all Yours, all Your creation, all up to You, – and the power … for there is no one and no thing stronger than You, – and the glory … hallelujah, it’s all Yours, it’s not me and it’s not mine – forever … and ever and ever, eternally beginning today. Amen - so it shall be – yesterday, today, tomorrow and forevermore! Thank You!
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