OUR FATHER
Carey Madding
Today's Scripture: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2, ESV
Theme: Praying and focusing on God’s will, and aligning ours to His, renews our minds.
DRIVING IN A TRANCE
We used to live just north of Kentucky in Indiana. I had a daily commute over the Ohio River into Louisville, but as you took the interstate over the bridge, the interstate divided. Interstate 65 continued south while I-64 peeled off, heading East and West. The exit for I-64 was way up in the air on a flyway. There were crash barrels sitting in the vee, and I once saw a car smashed on top of them with its front wheels suspended over the river below.
After making that hour–long drive for months, it became old hat, just routine. One morning, I found myself driving on “auto-pilot” and coming to my senses just as I approached that dangerous split. I couldn’t remember if I was headed to work (South) or to the mall (East) and so I just made a choice. Any choice was better than no choice! But the fact that I had gotten 30 minutes into my drive without conscious thought was a bit scary!
AUTO-PILOT PRAYERS
As a young child, in Sunday School and Vacation Bible Schools, I learned to pray “The Lord’s Prayer.” But I was also taught that to say it by rote, without thought or meaning, was useless and just words. It is a model prayer, a template for how we are to pray and in what order. It is not to be an auto-pilot prayer, said as a charm or incantation. It should be the framework and outline of my personal prayer.
P.R.A.Y.
The acronym that I love the best is PRAY: Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield. “Praise” reminds me to both praise God and thank Him. Like a spouse desires both love and appreciation, God wants to be known and loved for Who He is. He also wants us to acknowledge the many ways He has blessed and provided for us. Next, “repentance” is crucial. God gently points out my sin, encouraging me to turn from it and towards Him, so that He can wipe the slate clean, and we can be in harmony once again.
“Ask” comes next: we have no problem asking, whether for ourselves or others. In fact, it is the element we spend the most time and passion on. Yes, do ask for God’s rescue and blessing on others. Ask for His protection and provision for yourself, too, but do not assume the main purpose of prayer is to ask.
The reason I like the PRAY method is this: "Yield." The purpose of prayer is really that we praise and connect with God, then we yield. When we do this, our wills become aligned with His so that we want what He wants. We ask for what He wants; we pray His will for others. But if we don’t quite get there, we choose to voluntarily yield our desires to His.
YOUR KINGDOM COME
No matter where you start in prayer, or in what order you ask, you must end with “yield.” That means listening, sensing, and hearing what the Spirit is whispering to you. It means choosing to say, “Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth (and in my life and sphere of influence) as it is in heaven.” This is what it means to be transformed, renewed, and able to discern God’s will.
Make It Personal: The Lord’s Prayer is a great place to start, but then go in-depth. Don’t go into holy neutral and just recite it. Think about each part. Let your worship of the Lord bring you into His presence. There you will see your sin and be offered forgiveness. You can pour out your heart in intercession for others, or for your own needs. But make sure you end up in the place of submission and yielding to God’s will. That is when you will be transformed, aligned, and in sync with the God who loves and saves you today, tomorrow, and eternally.
Pray: Lord, I adore You and thank You for all You have done for me: my salvation through Jesus, my relationship with You, Your provision for me and my family, and for Your beauty and holiness. I love You and I want to yield to Your ways, Your plans, Your will for my life. So even in my asking, for myself and for others, I submit my requests boldly, but anxious for You to bring my thoughts and desires into line with Your plans for myself and others I pray for. I want to yield. I want to hear. Thank You for speaking and sharing Your will with me. In the Name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
Read: Romans 8:26-27; 1 John 5:14; Philippians 4:6-7; Luke 11:9-13
Weekly Memory Verse: “And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” Luke 11:9-10 (ESV)