Week 29: Our Lord's Prayer

TURN UP YOUR SOUND, CLOSE YOUR EYES AND LISTEN,

YOU WILL BE FILLED TODAY!

I LOVE ANDREA BOCELLI, I HOPE YOU DO TOO!

WERE YOU FILLED WITH THIS SONG TODAY?

For what and how should we pray?

To answer some of the above questions, let us look to the scriptures. When the Savior was on earth, he gave us the pattern for our prayers. He said, “After this manner therefore pray ye.” (Matt. 6:9–13.)

A. “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.”

First there is a recognition and acknowledgment of God as our Father in heaven and an expression of our personal reverence for him.

B. “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

As we pray, Jesus advises us to ask always that God’s will be done. Many people do not include this as a part of praying. Even for lost keys or contacts we often want our will to be done—we want them found right now, please. When even more important matters are of concern—a loved one is ill, a child is away from home, a difficult decision must be made—many people want the Lord to answer their prayers in a specific way. They are afraid that if they ask for God’s will to be done, his will or plan may be different from theirs. It takes great maturity or faith to pray that our own desires be put aside and the Lord’s will be done. Even in little matters like lost contact lenses, the Lord might feel that the lessons learned from not locating them at all may be more important than giving a person immediately what is wanted. In the Lord’s perspective of things, what isneeded may far outweigh what is wanted.

C. “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Should we pray for such simple things as lost articles? Certainly. The Lord is aware of everything that happens to us. Jesus clearly taught that the very hairs of our head are numbered. (See Matt. 10:29–30.) We are advised to pray always, about all of our concerns, our fears, sorrows, hopes, aspirations, and problems. In the Book of Mormon we are told to pray over all things in our daily lives. In the case of the Book of Mormon people, they were told to pray over their flocks and fields, representing the concerns of each day just as the Savior said we should ask for our daily bread. But recall that the admonition is to pray for the necessities, not luxuries, the frills, or the whims of the day. When you are not sure whether you are praying for a necessity, the ground rule is always to pray but ask that “thy will be done.”

D. “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

This matter of forgiveness is so important that immediately following the Lord’s prayer in Matthew, the Savior emphasized again the matter of forgiving. He said, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

“But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matt. 6:14–15.)

When we pray we should consider our own lives and pray for help in putting our own lives in order. It is interesting that the Savior identified the issue of forgiveness as one area we should all try to improve in.

E. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Would God ever lead us astray? Of course not. James E. Talmage comments about this part of the prayer: “We are not to understand that God would ever lead man into temptation. … The intent of the supplication appears to be that we be preserved from temptation beyond our weak power to withstand.” (Jesus the Christ, pp. 240–41.)

When we look at the counsel of the Lord to us in these latter days, we find that many of the references to prayer in the Doctrine and Covenants have to do with praying that we will be able to resist the power of the adversary, that we will not be overcome, that we can be delivered from evil. Sometimes we pray only for the little daily crises—for lost keys and contacts—and the weightier matters are ignored. Surely we should ask for help in small matters, but we also should pray constantly that we will have the power to resist temptation.

F. “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”

Again at the end, we should acknowledge the greatness and power of God. He is our Creator, our Heavenly Father, and we are dependent on him. Sometimes, if we think in terms of all the matters that are important in his kingdom and the greatness of his power and glory, we may feel ashamed that we even bother him with misplaced glasses. But he is aware of every sparrow and hair of the head, and he is never too busy to hear the sincere prayer.

How then do we view prayer? It is one of our most effective connecting links with Heavenly Father. We should be careful to use it wisely and in the right spirit. He knows what we need and in his wisdom will grant us the blessings we need and qualify for. In all things we pray for his will to be done and we also pray for the faith to accept his will in our lives.

BY WILLIAM G. DYER

      KEYS, CONTACTS, AND THE PURPOSE OF PRAYEr

AUG. 1978

http://lds.org/new-era/1978/08/keys-contacts-and-the-purpose-of-prayer?lang=eng&query=lord's+prayer

my PRAYERS ARE ALWAYS IN NEED OF MORE,

mY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY fATHER IN HEAVEN ALWAYS NEEDS TO BE STRENGTHENED AND INCREASED.

i PRAY THAT YOU TOO WILL INCREASE YOUR PRAYERS, TRUST OUR FATHER MORE AND RELY ON HIM.

hE LOVES ME AND i KNOW THIS--- THOUGH, i OFTEN FORGET.

mAY THE LORD'S STRENGTH BE WITH YOU TODAY!