Pray How?

 

There is one place in the Bible where it instructs us to “Pray then like this…” It is in Matthew 6 and proceeds to give us the Lord’s Prayer. Although in a short post like this I cannot do a full exposition on the Lord’s Prayer, let’s start in the beginning:

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.                       Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is                                           in heaven (Matthew 6:9-10 NKJV).

How many times have we started our prayers with worshipful words because of this prayer? “Hallowed be Your Name.” For many who know some scripture this can be a repetition of the Names of God from His own Word, i.e., Almighty God, Most High, Counselor, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, or King of Kings. The Lord is exalted in our thoughts and words as we use His own language to worship Him.

But, “Your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven” is a little more difficult to honor Him as we pray it. This phrase caused me to ask if what we do in life (as Christians) is seeking to bring what God has in heaven to the earth.

It was actually a convicting thought after praying for the Lord to have mercy on our nation. Why convicting? Should we not be praying for repentance before we ask for His mercy?

Following several abolitionists on social media and praying for them, I see the videos of their encounters at abortion mills or when they share on-line conversations with people (mothers and fathers) who want to kill their baby in the womb. Some are downright hostile to them, some are belligerent, and some know they are going to regret what they’re doing but they proceed with conviction that it is “what’s right for me right now.”

This is a national problem that has allowed too many gallons of innocent blood to be shed in the name of personal convenience.

Though, for many, this is the most heinous of the national sins, it is not the only one. From turning a blind eye to human trafficking and the worship of celebrities (so that we cover their crimes or kill those who might “know too much”), to the lying from the media and elected officials, we have disobeyed God in an ongoing fashion.

So why do we ask for mercy when it is obvious that repentance must come first?

In Leviticus 26 God gives His people, Israel, instructions regarding the rewards for obedience and the curses for disobedience. When talking about the curses he says things like, “because you did not listen to me.”

“But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments, if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant, then I will do this to you” (Leviticus 26:14-16a).

Here, He proceeds to list what punishments will be issued to them if they fail to obey. Surely, America has broken the covenant.

Not knowing the mind of God, it is impossible to say what those consequences for disobedience would be for America in 2025. But, the principle that there are consequences for disobedience stands, even for a nation.

How then are we to pray given the level of depravity we see in our culture?

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  Matthew 6:11-13

We need our daily bread to have the strength and stamina to stay active in the spiritual war that is happening now. We need forgiveness for our own sin because judgment starts at the house of the Lord. Many of our sins are in our passive attitudes about the evil among us. Ephesians 5 tells us to expose evil. How can we do that? Are we doing that?

Forgiving others is essential as the Lord tells us that we’ll be forgiven as we have forgiven others. This is a step in being ready, willing, and able to talk to anyone, even our brothers and sisters in the Lord, about the “unfruitful works of darkness” happening around us.

So, let’s pray for our nation to repent, for God to deliver us from the evil in our midst. Then let’s pray that God will grant us (personally) the repentance we need. Then, let’s pray for God to have great mercy on us that we would see signs that God’s will is being done on earth as it is in Heaven.