Praise Him Forever, We Give Thanks, As We Pray, Lord I Need You/I Surrender All

What is your family tradition in welcoming the New Year? Is there a God-centered spiritual aspect to it?

7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.9 “Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.

We all believe God is powerful. There are things in life where we need God’s mighty intervention. How do we connect that power with our own troubles, challenges, and tests? We cannot live the Christian life alone – prayer is important!

Prayer is really communion with God. It’s not just asking – prayer is entering God’s presence, it is worship, listening, and pursuing intimacy with God. We need the power of God in our lives! The one thing the disciples asked Jesus was to teach them HOW TO PRAY (Luke 11:1); not how to walk on water, how to preach, or how to do miracles. Prayer is so powerful that we need to learn how to become men and women of prayer, so that our Christian life will never be the same.

Jesus gave an amazing format for prayer (Matthew 6). The problem is our busyness, or perception of prayer as something ritualistic and treated as a chore (vv.5-7). Jesus taught this is not how we should treat prayer! It must not be a duty but a delight, not a burden, but a privilege. God knows what we need even before we ask Him!

What is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer –is not Jesus’ prayer, but the pattern of prayer that He wants us to follow. The first part is to focus on GOD.

OUR FATHER…

This is revolutionary. The fatherhood of God to nations is in the Old Testament. But in the New Testament, He is OUR Father –with a personal, deeply connected relationship with us. A high contrast to those who had bad experiences with our earthly fathers. This reminds us– do not allow these experiences to affect your perception of the perfect Father we have in God!

Jesus tells us that we who are “evil” can give good gifts to our children, HOW MUCH MORE will our Heavenly Father give what is good (Matthew 7:11)? It’s an amazing declaration of His goodness! God loves you, and He’s your perfect Father. Begin with that understanding when you pray!

WHO IS IN HEAVEN…

He is Almighty, has all the resources, complete power and authority! To pray towards God in heaven means we acknowledge His ultimate sovereignty.

HALLOWED…

From the Greek word HAGIAZO, from Hagios (holy), we glorify His Name by saying this. We want to also glorify His Name in how we live – how we treat each other, how we speak. If we want to UNLEASH God’s power, we focus on Him and hallow His Name, desiring to honor Him every day.

YOUR KINGDOM COME…

“Kingdom” is from the Greek word BASILEA (“rule” or “reign”). It shows our focus on God and the greatness of our Father, the King of kings! Our lives must therefore reflect royalty. Yes, we are sinners, but are sinners SAVED BY GRACE. By faith, believing in Jesus the Son of God, we become His children (John 1:12). This is how GREAT the LOVE of GOD is– we are part of this great kingdom that will forever reign, and we shall reign with Jesus in the future (1 John 3:1). Make sure you are not rebelling. Trust God and believe that prayer changes things, and the first thing it will change is us.

YOUR WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN…

We declare that we are ready and willing to obey God’s will for our lives. We pray to hear from God and determine what His will is – what does He want us to say, think, or do. Is God LORD over all your time and habits? If we sincerely wish to follow God, we need to follow His Word, and live a life that focuses on God.

An example of how to pray amidst problems is in 2 Chronicles 20. Good King Jehoshaphat led a spiritual revival in Judah. Even after doing what pleases God, their enemies surrounded them and were ready to attack them.

The king was afraid (2 Chronicles 20:3-4) but Jehoshaphat decided to focus on GOD and in prayer, wanted to SEEK THE LORD – what the Lord wants him to do. He did not begin with his problems and challenges, but with who God is, and what God has done (vv.5-8). Prayer recalibrates our minds; when we focus on problems, our mindset will impact our behavior. When we pray, we focus on how God is in control, how powerful, and great He is, His faithfulness in the past – our worries become small in contrast to the greatness of God! He claimed God’s promise in v.9, (cf. 2 Chronicles 6:28-30). SEEK GOD and know God’s Word!

Jehoshaphat knew God’s Word, it informed his prayer (2 Chronicles 20:10-11, Deuteronomy 2:9, 19). Our confidence is that if we ask anything ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, we receive that request (1 John 5:14-15). Jehoshaphat ends his prayer in great humility (v.12) – “…we don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on You” – which shows true surrender, helplessness, and confidence in the Lord alone. We honor God in things within our control, but those that are outside our control, we surrender to God! God responds to his prayer (2 Chronicles 20:15-17) – the battle is not yours, but God’s – and then they watched how God dealt with their enemies. They can stand in confidence because God will be with them. We focus on God as we wait for the answers to our prayers – the Levites and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, trusting God alone, worshipped and gave thanks first according to God’s battle plan (2 Chronicles 20:22-25). God’s power was unleashed (vv.22-23) — the enemies destroyed one another! When you face challenges, pray and surrender everything to God (Philippians 4:6-7).

The story finishes not just with victory, but also with abundant spoil that brought great joy for God’s people (vv.25-26). People knew the awesome-ness of God because of this (v.29). God received the glory due Him! May we also experience the great power of God through prayer!

What do you know about who God is? How does this help you in your prayer life?

What worries you the most? Is there a promise from God that can help you view this worry in a better way?

What are you most thankful for to God, even if you are still waiting for the answers to your prayers?

Pray for your family, friends and loved ones to see the power of God through answered prayers this year. Be the one to model to them what prayer really is by following the pattern Jesus taught us as you pray for them and their needs. Share with them how God can be their perfect, powerful Heavenly Father through Jesus.

• Worship God for who He is, what He has done, and what He will do in our lives.

• Upright and moral governance of public servants; repentance and salvation for government leaders and citizens for a Christ-centered Philippines.

• God’s help and comfort, salvation for Israel, wisdom for their leaders in government, military and their soldiers as they defend themselves against terrorists’ attacks. PRAISE GOD for the release of hostages so far! Continue to pray for the release of the remaining ones.

• War in Ukraine to end, loss of lives prevented; conflict in African, East Asian and Middle East countries to stop.

• Pray for Christians from different countries who have been persecuted, attacked and killed in recent weeks.

• CCFers would honor and love God and make disciples.

• Elders, pastors, dleaders, and families (holy, humble, harmonious, happy, heart-working).

• Ministries and churches expansion worldwide.

• Worship and Training Center

• Prayer Mountain

• Deeper intimate relationship with God.

• Righteous living.

• Salvation of family and friends.

9 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.