Prayer

What is prayer?

Prayer is an act in which I turn my heart to God. In that turning I listen to his voice and speak to him.

How does the Spirit help you when you pray?

I do not often know what to pray for, so the Spirit helps us by enabling us to understand both for whom, what, and how prayer is to be made.

For whom are we to pray?

We should pray for the whole Church, for those who govern us, and for those who minister to us. We should pray for ourselves, our friends and family, and especially for our enemies.

How has our Lord taught us to pray?

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

Why should you practice the Lord’s Prayer?

I should pray the Lord’s prayer because it teaches me to pray the way Jesus taught us to pray and to it forms me into desiring what the Father wills.

How is the Lord’s Prayer a pattern for your prayer life?

The Lord’s Prayer demonstrates prayer that is first praising God, then interceding for his rule, petitioning for his provision and protection, trusting in his abundance, and confessing our own sins. The Lord’s Prayer, in its use of the word “us” reminds us that we pray in community, not only for ourselves. I should regularly pray in all of these ways.