“This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,bhallowed be your name,”  – Matthew 6:9

There is a saying that says “Prayer is the breath of the soul.” My question would be, how is your breath?
We will focus on various aspects of prayer from Matthew 6, which will help us discover the position, words, power, forgiveness, and belonging of prayer in our lives. We are at the door of something great in our lives. Let us enter the door of access to the throne of God’s grace.

I. The Prayer Position

5 “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and at the corners of the squares so that people can see them. I assure you that they have already obtained their full reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. So your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Do you give importance to the position when you are in prayer? In the attitude of heart? Or at all? Kneeling before God (Philippians 2: 9-11), Leaning before the Lord (Job 1: 20-21), Standing before the Lord (Gen. 17: 1-22) (I John 2: 1-2), Seated before the Lord (Ephesians 1: 15-23), Looking up to heaven (Psalm 121: 1-2), Arm Stretch (I Timothy 2: 1-4, 8) , Jumping for joy (Matthew 5:12). What Jesus emphasizes is to enter a “secret place” to be centered in His presence, so that other people will not see us.

II. The Words of Prayer

7 And when you pray, do not speak only by speaking as the Gentiles do, because they imagine that they will be heard by his many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you are asked.

It is not the amount of words but to understand that we are communicating with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus says “because his Father.” We talk to God like that father who has so much desire to spend time with his children. Dad is waiting to hear your voice. Psalm 33: 9 says that “God spoke” and brought everything into existence, so when we declare with words his words and his heart He will bring into existence the things that are not as if they were. (Romans 4:17).

III. The Power of Prayer

9 “You should pray thus:” Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.11 Give us this day our daily bread.

God manifests his power when we declare who our God is. “Our Father … hallowed be thy name” gives us identity and shows us his holiness. When I identify with Him, there is authority in my life to manifest His lordship. “Your kingdom come” and “your will be done” shows us a great sovereignty that our God has above all. There is great power when our cry to God is in agreement with who is our God.

IV. Forgiveness in Prayer

12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. “14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if they do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will their Father forgive theirs.

One of the foundations of prayer is forgiveness. God loved us, so He sent us His Son Jesus Christ to receive forgiveness of all our sins. We have access to the presence of God for what Jesus did on the cross for us. We can not have God’s answer in our prayers if we bear bitterness and bitterness in our hearts. Our debts have been forgiven that way I must show forgiveness with all those around me.

V. The Belonging Prayer

16 “When you fast, do not make a sad face as the hypocrites do, who demure their faces to show that they are fasting. I assure you that these have already won their full reward. 17 But you, when you fast, shave your head and wash your face, 18 so that it is not evident to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in the secret; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

From the fact that we are his children and belong to him, we give way to fasting and prayer. Fasting is such strong armor that is why the enemy tricks us into not using it. It is accompanied by prayer in the secret place of God. “Your Father” who demonstrates who we are in Him, sees us when we do and rewards us. The reward of God is our belonging in Him. I am His son and I have access to His throne. Hebrews 4: 16- “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace to receive mercy, and find grace to help us in the moment when we need it most.” We do not do so no more, but He is “Our Father” and we are his children.

Let’s go into His presence,

Pastor Rocco