Becoming a People of Prayer: All eyes on Jesus

This week we wrap up our mini-series on becoming a people of prayer with a message that I’m calling “all eyes on Jesus”. This week I want to once again look at what scripture teaches us about a very practical problem that many of us in the church face – and what I know keeps many people from engaging in and participating in corporate prayer. Let’s drop all pretence and masquerade and fess up to something we all know – praying in front of people can be one of the most terrifying experiences in the world for a Christian. Perhaps you pray like a seasoned pastor (or even better, a missionary ;) ) today but most of us can remember a time in our lives when we were self-conscious about praying in public and for some of us that fear has kept us away from being involved in corporate prayer even when we feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit that we should. This week I want to look at arguably the most famous and well known passage on prayer in the whole Bible and see what Jesus’ simple and plain instructions and practice say to us on this matter. This week we head to the Sermon on the Mount and look at the instructions surrounding what is commonly known as the Lord's Prayer.

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

   “This, then, is how you should pray:

   ‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

   on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today 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 the evil one.’

For if you forgive others when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Matthew 6:5-15 (TNIV)

I'm looking forward to seeing you on Sunday!