What’s next now that we have completely put on the Full Armor Of God?
Pray!
But what the heck does that mean anyway?
Seems today that means smashing the 🙏🏼 emoji a bunch of times in response to someone spilling their guts on social media 🤨
Whoops, that was me being a sarcastic jerk with a side of judgement 🤦♂️ sorry / not sorry.
So, Paul is very specific with WHAT he calls us to pray FOR / ABOUT and I’ll encourage you to give that a google or look it up in the letter he wrote to the Ephesians on your own.
My heart is drawn (convicted) to HOW we should pray. We’re always being encouraged to pray but hardly ever taught or really dive in to how to do it.
Do you know that some of the men I pray with have never prayed, never prayed out loud, or never prayed with another man!?!? 🤯
Somehow, we can get together in tights huddled up over a football and “good game” each other - but ask us to shoulder up and pray over / for one another..... not on your life. That’s gotta change!
So let’s take Paul’s direction to pray but seek the guidance of Jesus on HOW we should do it.
Ready... here we go!
Jesus literally teaches us how to and how NOT TO pray - check it out
“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.”
Then - Jesus lays out this beautiful template that we can apply to our own personal prayer - and it goes like this....
“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.”
