THE BARNABAS STRATEGY: When you pray-The Lord’s Prayer (Part 1)

Prayer is widely considered the primary basis for the spiritual life and the go to weapon for spiritual warfare. Then why wouldn’t we make the most out of this invaluable resource? I am a type A personality in a culture that fosters busyness. For years, I was guilty of prayer neglect and/or treating prayer as another bullet point on my “to do” list. I’m glad to say this is no longer true for me. Let me share some of what I have learned from my prayer life, personal study of the Bible, and the wisdom of true prayer warriors like Derek Prince (Secrets of a Prayer Warrior).

NOTE: Prayer is more than a conversation; it is an experience of the Lord Almighty and is worthy of a focused time of quiet preparation and reflection. After all, we are approaching the One who is all powerful (more so than a million suns), all knowing (anything less than brutal honesty is insulting), and all present (totally accessible).

JESUS ON PRAYER: Matthew 5-7 shares Jesus’ great teaching known as the Sermon on the Mount. The section on prayer opens with a brief tutorial (Mat 6:5-9a), “And when you pray…” Clearly, prayer is not optional. The transition into the Lord’s Prayer is “Pray then like this…” which is instructional and commanding:

—Our Father in heaven: This is a relational greeting and a reminder of the Father’s divine nature. One scholar comments that because of the Trinity, we have the privilege of calling the Lord of the universe, “Father.” The Bible describes our heavenly Father using the word hesed (one of my favorite Hebrew words). Hesed is “wrapping up in itself all the positive attributes of God: love, covenant faithfulness, mercy, grace, kindness, loyalty–in short, acts of devotion and loving-kindness that go beyond the requirements of duty,”  (Bible scholar Darrell L. Bock).

(TO BE CONTINUED with praise—“hallowed be your name” )

Until next time, rest in the unequalled hesed of our Father in heaven. Blessings to all… Ron Bellomy

The Barnabas Strategy is an initiative of the Holy Spirit free of institutional constraints. … Ron Bellomy