Thursday 7 Oct 2021

October 7: Matthew 6:9-13
 
Key Verse: Matthew 6:9
This, then, is how you should pray: ‘“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
 
Devotion:
I would like to spend the next few days going over the Lord's Prayer because I have not done this for a while – at least I cannot remember when I last did it (not that my memory is much to go by sometimes!) When Jesus was giving instructions to the disciples about how to pray, he was quite concise and direct; giving us what we know as the Lord's Prayer nowadays and one which is often recited allowed together. But have you ever thought about why He gave them this prayer?
 
He begins the prayer with words showing respect to God His Father in heaven – very important starting point for all of us; we need to acknowledge God as our God who is in heaven and Father over everything. A friend reminded me of the way this was taught many years ago, and which I don't hear enough of nowadays... A.C.T.S.
 
A is for adoration. We must place God in His rightful place in our lives! C is for confession where we are willing to bring our faults before God and ask for His forgiveness. T is for thanksgiving where we verbalise what we are thankful for in our lives, because God is our provider! And the S is the final part of supplication where we lift up our prayers for ourselves and for others.
 
So, starting with our adoration, we need to know God is creator God, Father over all and in Heaven where He is separated from our every day sins! We need to remember Heaven is a place where everything is right, righteous, Holy, without sin. For us to get there we have to be totally forgiven – our aim should always be heavenward!
 
Points to Ponder:
Do you always remember to adore God?
 
Will you start to acknowledge Him fully in your prayers?