Pray Humbly Confidently and Gratefully – July 27, 2022

[Jesus] said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’”
Luke 11:2-4

Pray Humbly Confidently and Gratefully

When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he gave them some very simple things to say.

He advised them to call God their Father so that they realized they were the genuine children of the only true God.

He mentioned that they should keep God’s name holy by leading holy lives and living according to God’s Word.

He encouraged them to ask God to preserve them as members of his kingdom by sending the Holy Spirit to lead them to believe what God says.

He tempered their tendency to ask for everything by summarizing their needs as daily bread and helping them to remember to receive everything with thanks.

He emphasized the importance of God’s forgiveness in their lives and forgiving other people.

He influenced every aspect of their daily lives by reminding them to ask that God guard and keep them so that the devil, the world, and their flesh would not deceive them or lead them into false belief or despair.

Jesus wants you to pray this way as well—humbly, confidently, gratefully. And for all those times you have failed to pray this way—or pray at all when you could have and should have—he wants you to know you have the forgiveness he won for you on the cross. That’s how much he loves you. Remember this when you are hesitant to pray. It’s why you can pray to your heavenly Father humbly, confidently, and gratefully.

Prayer:
Jesus, thank you for teaching me to pray. Help me do so with all the confidence your cross provides. Amen.