A Prayer and Fasting Devotional
Jesus gave a model of prayer in Matthew 6, because the disciples wanted to know how to really pray. The Lord’s Prayer was not meant to be simply memorized and recited. It was meant to be to a guideline and outline on how to pray.
Please enjoy this devotional video, or stream/download an audio version below, or scroll down to continue reading.
There are six parts to the Lord’s Prayer: Praise, Petition, Provision, Pardon, Power, and Praise.
Please enjoy this devotional video, or stream/download an audio version below, or scroll down to continue reading.
There are six parts to the Lord’s Prayer: Praise, Petition, Provision, Pardon, Power, and Praise.
First thing that the Lord asked us to do is to praise Him. He says, “Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” This is where we begin to magnify the Lord and even ask Him to become first and foremost in our lives; to have that special place in our hearts. That’s why He said, “…hallowed by Thy name,” meaning, ‘Make Your name special in my life.’
Then we go on to petition. He says, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” When I pray that prayer, I ask God will ‘in my life’ “as it is in heaven.” ‘I want to align my will with your will.’ And then I go on praying: for my family,for God’s family, and for the nation.
Next, I go on to provision. Here we ask God, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Daily, God has provision. He has enough for you to be able to make it, and He’s welcoming you to go ahead and ask Him, so He can get the glory.
Following that, we move on to pardon. Pardon is when we ask God to forgive us of our sins. We want to go before God with a pure heart. God is more than eager to forgive you of your sins, so you can have a clear conscience. There’s nothing worse than trying to pray, and trying to continue to pray, when your conscience has been marred by sin. God loves you so much that He wants you to have your own uninterrupted communion with Him. Then He asks you to go ahead and to forgive others. Ask God to give you the courage to forgive others who have offended you, so you can be totally free.
Then the Lord invites us to ask Him for power. Power for what? Power to overcome temptation and to deliver us from the evil one. You need to understand that every day you’re going to be under attack. The enemy is ready to come against you to kill and to destroy your joy, your peace, your walk with God. But God is ready to give you the power. He’s asking you to ask Him for divine enablement in your life.
The last component of Jesus’ prayer is praise. We come back to where we started. We want to give God all the glory “for Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory.” You know what that means? We want to give God the credit in advance. Today, I want to welcome you to pray the Lord’s Prayer, because if you pray the way Jesus prayed, you’ll get the results that Jesus got.
Then we go on to petition. He says, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” When I pray that prayer, I ask God will ‘in my life’ “as it is in heaven.” ‘I want to align my will with your will.’ And then I go on praying: for my family,for God’s family, and for the nation.
Next, I go on to provision. Here we ask God, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Daily, God has provision. He has enough for you to be able to make it, and He’s welcoming you to go ahead and ask Him, so He can get the glory.
Following that, we move on to pardon. Pardon is when we ask God to forgive us of our sins. We want to go before God with a pure heart. God is more than eager to forgive you of your sins, so you can have a clear conscience. There’s nothing worse than trying to pray, and trying to continue to pray, when your conscience has been marred by sin. God loves you so much that He wants you to have your own uninterrupted communion with Him. Then He asks you to go ahead and to forgive others. Ask God to give you the courage to forgive others who have offended you, so you can be totally free.
Then the Lord invites us to ask Him for power. Power for what? Power to overcome temptation and to deliver us from the evil one. You need to understand that every day you’re going to be under attack. The enemy is ready to come against you to kill and to destroy your joy, your peace, your walk with God. But God is ready to give you the power. He’s asking you to ask Him for divine enablement in your life.
The last component of Jesus’ prayer is praise. We come back to where we started. We want to give God all the glory “for Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory.” You know what that means? We want to give God the credit in advance. Today, I want to welcome you to pray the Lord’s Prayer, because if you pray the way Jesus prayed, you’ll get the results that Jesus got.
Fernando Cabrera
Pastor and NYC Councilman