Jesus taught his disciples how to pray by starting on God’s nature, Kingdom and will.

Now he moves his disciples how to pray for themselves.

Focus on God’s provision

11  Give us today our daily bread.

Matthew 6:11

The people listening to Jesus would work each day to earn the money…or bread…they would need for that day. Praying for God’s daily provision was a literal prayer they would have.

Maybe you have this literal prayer. Maybe you’re not to the point of work, get money, buy food, eat and repeat. However, maybe your financial situation is paycheck to paycheck. Maybe you have an acute awareness if God doesn’t provide you’re in deep trouble. This will keep you inside a desperation for God to work.

This person’s danger is trying to take your provision into your own hands. You’ll end up moving outside of what God wants because your desperation for basic needs is so great.

You are in a spot where you can see God work in amazing ways. Be desperate. Pray for God to get you out of paycheck to paycheck. it will be difficult, but trust God will provide in ways you’ll never see coming.

Or maybe you could eat from your pantry for a month without needing to go to the store. This is a more dangerous place to be. This person has no need for God’s provision. They have some sense and gratitude he provides, but the desperation for daily provision is not there.

This person’s danger is not having a sense of desperation over God’s provision. There’s a mindset of “Of course God provides” or worse, “I deserve God to provide.”

This person needs to find new ways to be desperate over God’s provision. God provides in ways that is bigger than our basic needs. Ask God how you need to be desperate for his provision.

Focus on God’s Forgiveness

12  And forgive us our debts,as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Matthew 6:12

Praying for Jesus to forgive you is not a one time experience. Jesus includes forgiveness as a topic in his disciple’s prayer.

God forgives completely and for forever. However, there is an ongoing dependence we must have in Jesus’ ongoing forgiveness. Like provision, we end up with a mindset of entitlement towards God’s forgiveness.

I’m asking God to forgive specific sins. I’m asking for God to forgive me when I don’t even know what I’ve done. Awareness that I may not even be aware of my sin is a humbling awareness!

I’m also praying for other people to find forgiveness because of my and my families’ lives. God wants to use our washed lives to be an attraction for others.

I’m also praying for my families’ forgiveness. While we’ve all experienced Jesus’ salvation, we have an intense family. We need “God’s mercies are new every morning” inside our family. I’m asking God to wash us clean so we can treat each day like a brand new experience. If we take yesterday’s grudges into today…we’ll end up grudging all over each other.

We don’t just look to be forgiven, we must forgive as we are forgiven. Come to God asking to be forgiven and to asking God how you need to forgive others.

Focus on God’s Strength

13  And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Matthew 6:13

God always has forgiveness waiting for his children.

However, he’d rather have us use his strength to stiff arm temptation instead of use forgiveness.

Life is better when we don’t need forgiveness. Sin brings on guilt and shame. Sin brings injustice into other people’s lives. Sin brings the need to restore and revive. Sin brings death.

So God wants us to pray and ask him for the strength to not even go there. Jesus teaches us to pray to utilize his victory over sin so that we can live out his victory in our lives.

Praying for God’s strength over temptation also shows our dependence upon God. If we think we don’t sin or if we think we don’t need God’s strength to fend off sin, we will never be desperate for God to give us his strength to find victory over temptation.

Where do you need God to strengthen you so you can have victory over temptation.

The Disciple’s Prayer is not a memorized incantation for us to chant over and over again.

The Disciple’s Prayer does show our dependence and desperation for God and his Kingdom to come down on this earth.

The Disciple’s Prayer shows our dependence and desperation for God and his Kingdom to come down on this earth.

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I’ve used this prayer as my template for over a decade. There is nothing magical about this prayer. It does help me focus. It helps me remain as desperate as possible for God to move instead of me demanding him move. Praying through this prayer keeps me asking questions and listening for God to answer.

Prayer is not a task to mark off. Prayer is our opportunity to come before God to plead for him to bring his character, Kingdom and will down so our lives will be a representation of him to everyone around us.

How can you use the Disciple’s Prayer to help keep your mindset on dependence upon God?