People today are making this same request, people who know and love the Lord, people who are not satisfied with their prayer life, people who hunger and thirst for a closer walk with God. They do not want a sermon on how wonderful prayer is, nor do they want to hear a long list of thrilling answers to prayer. Many times the prayers that we hear from the pulpit are not good examples of what prayers should be like. Many times they consist of a long litany of requests given in a monotonous style as if they were reading a shopping list (and more often and not they are). All this demonstrates is their reading ability and not that they are talking to God. Other times prayer degenerates into a begging attitude, as if God needed to be persuaded. We are told that "the effectual, fervent prayer...availeth much" (James 5:16). I think it is profitable to inquire what constitutes such a prayer.
Jesus' answer to the disciples' request was a brief and yet comprehensive example of the model prayer. It is an outline of how we should pray.
"Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed be they name." We are to fall on our knees before Almighty God in humble supplication, not because of a ritualistic custom. We are to picture Him sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, surrounded by unapproachable light and a dazzling rainbow. Before Him are thousands of angels coming and going to their appointed tasks in perfect order. We are to reverence His name before men and angels.
"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done." We are to pray for the finishing of the work of the gospel in all the earth, and that God's will be done in all we do and say.
"Give us this day our daily bread." We are to pray for our daily needs and those of others believing that He will answer in His own time and way.
"Forgive us our transgressions as we forgive those who transgress against us." We are to ask forgiveness of our sins against God and man and to forgive those who wrong us.
"Lead us not into temptation." We are to pray for protection from the evils of the world and from the temptations of the flesh and of the devil.
"For Thine is the power and the glory." We are to give all honor and glory to God in a final expression of gratitude and praise.
Finally, to offer an effectual, fervent prayer, we not only need to recognize why we pray, but also "how we pray."
