“Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. ‘Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, may your name be revered as holy. May your kingdom come. May your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’”
Matthew 6:8–10
In this Sunday’s message, Pastor Kevin Myers invites us to rediscover why we pray and how Jesus teaches us to do it. Prayer isn’t performance or persuasion, it’s communion. It’s not about finding the right words, but returning to the right heart posture before the Father who already knows what we need.
Why Pray: For Communion, Not Communication
- From the beginning, God made humanity to walk with Him.
- “They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden… But the Lord God called to the man and said, ‘Where are you?’” Genesis 3:8–9
- Before sin, Adam and Eve lived in unbroken fellowship with God. Sin fractured that intimacy, and shame drove us to hide.
- Yet God still calls, “Where are you?” not because He’s lost us, but because He longs to draw us back into communion.
- Prayer is that return. It’s not mere communication to God; it’s communion with Him an intimate exchange of desires between a Father and His children.
How To Pray: From The Heart
- “When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Matthew 6:6
Jesus contrasts two broken ways of praying:
- Performance: praying to be seen by others.
- Control: praying to manipulate outcomes or impress God with many words.
- But true prayer is neither performance nor formula it’s surrender.
- The “room” Jesus describes isn’t just a space in your house but a posture of the heart, a hidden place where you meet with the Father in honesty and simplicity.
- Prayer is not about trying harder; it’s about trusting deeper.
Confidently Pray: He Knows What You Need
- Jesus gives us a pattern of prayer — not a guessing game.
- Because He knows what you need, He shows you how to pray.
- Relationship - “Our Father in heaven”
- Reverence - “May your name be revered as holy”
- Restoration - “May your kingdom come. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”
- Forgiveness - And forgive us our debts as we also have forgive our debtors
- Rescue - And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.”
Discussion Questions
- Where in your life have you been “communicating” with God but not truly communing with Him?
- Which part of the Lord’s Prayer speaks to your current season—relationship, reverence, restoration, provision, forgiveness, or rescue?
- What would it look like to approach prayer as intimacy rather than obligation this week?
