How to Pray the Disciple's Prayer
FIRST STEP – THE PLACE OF PRAYER
When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matt 6:6)
Go into a room and close the door (Mt. 6:6). Take with you a bible, a pen and a notebook to write down what God says to you during this time.
SECOND STEP – WHAT TO PRAY
Pray like this, Our Father in heaven… (Matt 6:9)
Our Father, intimate, close, caring, supportive, provider, the person you perfectly trust to take care of you and have authority over you
In heaven, over all, big, powerful (can handle anything), majestic, dynamic, unlimited, and eternal. It is true that God is the mighty sovereign of the universe who created, governs, and will judge all things – but He is also to us our Father.[1]
Focus your thoughts and prayers on the closeness and greatness of God your Father in heaven.
Ask the Father to show you “how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is for you. And to allow you to experience the love of Jesus, though it is too great to understand fully.” (Ephesians 3:14-21)
Thank God for everything you can think of to thank him for in the last 24 hours, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” (Ps 100:4) “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess 5:18)
Thank him for specific things he has done in history; your history, your family and friend’s histories, and the history of the world. Pray Psalms like Psalm 91 or 103. Thank him for Bible heroes whose examples we follow. Allow him to bring to your mind other things for which you should give him thanks.
Thank him for who he is. Name specific attributes such as: that his love never ends, that his mercy endures, that his faithfulness is great etc. Thank him for what he has created. Use Psalms such as Psalm 8 and Psalm 90. Make your own list of Psalms to pray.
When you run out of things to thank him for, learn to be silent before God with a deep sense of gratitude to him.
…may your name be kept holy. (Matt 6:9)
(Holy in the bible means – separate, unique, and different.)
Pray - "Father, do what we can't—make your name holy in all the earth."
Ask God to help you to give him the unique place which his nature and character deserve in your life. Pray that you may be able to give God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit reverence during every moment of your day.
Pray for strength to live a holy (different) life. Affirm your commitment to honor the Father’s name in every area of your life. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring to your mind any area of your life that is not holy.
Pray for God’s discipline in your life because “God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness.” (Hebrews 12:10)
Kneel and pray this prayer from the book of Revelation,
“‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, ’who was, and is, and is to come”
You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.” (Revelation 4:8,11)
Take time to worship God who is resplendent in holiness (I Chronicles 16: 29-36).
May your Kingdom come. (Matt 6:10)
Pray that God would help you to seek first his kingdom. Ask him to give you a longing and deep desire for his kingdom.
Pray – “God, I don’t care the cost, if I have to give up everything, even my life, I want your kingdom more than I want anything else.”
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matt 6:33)
Pray that you would live in the reality of God’s Kingdom.
Pray that God’s Kingdom would come in your family, neighborhood, workplace, city, and nation. Pray that his kingdom would be more real to you than the government of the United States.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven. (Matt 6:10)
Ask the Father to tell you his will for every part of your life and then ask him for the strength to do his will. Long for his will, hunger for his will, “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” (John 4:34)
Commit to follow his will even if you don’t want it or like it.
Next give yourself to the Father praying for the grace to submit your life to his will.
“…offer yourselves to God…” (Rom 6:13)
“…offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” (Romans 12:1)
Offer all of you to all of God: Slowly and deliberately offer your body, mind, spirit, attitudes, words, thoughts, actions, and feelings to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
Submit fully your past, present and future to God, “How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live.” (Hebrews 12:9)
Pray earnestly for the grace to submit to God for his healing the parts of your past that are preventing you from loving purely in the present. Pray that God will either reveal the parts of your past that are preventing you from loving purely so that you can submit them to him for his healing, or that he will enable you to submit these hidden parts of your past to God for healing even without you becoming aware of them.
Offer your whole self to God so that you do not have to live as a victim of any person, or any fear, or any circumstance, but you are free to love the way that Jesus loves the Father and loves people.
Allow yourself to be overtaken by a profound sense of joy as you submit to God
Give us today the food we need… (Matt 6:11)
Pray for the church
Pray that through the church, “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” Hab. 2:14
Pray that the Lord would send out workers into the harvest field so the church will multiply, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matt 9:37-38
Pray that God will give you harvest opportunities so that others can meet Jesus through you.
Pray for lost people for whom you have been led to pray.
Pray that the church would be effective in making disciples, “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matt 28:19-20
Pray for an obedient and holy church.
Pray that he would build his church, both locally and around the world, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it.” Matt 16:18
Pray for others
Begin to discuss with God the present and future of individuals you care about and have been called to pray for, and for earthly situations which need God’s intervention. We are praying that God’s grace will be lavished in these lives and situations; that God will redeem people and situations.
Pray that this individual would know the love of the God the Father, the grace of Jesus Christ, and the assistance of the Holy Spirit.
Pray that this person may be able to receive:
-grace for repentance,
- grace for healing,
- grace for strength,
- grace for peace,
- grace for protection, and
- grace for purity.
Pray that people would come to hate their sin; pray that issues that are keeping the will of God from prevailing would be exposed.
Pray that God’s will would prevail in every person’s life and in every situation. Pray that God’s love would shape the situation
Pray that you will be a source of encouragement in these lives and situations.
Ask God who he is calling you to have a spiritual conversation with.
Pray for yourself
Discuss your need for specific provisions for this day. Walk through your day with God, offer each event to him and ask for his assistance. Ask him to meet specific needs in your life.
Pray for wisdom for grace to submit to and obey what he has revealed to you in these prayers.
Begin to discuss with God the need for his will to triumph in specific situations; Be specific in your requests to God for help
Name your fears and release them to him (write a worry list). “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.” (1 Peter 5:7)
…and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us. (Matt 6:12)
Review your past 24 hours and confess to God anything in your life that was not pleasing to him and ask for forgiveness.
Ask the Holy Spirit to bring to your mind any person in your life that you are bitter, hurt, or angry with.
Pray for the freedom to forgive and love them.
Pray for those who have hurt you, “I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” Matt 5:44
Offer yourself to God by affirming to him that this day you will keep your heart free of any ill will toward any person. Affirm to him that if he reveals any ill will that you are harboring in your heart you will immediately deal with it through prayer, by asking for cleansing and forgiveness, and if necessary, by making amends with that person.
And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one. (Matt 6:13)
Ask for help in resisting temptation. Name your temptations to God. Ask for grace, protection, and for purity. Ask him to show you anything in your life that exposes you to temptation.
Ask the Father to show you of any footholds that you opened in your life that would allow the devil to influence you. As those are revealed immediately remove them from your life. …and do not give the devil a foothold. (Ephesians 4:27)
Ask for the Holy Spirit, “…how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13)
Ask the Father to fill you with the Holy Spirit, “be constantly filled with the Spirit.” (Eph 5:18)
Ask that the Holy Spirit would grow his fruit in you, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Gal 5:22-23)
Pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal to you the thoughts of God, “the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.” (1 Cor 2:11)
LAST STEPS -
Read Scripture
“…be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2b)
Spend time reading the Bible. Don’t rush but read slowly listening for God to speak to you through Scripture.
Write down the verses that speak to you and your reflections about them. Answer this question – How will I be different today because of what I have just read?
Affirmation - “Be strong in the Lord, and in His mighty power” (Eph. 6:10)
Affirm your desire to honor God with every part of your life in this day. Affirm that you will walk in God’s joy regardless of the difficulties of the day “But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” ( I Cor. 15:57)
Pray all of this in the strong Name of Jesus.
[1] “There is no evidence of anyone before Jesus using this term to address God.” (Carson)