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Daily Strength Blog

Jesus gave four instructions to guide us in our praying (Matthew6:5-15).
_We must pray in secret before we pray in public_. If we pray in public, we should be in the
habit of praying in private.
_We must pray sincerely_. The fact that a request is repeated does not make it a “vain
repetition,” for both Jesus and Paul repeated their petitions. A request becomes a “vain
repetition” if it is only a babbling of words without a sincere heart desire to seek and do God’s
will.
My friend Dr. Robert A. Cook has often said, “All of us have one routine prayer in our systems;
and once we get rid of it, then we can really start to pray!”
_We must pray in God’s will_. The purpose of prayer is to glorify God’s name, and to ask for
help to accomplish His will on earth. The Lord’s Prayer begins with God’s interests, not ours:
God’s name, God’s kingdom, and God’s will.
_We must pray, having a forgiving spirit toward others_. He was not teaching that believers
earned God’s forgiveness by forgiving others, for this would be contrary to God’s free grace and
mercy. However, if we have truly experienced God’s forgiveness, then we will have a readiness
to forgive others.
For today: “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray, but the
Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express” (Romans 8:26, NIV).
Also: read Matthew 6:5-15.
Action assignment: Go back and review the above four instructions concerning prayer. Note
them in your Bible as a reminder. Ask God to give you a greater understanding of prayer.
WARREN W. WIERSBE
www.backtothebible.in

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