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Chapter Two – AFTER THIS MANNER, PRAY

(Using the Lord’s Prayer, phrase by phrase, as a model for expanding your prayer life)

“Putting First Things First”

“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done
in earth as it is in heaven.”

Intervention

Father, I pray today that Your kingdom would become more real in my life today and that Your perfect will would be fulfilled on this earth today, as You want it to be fulfilled through my life, as Your perfect will is being done this day in heaven.

Father, “since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve [You] God acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (Heb. 12:28). I acknowledge, Lord, that it is You Who works in us both to will and do for Your good pleasure (Phil. 2:13). I ask You to intervene in my life today, as I purpose to do Your will, so that my light will shine before others, that they may see my good works, and glorify You, Father (Matt. 5:16).

Father, I pray that Your kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in and through the Holy Spirit will be established throughout this day in my life and in the life of each member of my family (mention by name your family members and others whom God prompts you to pray for). I pray that You will set within each of our spirit’s Your perfect will for each of our lives today.

I pray, Lord, that the Holy Spirit will empower me and my family (from here on, always mention others, too, whom you are prompted to pray for today) with ability, efficiency, might, strength, wisdom, and power, and with every resource we need this day concerning the issues of life which we face today as we seek to fulfill Your perfect will for our lives.

I ask You, Lord, to give us the mind of Christ today (1 Cor.2:16) so that we will think, act, react, and respond just like Jesus would and exactly like Jesus would in and to every situation, every circumstance, every conversation, every choice, every decision, and every thought that we are faced with today concerning the issues of life.

I pray that our schedules will be in Your will today, that my schedule and my family’s schedule will parallel, and that You will give us guidance, direction, wisdom, and discernment in a schedule today that will allow us to coordinate our schedules in order to fulfill Your perfect will for our lives today.

Introspection

Father, I want to put first things first today. So I pray that this day I will not seek me own will but Your will, Father (John 5:30). “O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. . . . Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:1-5,23-24).

Lord, as my days were fashioned for me when as yet there were none of them (Ps. 139:16), I pray that you will teach me to do Your will where I am not heeding it, sensitive to it, or alert to do Your will, for you are my God. I pray through the presence of the Holy Spirit within me that You will lead me to and in the land of uprightness (Ps. 143:10), in those good paths that You have prepared in advance that I should walk in them.

“Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day” (Ps. 25:4-5). Lord, I know that Your Word is clear on some aspects of Your will for our lives which we are to seek to fulfill every day. But in Your specific will for my life, I will not move until I know beyond the shadow of a doubt what You want me to do.

Lord, I know that Your will for my life, and for all Christians, is to be not conformed to this world; to not copy the behavior and customs of this world, but to be transformed by the renewal of my mind daily through Your Word and through prayer; to be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all I do and think so that I can prove—learn from my own experiences how Your ways really satisfy me—the good, acceptable, and perfect will of You, O God (Rom. 12:2).

Lord, Your blessed, Holy Word says that this is the will of God; that I should be consecrated, sanctified, separated, and set apart for pure and holy living; that I should abstain from sexual immorality; that I should know how to possess, control, and manage my own body in purity, separated from profane things, in sanctification, consecration, and honor, not in lustful passion as the heathen do, in their ignorance of You, God, and Your ways because they have no knowledge of Your will (1 Thess. 4:3-5).

I am thankful, Father, that I am Your workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which You, O God, prepared beforehand for me to do (Eph. 2:10). For I know that in Christ I have obtained an inheritance, being chosen and appointed beforehand in accordance with Your purpose, Who works all things according to the counsel and design of Your will (Eph. 1:11).

Therefore, Lord God, I do not want to be unwise, vague, thoughtless, and foolish, but I want to understand and firmly grasp what Your will is for my life. I want to find out and do whatever You want me to do, Lord. So I will look carefully how I walk today and every day; not as the unwise, but as a wise, sensible, intelligent person directed by the Light and Knowledge of Your Word. I will make the most of my time, especially making the most of every opportunity I have for doing good because these days are evil (Eph. 5:15-17).

Father, I will seek to always be joyful. I will be unceasing in prayer, praying persistently and perseveringly. I will thank You in everything, no matter what happens, no matter what the circumstances may be, for this is Your will, God, for those of us who are in Christ Jesus (1 Thess. 5:16-18).

Lord, I want to be a man (woman, boy, girl) after Your own heart, who will do all Your will (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22).

Thank You, Father, that today, right now, You are working in me and through me, energizing me with the power and desire to will and to work for Your good pleasure, satisfaction, and delight (Phil. 2:13).

Intercession

Central Concerns

Father, I thank You today for my wife. The Bible says that the man who finds a wife, particularly, a prudent, understanding wife, has obtained favor from the Lord (Prov. 18:22; 19:14). I consider myself blessed because You have given me such a wife in ________.

Our fountain has been blessed, and I rejoice, and I always want to rejoice with the wife of my youth. I pray that we will always satisfy one another at all times, and I always want to be enraptured with her love (Prov. 5:18-19). I pray that ________ will always be enraptured with my love.

My children and I are blessed with such a godly mother and wife. There are many fine women in the world, but to me and my children, my wife and their mother is the best of them all (Prov. 31:28-29). ________ does excel above them all in our eyes.

She watches well over her (our) household. She does not eat the bread of idleness. She opens her mouth with wisdom because she reads and meditates upon Your precious Word, and It guides her thoughts, actions, decisions, and words. She lives it! She is truly a Proverbs 31 wife (Prov. 31:10-31). In ________, I have found a virtuous wife—worth far more than rubies and precious gems (Prov. 31:10-11).

Father, You say that a woman who fears You shall be praised (Prov. 31:30). Please give Wanda, today, the fruit of her faithful hands. Let her own works praise her in the gates of life through which we daily trod (Prov. 31:31). Lord, ________ delights in You. Please give her now all the desires of her heart (Ps. 37:4).
Lord, I want to render to ________ the affection she is due (1 Cor. 7:3), and I pray that she will do likewise for me as her husband. My commitment is to love her as my wife as Christ loved the Church, giving Himself for Her (Eph. 5:25). I love ________ as my own body, as myself (Eph. 5:28,33). May I always, I pray, love ________ and be affectionate, sympathetic, kind, understanding, and respectful to her (Col. 3:19).

I dwell with my wife in understanding, giving honor to her, as the weaker vessel, but realizing that we are both heirs together of the grace of life (1 Pet. 3:7). Lord, I realize that if I don’t treat ________ as I should, my prayers will be hindered—I will not get ready answers (1 Pet. 3:7). But I love her and I want to treat her as I should because she is the helpmeet that I prayed for. She’s everything I wanted in a wife and more. I am thankful that You gave ________ to me.

Lord, please meet all the needs and desires of her life today—spiritually, physically, emotionally, mentally, financially, and materially.

Father, I thank You today for my husband. The Bible says that “an excellent wife is the crown of her husband” (Prov. 12:4). I pray that I will be as a crown to my husband, who is like a tree of life and a wellspring of joy to him. I desire to be a prudent wife (Prov. 19:14) so that ________ will consider himself blessed, having obtained favor from the Lord, because he has found a “good thing” in me (Prov. 18:22).
Our fountain has been blessed, and I pray that as we grow older, ________ will always rejoice that I am his wife (Prov. 5:18). As a loving deer and a graceful doe, I desire to satisfy ________ at all times (Prov. 5:19) so that he will always be enraptured with my love.

Lord, Your Word says, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord” (Eph. 5:22). I submit to _______, “as the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body” (Eph. 5:23). “Just as the church is subject to Christ,” I will be subject to my husband “in everything” (Eph. 5:24). As my husband loves me “just as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for her” (Eph. 5:25), I will respect ‘s godly leadership over me.

I pray that I will be a holy woman, whom my husband honors and cherishes (1 Peter 3:7) because of “the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of [You,] God” (1 Peter 3:4). To build my house as a wise woman (Prov. 14:1), I want to build my husband up by speaking wholesome and proper words because such speech is a “tree of life” and “pleasant” (Prov. 15:4,26), for “pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul, and health to the bones” (Prov. 16:4).

Lord, I resolve to be a good wife and a loving helpmate to ________. I accept the biblical role that you have divinely designed for a wife to fulfill. I love ________, and I want to treat him as I should because he is the husband that I prayed you would provide for me. He is everything I wanted in a husband and more.

I consider myself blessed because you brought us together as husband and wife.
Lord, please meet all the needs and desires of his life today—spiritually, physically, emotionally, mentally, financially, and materially.

Father, I pray that as our children are taught of You, Lord, that great shall be the peace of our children (Isa. 54:13). I am thankful to know that my children are safe within Your hands because Your promise to me is that “I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will save your children” (Isa. 49:25). How encouraging to know that You will perfect that which concerns me.

I pray that as parents we will not provoke—anger, irritate, frustrate, nag to exasperation, exasperate to resentment—our children, but that we will rear our children tenderly in You, Lord, bringing ________ [name(s) of your child(ren)] up in the loving nurture, training, discipline, counsel, and admonition that You approve of Lord, with wise suggestions and godly advice.

Lord, I pray that ________ will develop a love and respect for one another, even from early age, that others will notice. I pray that their love for one another and their parents will be a 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love.

Lord, I pray that our children will:

Determine to live for You, Lord, above all else and all others (Luke 1:15a). As a direct result, they will please their Mom and Dad as Your earthly representatives (Luke 1:14a; Eph. 6:1-3).

Delight the lives of others by their attitudes, actions, and pure affections (Luke 1:14b).

Decline the lure of alcohol, drugs, and other substances and influences that are harmful not only to the body but also to the soul and spirit (Luke 1:15b).

Depend upon the leading of the Holy Spirit in and over every area of their lives. I pray that they will walk in the power, directing, and anointing of the Holy Spirit, even from childhood, and it will be evident that Your touch is on their lives all their lives (Luke 1:15c).

Desire to lead others to Christ (Luke 1:16), even from childhood. I pray that the best, the biggest, the largest, and the most amount of trophies they win will be trophies of grace.
Father, I realize for these requests and desires that I have for my children to be fulfilled that they must be true and lived out in my life and in their mother’s life (Deut. 6:6-19).

Father, thank You for these precious children You have given to us, these blessings, our heritage from You, our reward (Ps. 127:3). I pray that we will always be happy in and with them, and that we will never do anything to bring them shame or cause them to be ashamed of us (Ps. 127:5) or to bring You shame or cause You to be ashamed of us. I pray that ________ will never do anything to bring us shame or cause us to be ashamed of them or to bring You shame or cause You to be ashamed of them.

I pray, Lord, that we will always use all parts of our bodies—minds, souls, and spirits—for Your glory, honor, and praise.

I pray, Lord, that You will be a hedge of protection throughout this day around me and my family (and others whom God prompts you to pray for) to keep us safe from harm, hurt, injury, danger, illness, temptation, evil, or bondage of any kind. I pray that You will protect us behind and before, above and beneath, and around on every side like an unbreakable, impenetrable, bubble and hedge of protection. I pray that You will be a hedge of protection around our home and property, around our church, around our school(s), around where we work, around our van, around our going outs and our coming ins, around where we are, where we are going, what we are in, or what we are doing to protect these places, possessions, and things from damage, destruction, theft, wreck, or mechanical breakdown. I pray that

You will protect them behind and before, above and beneath, and around on every side like an unbreakable, impenetrable bubble and hedge of protection. We are thankful to know that You give Your angels charge over us to protect and preserve us in all our ways.

Thank You, Father, for fulfilling Your perfect will this day and every day in my life and in the life of my family to the glory, honor, and praise of Jesus Christ.

Church Concerns

Lord, I pray today for our church that we will be a holy people. May we live up to the words of Peter: “You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. . . . But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” (1 Peter 2:5,9). May the people of our church be “as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy'” (1 Peter 1:14-16).

I pray that our church will be a happy church. I pray, Lord, that ongoing revival will be a way of life for our church that Your people at Church may rejoice in You (Ps. 85:6). Lord, Your Word says, “Happy are the people whose God is the LORD!” (Ps. 144:15). Lord, may our hope and trust be in You, for Your blessed, holy Word says that is how we shall be happy (Ps. 146:5; Prov. 16:20; 29:18).

Father, I pray in the name of Jesus, the foundation of the Church, that all of us in Your Body at ______________ Church will be in perfect harmony and full agreement in what we say, and there will be no dissensions or factions or divisions among us, but that we will be perfectly united in our common understanding and in our opinions and judgments. Holy Spirit, teach us how to spiritually harmonize (agree) together and be like a spiritual symphony about anything and everything we do so that whatever we ask will come to pass and be done for us by you, Father, and all we attempt to do will succeed because we are led by they Holy Spirit, doing all to the glory and honor of Jesus Christ.

Father, for our church, I pray that You will “revive Your work in the midst of these years” (Hab. 3:2). Please work a work in our days for Your glory, and in a positive sense, that people will not believe except that they will see it and be a part of it” (Hab. 1:5). Lord, that is how we shall be a truly healthy church that is breathing in through fellowship and breathing out in evangelism.

I pray today for the spiritual and physical healthiness of our pastor (and other ministers). Lord God, I pray today for __________, that You will anoint him, speak to him, and direct him. I ask You to give him a shepherd’s heart, as You have led him to be the shepherd and spiritual leader of our church.
Please give him wisdom and allow him the time to spend in Your Word and in prayer. Please make him a pure channel through which the gift(s), power, and anointing of the Holy Spirit can flow. Please let Your touch on his life be evident in the eyes of our church members and those on the outside.

Father, I pray that You will keep the clutter away from him so that he can major on the majors and through Him You will lead our church to be a church that is spiritually alive and alert, that is true to Your Word, that is filled with the Spirit, living Christ day by day, and that is a light for the Lord in our local community and throughout our city and county.

Lord, I pray that You will send the Holy Spirit to be his teacher, counselor, guide, instructor, comforter, and friend this day, and that the Holy Spirit will teach him all things and guide him into all the truth as he prepares sermons and faces the issues of life this day (John 14:16-17,26; 15:26).
Lord, I pray that You will meet every need in his life and in the life of his wife and children—spiritually, physically, emotionally, mentally, financially, and materially.

I pray today for the spiritual healthiness of our church leaders—chairman of the deacons, chairmen of the various committees, Sunday School teachers, especially those who teach our children and youth, and leaders of the organizations of our church—that You, Lord God, will help these teachers and leaders to be true to Your Word, the Holy Bible, to live Christ and to have a Christ-like spirit, and to be men and women of prayer who daily read and meditate upon Your Word.

Dear God, please make the various ministries/organizations (e.g. Sunday School, Deacons, Choirs, Women’s ministry, Homebound, Youth ministry, Senior Citizens, Royal Ambassadors, Girls In Action, AWANA, etc.) in our church healthy, Spirit-empowered, breathing in through fellowship and breathing out in evangelism.

I pray for our members that they will be faithful to their families, to our church, and to Jesus. Please plant them in Your House at our church this Sunday, Lord, so that they will bring forth fruit as soulwinners and intercessors. I pray that our church members will be faithful in bringing their tithes and offerings into our church this Sunday and that they will serve You as You deserve to be served.

Lord God, I pray for the harvest at our church. I pray that the powers and principalities of the air who work in the children of disobedience (Eph. 2:2) cannot hold rein over the men, women, boys, and girls who need to be spiritually fed and disciplined by our ministry.

Father, I believe and stand upon Isaiah 43:5-7 as Your desire and delight for our church:

“Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, And gather you from the west; I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, And My daughters from the ends of the earth—Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”

Lord, there are men, women, boys, and girls to the North, South, East, and West whom You will to become a part of our family of faith at ________________ Church. In the name of Jesus, I pray you will release and guide us to every person who is supposed to become a part of the Body of Christ at our church. Please release every one and lead us to—not every other one—but every man, woman, boy, and girl whom You, God, have ordained to be saved, planted, strengthened, established, encouraged, and discipled at ___________ Church.

Lord God, in Jesus name, I ask You to dispatch angels, if need be, to minister to these heirs of Your marvelous salvation and these heirs to be brothers and sisters in Christ with us in our family of faith at _______________ Church. Lord, I pray for the North, South, East, West, to “Give them up” in the name of the Lord. Do not keep back these men, women, boys, and girls whom God desires to be heirs of His marvelous salvation at our church . . . men, women, boys, and girls who have already become heirs of Your marvelous salvation but who need to have the joy of their salvation restored (Ps. 51:12) . . . men, women, boys, and girls who are lukewarm Christians (Rev. 3:16) who need to be at our church to become hot Christians (Rev. 3:15) in order to make a difference in our city and our corner of the world for Jesus . . . men, women, boys, and girls who are hot Christians who are not in churches where the Word is being preached, or where they are not being used as they ought to be, or who have moved into our area, whom You can use here at our church and whom we need, Lord, to be spiritual leaders in our church where ministries are not reaching their potential or are needed.

Give them up, North, South, East, and West, in the name of Jesus! Do not keep them back! Surrender in the name of the Lord! Lord God, I pray that You will move upon the North, South, East, and West to “bring out the blind people who have eyes, and the deaf who have ears” (Isa. 43:8). “Let all the [redeemed and the lost who need to be redeemed] be gathered together, and let the people be assembled” (Isa. 43:9) this Sunday at our church. Please let our members and all these heirs of this family of faith be assembled and gathered together this Sunday, and “let them hear, and say, ‘It is truth'” (Isa. 43:9).

Lord, please bring them to our church this Sunday. Please do not let them have wrecks on the way to church. Do not let them oversleep. Please do not let them get sick. Please do not let unexpected or expected company drop by and keep them from coming to church. Please do not let an argument with their mate, a former mate, a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a roommate, with one or more of their children, or a hassle at work keep them from being at our church this Sunday. Please do not let them have to work this Sunday or get called into work that they can be saved this Sunday. Please do not let recreation keep them from church this Sunday. Oh, God, in Your omnipotent power, please do not let anything hinder them from being in Your house at _____________ Church this Sunday. I pray, Father, that you will minister grace to them as they are on their way to our church. Father, If they are lost, I pray that You will give them the prompting, courage, and desire to get saved this Sunday, and that they will make it public at Invitation Time. If they do not come to Sunday School this Sunday, please bring them to Sunday School next Sunday. Please give our members a friendly spirit so that they will join our church, our Sunday School, and become active in our Sunday School and in our church.

Dear God, I pray that You will add to Your church weekly here at ______________. Please show us, guide us, and direct us as to how to organize our classes and how to expand our ministry as the North, South, East, and West give up men, women, boys, and girls to Church.

God, I pray that Your Spirit will be released to do what You want to do in our midst in our church. Come Kingdom of God. Be done, will of God in and at our church.

Community/City/County/Country/Continent Concerns

Father, in Jesus name, I give thanks today for the United States of America and its government. As we are a nation founded as “one nation under God,” I pray that we will stay true to the Godly values, principles, and beliefs which have been the foundation of our country. I hold up before You today the men and women who are in positions of authority.

I pray for our President, that he will have Your wisdom in the critical issues he is faced with today and every day. I pray that You will surround our President with Christian men and women who make their hearts attentive to Your wisdom and Your Word. Please give our President courage to stand up for what You have spoken through Your Word, Your Spirit, and Your people.

I pray, Father, for the leaders of our country, our state, our county, our city, and our community—our senators, representatives, Governor, mayor, councilmen, trustees, and other elected and appointed officials—that they will walk in wisdom, that they will be heirs of Your salvation if they are not saved, that they will be led by Your Word, that they will be men and women of prayer, and that they will be kept by Your power.

Father, I pray for revival in our country, in our county, in our city, in our community, and in our church. May 2 Chronicles 7:14 be true for our country, our state, our county, our city, our community, and our church:

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Father, Your precious Word declares, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance” (Ps. 33:12), and “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov. 14:34). I pray that You will continue to bless those who are striving to keep our nation righteous and You as the central focus of our lives.

I pray that Jesus will be Lord over the United States of America. Jesus, whether people accept You and serve You, You are Lord and Savior over the USA. We acknowledge You as Lord and Savior over the USA. We acknowledge You as Lord and Savior of our lives and of our land. God bless America again!
Father, I pray today for the peace of Jerusalem (Ps. 122:6) and for the success of the nation of Israel. You have said that “they shall prosper who love you.” I pray that there will be peace within the walls of Jerusalem and prosperity within her palaces (Ps. 122:7). I pray, Lord, that You will make even her enemies to be at peace with the nation of Israel. I pray for the salvation unto eternal life for the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the citizens of the nation of Israel.

I pray, Lord, for the country (or countries) or continent that You impress upon my heart to pray for and for those in this country or continent who are missionaries and who are seeking to advance Your Kingdom there. I pray that Your presence will go before them this day as they take the Gospel of Christ to those in a foreign land who have never known or accepted the Good News of Jesus. I pray, Lord, that You will protect them and their families by hedging them behind and before, above and beneath, and around on every side. I pray that You will meet every need in their lives—spiritually, physically, emotionally, mentally, financially, and materially. I pray that You will establish them in all their ways and in the work they do for You. I commit these dear brothers and sisters in Christ to You, Lord, entrusting them to Your direction, protection, provision, and care.

Illumination

Father, as I have prayed today for Your divine intervention in my life and in the life of my loved ones, as I have introspected my own life in regards to my commitment and faithfulness to You, and as I have interceded on behalf of my family, others in the Body of Christ, and those whom You have prompted me to pray for, I thank You for the illumination that You have promised me this day.

As the steps of a righteous man are ordered of You, O Lord (Ps. 37:23), I pray for Your illumination regarding all the issues of life which I face this day. As I have been predestined according to the purpose of Him Who works all things after the counsel of His own will, I pray that You will clearly illuminate that good path You have prepared in advance this day for me that I should walk in it (Eph. 1:11; 2:10). I pray for illumination that I will walk circumspectly . . . as wise, redeeming the time . . . understanding what the will of the Lord is (Eph. 5:15-17).

“Now to Him Who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:20-21). Thanks be to You, O God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:57).

This blog is the first chapter of a book I’ve written using the Lord’s Prayer, or Model Prayer, as a guide.  It is based on the six major phrases or themes of  The Model Prayer, but expands beyond each phrase to pray about life situations that coincide with the particular phrase of The Lord’s Prayer.  I used to praise in His presence by saying “My Father Who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name.”  And, I used to pray and  say a few things about how great God is and how I praise Him and thank Him, etc.  But, it only took two or three minutes.  When I learned more in depth about the names used for God in the Bible and the characteristics exemplified by those names, it led to an expanded amount of time just focusing on hallowing the Lord.  The first phrase and last phrase of the Model Prayer deal with praising and thanking the Lord.  With six phrases in the Lord’s prayer and two focused on praise and adoration to God, I feel that at least one third of our prayer time should be our expressing praise and thanksgiving to God and acknowledging Who He is.  This chapter will help you to do accordingly.

CHAPTER ONE

Praising In His Presence

“Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.”

Bless you Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless Your holy name (Ps. 103:1). I adore You, Father, and I want to make known to You my adoration and love this day, as I hallow Your name.

Adoring Him And Hallowing His Name

Father, I want to hallow and adore You this day in obedience to Your Word, which says, “God Who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness” (Isa. 5:16). Your Word also says, “The LORD of hosts, Him you shall hallow; let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread” (Isa. 8:13). Father, You are my sanctuary where I find rest, shelter, support, security, and sustenance. “O LORD, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth” (Isa. 25:1) today just as much as when they were first spoken by You. I hallow Your name and adore You for You are wonderful in counsel and excellent in guidance [sound wisdom]” (Isa. 28:29).

The Lord My Strength/ELOHIM

I hallow and adore Your name, ELOHIM, the Creator of heaven and earth. You are the God of might and strength, Who spoke this world into being. You have made me and crowned me with glory and honor (Ps. 8:5). As ELOHIM, You are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. You have commanded us, “Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you” (Jer. 7:23). Lord God, You have said, “I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me. . . . Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other” (Isa. 45:5,22). So Father, I say as the psalmist said, “I will say of the LORD, ‛He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust’” (Ps. 91:2). Hallowed be Thy name. You are the Lord my strength.

The Lord My Sufficiency/EL-SHADDAI

I hallow and adore Your name, Heavenly Father, the ever-existent, all-knowing One, as EL-SHADDAI, the God Almighty of blessings. You are the One Who nourishes, supplies, and satisfies. You abundantly bless us with all manner of blessings, even setting aside the laws of nature, which You have designed, compelling nature to do what is contrary to itself, if need be, to supply all our needs (Ex. 6:1-8; 7:3). You reveal Yourself by special deeds of power to provide and save to the uttermost, as You are able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think (Heb. 7:25; Eph. 3:20). I hallow Your name as the source of all blessings and fullness and fruitfulness (Gen. 12:1-2; 13:16; 15:5; 17:1-2; 18:14; 28:3; 35:11; 48:3-4; 49:22-25; Isa. 60:15-16; 66:10-13). You are all-bountiful and all-sufficient. The stores of Your bounty are inexhaustible. The riches and fullness of Your grace are completely sufficient and wonderfully satisfying. You impart Your blessings to all who totally trust You and patiently wait upon You. Hallowed be Thy name, the Lord my sufficiency.

The Lord Whom I Serve/ADONAI

I hallow and adore Your name, ADONAI, my Lord and my Master. “O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens! . . . What is man that You are mindful of him, . . . You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet” (Ps. 8:1,4,6). O Lord, all the earth trembles at Your presence (Ps. 114:7) for You are the Lord above all gods (Ps. 135:5).

I acknowledge You as my Lord and my Master, Who is just and compassionate, Who does not ask what cannot be performed, and never requires a task for which You do not equip us (Ex. 4:10-12; Heb. 13:20-21). “Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look [wait upon] to the LORD our God, until He has mercy on us” (Ps. 123:1-2). “Who am I, O Lord GOD? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord GOD; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD? Now what more can I say to You? For You, Lord GOD, know Your servant. For Your word’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them. Therefore You are great, O Lord GOD. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, . . . And who is like Your people,” for whom You “do great and awesome deeds” . . . who are “Your very own people forever” (2 Sam. 7:18-24). Hallowed be Thy name, the Lord Whom I serve.

The Lord My Salvation/JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU

I hallow and adore Your name, JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. I am thankful for the Branch of righteousness that You have raised up for us through Your Son, Jesus (Jer. 23:5). I praise You for providing eternal salvation for Your people as prophesied through Your Word: “In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is His name whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Jer. 23:6).

I am thankful that as none of us was righteous enough (Rom. 3:10) to live without sinning, and that as our iniquities separated us from You, O God, and our sins hid Your face from us so that You would not hear us (Isa. 59:2), You made “Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness” of You, O God, through Jesus (2 Cor. 5:21). “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to” You, Father, “being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit” (1 Peter 3:18) as Jesus “Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Peter 2:24). Hallowed by Thy name, Lord God. You are my salvation.

The Lord My Sanctifier/JEHOVAH-M’KADDESH

I hallow and adore Your name today, JEHOVAH-M’KADDESH, THE LORD WHO SANCTIFIES you [us]. I seek to honor Your command: “Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God. And you shall keep My statutes, and perform them: I am the LORD who sanctifies you” (Lev. 20:7-8).
I am thankful, Father, that You have “set me apart” for Yourself, to be in this world but not of this world, but as Your “workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them, . . . In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him Who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 2:10; 1:11-12).

As the steps of a good man are ordered by You, Lord, and You delight in my way (Ps. 37:23), I want to cleanse myself from those ways and things that displease You and “be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work” (2 Tim. 2:21). Hallowed be Thy name. You are my sanctification.

The Lord My Serenity/JEHOVAH-SHALOM

I hallow and adore Your name today, JEHOVAH-SHALOM, THE LORD OUR PEACE. As you revealed Yourself to Gideon, promising and calling him to lead out in delivering Israel from the oppression of the Midianites, and telling him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die” (Judg. 6:23), as Gideon built an altar to You, Lord, and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace (Judg. 6:24), I acknowledge You as the One Who gives us peace over all our enemies.

I am thankful for the peace with You, God, that I have through Jesus (Rom. 5:1). I am thankful that “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” I trust in You, Lord, forever, for in You, YAHWEH, is “everlasting strength” (Isa. 26:3-4). You are the “Rock of Ages.” How wonderful is “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,” to “keep (y)our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7).

Your peace brings a state of spiritual and inward tranquility where I find myself calm, content, and at rest, even in the midst of trying circumstances, because that peace is grounded in Your presence, power, and promise. Hallowed be Thy name, You are my serenity.

Acknowledging His Presence And Appreciating His Nearness

Father, I hallow Your name today because I know that Your names signify Your presence. I appreciate Your nearness. As You are my RIGHTEOUSNESS, my SANCTIFICATION, and my PEACE, because those characteristics of Your being have become qualities You have made possible in my life, I know that You are always with me.

The Lord Who Is There/JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH

I hallow Your name, JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH, THE LORD WHO IS THERE. I am thankful that I will one day dwell in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21), the dimensions of which You revealed to the prophet, Ezekiel, hundreds of years before John described it in the Book of Revelation. Ezekiel said it would have a new name on that day when You set up Your heavenly Kingdom and dwell in that city: “And the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE” (Ezek. 48:35).

I hallow You, Lord, that You are always with us. You are THE LORD WHO IS HERE. I can be content with such things as I have because You have said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you. . . . I am with you wherever you go” (Heb. 13:5; Josh. 1:5,9). So, I can take comfort and be encouraged and confidently and boldly say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me” (Heb. 13:6).
I exalt You, Lord, for You have filled my life with justice and righteousness. Because I have Your presence in my life, I am thankful that I am able to “have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16). Your “wisdom and knowledge” are “the stability of my times, and the strength of salvation; the fear of You, Lord, is my treasure” (Isa. 33:5-6). Hallowed be Thy name, Your presence is my stability.

The Lord Who Heals/JEHOVAH-ROPHE

I hallow Your name, JEHOVAH-ROPHE, THE LORD WHO HEALS. As You made the bitter waters sweet for the Israelites, after they had traveled three days into the wilderness and found no water (Ex. 15:22-25), I know, Lord, that You will make the bitter experiences of my life sweet, if I obey You.
I acknowledge and accept what You have said in Your Word: “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD WHO HEALS YOU” (Ex. 15:26).

I am thankful, Lord, for the healing of the effect of sin in and upon my life. Because I have been healed by the stripes of Jesus (1 Pet. 2:24), You forgive all my iniquities, heal all my diseases, redeem my life from destruction, and You crown me with lovingkindness and tender mercies, satisfying my mouth with good things so that I am renewed (Ps. 103:3-5).
I am thankful that I can cry out to You, and You will send Your Word and heal me, and deliver me from destruction (Ps. 107:19-20). Because I have made You my refuge, You have promised that no evil shall befall me and my family, and that no plague shall come near our dwelling because You give Your angels charge over us to keep us in all our ways (Ps. 91:9-11).

Father, I acknowledge You as my soundness of mind, body, soul, and spirit. Hallowed be Thy name, You are my soundness.

The Lord Our Provider/JEHOVAH-JIREH

Hallowed be Thy name, JEHOVAH-JIREH, THE LORD OUR PROVIDER. Lord, on that day when Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son, because he feared You and was faithful to You above all else and all others, You provided a ram to sacrifice as a burnt offering instead of his son. As Abraham “called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, ‘In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided'” (Gen. 22:13-14), I know, Lord, that You will provide all my needs and those of my family.
As You are EL-ROI, the God-Who-Sees (Gen. 16:13), I am thankful that You see my needs, for You know the things I have need of before I even ask You (Matt. 6:8).

I am thankful that You will supply all our needs according to Your riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19). I acknowledge that whatever the need may be, there is nothing too great for Thee. And what You provide will be fully sufficient. Hallowed by Thy name, you are my supplier.

The Lord Our Banner/JEHOVAH-NISSI

I hallow Your name today, JEHOVAH-NISSI, THE LORD OUR BANNER. Father, I am thankful that Moses wrote it “for a memorial in the Book” (Ex. 17:14) that on the day when the evil and immoral Amalekites came to fight the Israelites, You declared war against them, and Moses stood on the top of a hill with the rod (Your banner) in his hand, that as long as he held it up, Israel prevailed, and eventually defeated the Amalekites (Ex. 17:8-13). As Moses then “built an altar and called its name, The-LORD-Is-My-Banner” (Ex. 17:15), I am confident, Lord, that you will be as a banner to us in leading us to victory over the immorality and other evils that we face in the world today.

I acknowledge that “You have given a banner to those who fear You, that it may be displayed because of the truth . . . that Your beloved may be delivered” (Ps. 60:4-5). I am thankful that You bring Your people to Your banqueting house, in time, as we face the battles of life, and I thank You that Your banner over me, my family, our home, and my ministry is Your love (Song 2:4).
When You lift up Your banner from afar, and whistle to me from the end of the earth (Isa. 5:26), I resolve to come and allow You to fight through me that Your will might be accomplished on this earth.
I am thankful for the “Root of Jesse” (Jesus), Who stands as a banner to His people, and that we Gentiles were allowed to seek Him, and now have entrance to His glorious resting place (Isa. 11:10), and He has set up a banner on our behalf (v. 12).

I hallow Your name, Lord, that “when the enemy comes in like a flood,” like a flood, “the Spirit will lift up a standard against him” on our behalf (Isa. 59:19). And “so shall they fear the name of the Lord,” Whom we represent, “from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun” (Isa. 59:19).
You are my banner, my standard, and my victory. Thanks be to You, O God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:58).

The Lord Our Shepherd/JEHOVAH-ROHI

I hallow Your name, JEHOVAH-ROHI, THE LORD OUR SHEPHERD. As the psalmist, David, said, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Ps. 23:1), You are my shepherd, and I know that I shall not want for any good or beneficial thing. Neither shall my wife or children want for any good or beneficial thing.
I know, Father, that as we seek to be faithful to You, You will lead us in the paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake, and we need not fear anything because You are with us as Your rod and staff protect us, provide for us, direct us, and comfort us. My cup does run over, and I know that goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of lives because we abide in Your presence.

As our shepherd, I am thankful that You will gather Your lambs with Your arm, and carry us in Your bosom, and gently lead those who are with young (Isa. 40:11). I acknowledge that You will never let us out of Your sight and that You will totally care for us and take care of all our needs (Ezek. 34:11-16).
Thank you, Jesus, that You are the good shepherd, Who knows Your sheep, and Who laid down Your life for the sheep (John 10:14-15). I am thankful that You seek to shepherd all the sheep, and that for those Who heed Your voice, there is “one flock and One shepherd” (John 10:16).

Praise You, God of peace, Who brought up Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, for making us complete in every good work to do Your will, working in us what is well pleasing in Your sight, through Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory forever and ever (Heb. 13:20-21). Hallowed be Thy name. You are my shepherd.

The Lord My Sovereignty/EL-ELYON

I hallow Your name today, EL-ELYON, the Most High God. You, Lord, are the Most High above all the earth; You are exalted far above all others (Ps. 97:9). I acknowledge You, Lord, as the first cause of everything, the Possessor of heaven and earth (Gen. 14:19,22). I lift up my hands to You (Gen. 14:22), as I praise You, Lord. “I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High” (Ps. 9:2).
As You are my God, my Rock, and the Most High God, my Redeemer (Ps. 78:35), I am thankful that I can cry out to You, God Most High, . . Who performs all things for me, and You will send from heaven and save me (Ps. 57:2-3). I know that You will send forth mercy and truth.

In the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge (Ps. 57:1) because “he who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust'” (Ps. 91:1-2). I thank You that You give Your angels charge over us to keep us in all our ways (Ps. 91:9-11).

You, Lord Most High, are awesome. You are the Everlasting God, the Faithful God, the Great God, the Living God, the Merciful God, the Mighty God. You are Truth, Justice, Righteousness, and Perfection. You are the Sovereign God, the great King over all the earth (Ps. 47:2), the Most High over all the earth (Ps. 83:18). You are the Highest Sovereign of the heavens and the earth.

I worship and adore You today by offering thanksgiving to You, O God, and paying my vows to You, Most High (Ps. 50:14). For “it is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night” (Ps. 92:1-2). Hallowed be Thy name. You are my sovereignty.

Acquiring His Nature

Father, I hallow Your name today, and in doing so I desire to acquire Your nature because Your names signify Who You are and what You want to be in our lives.
Father, where there are areas of my life where I am not hallowing Your name as I should, and in essence, I am taking Your name in vain by an action or by the way I am living in an area of my life, please reveal it (them) to me.

God, I want You to take everything out of my life that is not like Jesus. I don’t want there to be anything in my life except that which glorifies and magnifies Christ in me. I pray, Father, that You will shake those things from me that need to be shaken so that those things which are not to be shaken will remain and be dominant and prevalent in my life (Heb. 12:27).

Father, I submit this day to the Lordship of Jesus Christ over my life and to the dominion of the name of Jesus in and over every area of my life. Hallowed be Thy name.

I am going to use for the next several blogs verbatim the content of a short book I have written on prayer.  It is titled, After This Manner Pray, and is based of the Lord’s Prayer.  For this blog, I am sharing the Preface to the book.

Other than John 3:16, the one passage of Scripture that is probably known by more Christians than any other is the model for prayer, which the Lord Jesus Christ gave to us as recorded in Matthew 6:9-13. It is called The Lord’s Prayer, even though some would prefer to call it The Model Prayer. When Jesus said “after this manner therefore pray ye” (Matt. 6:9a), the Lord was providing us with a prayer intended as a guide for praying. His intent was not for us to pray verbatim and recite over and over again the sixty-four words from The King James Version Bible, which has become commonplace.
I have been in various settings, such as civic group and fraternal meetings, a pre-game or post-game athletic team locker room, a school classroom or assembly, even in church worship services, where The Lord’s Prayer was prayed before beginning an event or activity, to end an event or activity, or as part of a worship service. I even have a penny, stretched beyond its normal size, on which The Lord’s Prayer is printed. The sixty-four words or so, which have been recited in prayer countless times since they were first spoken and recorded, certainly stand alone as an example of powerful biblical praying. But, again, Jesus stated before uttering those oft-repeated words that they were a model for how to pray.

In After This Manner Pray, The Lord’s Prayer has been used as a pattern to build upon phrase by phrase. The Lord’s Prayer contains six distinct phrases, which address five different subjects. Those subjects are praise, personal priorities, God’s provision, forgiveness for our sins and those who sin against us, and protection. It is significant that the Lord began the prayer with praise and ended the prayer with praise. Perhaps, we should spend at least a third of our prayer time praising the Lord for Who He is and for His direction, provision, correction, forgiveness, protection, and manifold blessings.

In After This Manner Pray, each phrase of The Lord’s Prayer has been expanded upon and personalized, using other Scripture passages addressing the theme of each phrase, to provide a guide for praying that will increase your personal time in prayer and the scope of your prayer targets and concerns. As you use After This Manner Pray as a personal prayer guide, other prayer concerns will come to your mind beyond those provided in this book, which are personal and applicable for your life. That is when the Lord’s Prayer becomes a model for praying like Jesus prayed and not just a recitation to pray verbatim over and over again, which was not the Lord’s intention when he used those words as an example of how to pray. Although we always have the omnipresence of our Lord with us, the model for prayer that Jesus gave us exhorts us to acknowledge God’s presence when we begin to pray.

So, the emphasis of Chapter One is praising in His presence. Chapter Two keys upon putting first things first in seeking to get in line with God’s will for one’s life. Asking the Lord to provide all your needs and to provide for the needs of others is the prayer topic for Chapter Three. Chapter Four deals with asking God’s forgiveness for your sins, which have been paid in full for the Christian. Praying for the Lord’s protection is the focus of Chapter Five. Chapter Six emphasizes praise again, in praising out His power, as you have spent time with God praying for yourself and for others, according to His Word and His will, with the confidence that you are in tune and in step with what God desires to accomplish (1 John 5:14-15).
It has been said that prayer is not so much to get Heaven to move on earth’s behalf as it is to get earth to move on Heaven’s behalf. Jesus said, “After this manner, pray,” when he recited what we know as The Lord’s Prayer. How powerful that model prayer is when we use it to guide us in prayer. We will be doing our part to “get earth to move on Heaven’s behalf” because we have gotten ourselves in tune and in step with the spiritual waveband and frequency of Heaven.

WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO  DO ON A SUNDAY?

My longtime friend, Dr. Phil Glisson, is in revival this week at the church I pastor, Fellowship Baptist Church in Hernando, Mississippi (www.fellowshipbaptisthernando.org).  We will have the revival messages of Dr. Glisson available for listening to on our web site.  But, for the next  blog or two, I want to share some revival reflections from Phil Glisson’s revival messages when he preached a revival in August 1995 at Cherokee Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, when I was pastor there.  For the first revival sermon, which was on a Sunday morning, Bro. Phil preached on Going To Church.  In sharing about why and how we ought to approach going to church, he shared several excuses that people use for not going to church. Twelve of those excuses were included in an illustration that Bro. Phil told about a preacher who got tired of going to ballgames:

There was a pastor in a town who was expected by everybody to go to all the ballgames.  He was getting tired of going to so many ballgames, so he got to the point that he just did not want to go to any more ballgames.  He knew, though, that he had to come up with some good reasons for not attending ballgames.  He came up with twelve reasons why he was going to stop going to ballgames.

1) Every time he went, they asked him for money.

2) The people with whom he sat did not seem too friendly.

3) The seats were too hard and not comfortable.

4) The coach never came to see him.

5) The referees were always making decisions that he did not agree with.

6) He had to sit by hypocrites when he went to ballgames.  Some people were there for reasons other than to watch the game.

7) A lot of games went into overtime, and he was late getting home.

8) The band played music that he did not like.

9) A lot of games were scheduled when he had other things that he wanted to do.

10) His parents took him to too many ballgames when he was growing up.

11) He had read some books on sports, and he felt like he knew just as much about the game as the coaches.

12) He did not want to take his own children to ballgames because he wanted them to grow up and decide for themselves which sport they liked the best.

Now we have heard all those excuses, but not applied to going to ballgames. Do you see how silly they sound when we use them for not going to ballgames?  They sound just as ridiculous when we use them for not going to the House of God.

Dr. Glisson shared a story this past Sunday evening in the revival service at Fellowship that a mother had taken her young son to a clothing store to buy him some nice clothes.  When he tried on an outfit that he and his mother liked, he said “This will look nice wearing to church.”  The salesman helping them out said, “So, you go to church on Sundays?”  And the little boy replied, “What else is there to do on Sunday?”  Well, that ought to get an “Amen,” an “Oh, me,” or “Ouch!”  Why?  Because in our day anything and everything keeps people from worshiping on the Lord’s Day at a church.  Those ballgames that the pastor Bro. Phil shared about, who didn’t want to attend any more ballgames, are keeping families by the droves away from church.  Parents are teaching their children by what they do on the Lord’s Day other than attend church that those things are more important than leading their children to develop a personal relationship with the Lord and maintaining it through being discipled in the faith through a local church.

Oh, me, I am about to start preaching!  I will address this issue more in a later blog.  It’s time to get the church back to what it ought to be from what it has become to many–at the bottom of the list or near the bottom of the list of priorities.

Looking ahead with great anticipation to what the Lord has in store,

Dr. Bobby Mullins

MY TESTIMONY
(My Salvation Story which I shared in a worship service at what was then Southern Avenue Baptist Church, in Memphis, Tennessee, since relocated and renamed Ridgeway Baptist Church, during my Junior year, maybe my Senior Year, of high school.)