Jesus is the best teacher on prayer. After all He spent much of His time praying and He is the Son of God. I have taken His prayer outline in the book of Matthew and have used it for years as my guide when I pray.
The good thing about this guide is that all you need is some pieces of paper (ideally a notebook) and your Bible and you are good to go.
Matthew 6:9a
“This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven,
I spend a few minutes acknowledging God as my Father and that He has ultimate ownership over me.
Just like the father that I am He watches over me and cares for me. This truth is so easy to take for granted.
It is so simple yet so profound. Jesus knew what He was talking about. I can’t imagine starting my day not thinking about it.
As I pray with this in mind, I have written a prayer declaration about this truth out of the book of 2Corinthians 1:21-22 – I then read this prayer out loud in agreement with God’s Word about this truth.
“Now it is You Father who makes me stand firm in Christ. You have anointed me and set your seal of ownership on me, and put Your Spirit in my heart as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
Father, You are the source of my identity.
I then make a second declaration:
2Corinthians 1:3-4
Praise be to You O God and Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
who comforts me in all my troubles, so that I can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort I have received from You.
After declaring God’s Fatherhood over me I begin to praise Him for who He is and what He has done.
Matthew 6:9b
hallowed be your name,
Prayer/declaration:
Psalms 100:1-5
I shout for joy to YOU O LORD, in all the earth.
I worship YOU LORD with gladness; and come before YOU with joyful songs.
I know that YOU O LORD are God. It is YOU who made me, and I am Yours; a part of Your people, the sheep of Your pasture.
I enter Your gates with thanksgiving and Your courts with praise; I give thanks to You and praise Your holy name.
For You O LORD are good and Your love endures forever; Your faithfulness continues through all generations.
I then take a moment to acknowledge the attributes of God in my life:
i.e. Counselor, Peace, Righteousness, Healer Wisdom, Comforter, Shield, Refiner, Savior, Lord, Master, Provider, Redeemer, the one who loves me.
After praise I present my day to God and ask Him to let His kingdom come and His will be done on this particular day.
Matthew 6:10
your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
“Lord bless this day in every way…..Lord, take charge of my day.”
Align my attitude, thoughts, plans and my mouth with Your will:
Proverbs 18:21
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Have Your way and Your will in my life today.
Prayer/declaration:
Psalms 19:14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Jesus then said:
Matthew 6:11
Give us today our daily bread.
This is the time I ask God for all my needs.
Prayer/declaration:
2Corinthians 9:8-11
Father You are able to make all grace abound to me, so that in all
things at all times, having all that I need, I will abound in every
good work.
As it is written: “You have scattered abroad Your gifts to the poor; Your righteousness endures forever.”
Now You, O, Father who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food
will also supply and increase my store of seed and will enlarge the
harvest of my righteousness.
I will be made rich in every way so that I can be generous on every
occasion, and through my generosity many will thank You O God.
Based on Jesus’ outline I then take the time to ask God to forgive me and show me areas in my life where I have sinned against Him.
Often I would ask Him to show me blind spots in my life.
Matthew 6:12a
Forgive us our debts,
Father forgive me of my sins against You and others.
Ask Him: “Show me my sins Lord.”
This part of my prayer time is so vital in that it draws me deeper and closer to God.
It brings to light the fundamental difference between conviction and condemnation.
Conviction draws one closer to God as He repents and allows God to transform Him. Condemnation makes one run away from God, because he insists on His own way and desires.
Jesus then said:
Matthew 6:12b
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Help me to forgive those who have wronged me.
Take away any form of bitterness within me.
Father don’t let me hold any animosity against anyone –
Finally I end my prayer with these words:
Matthew 6:13
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’
This is the time I offer my body to God as a living sacrifice.
That I would live this day honoring Him with the body He has given me.
Romans 12:1-2
Father in view of Your mercy toward me I offer my
bodies as living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to You — this is my
spiritual act of worship. I will not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but will be
transformed by the renewing of my mind. Then I expect that I will be able to test
and approve what what Your will is — Your good, pleasing and perfect will.
My morning prayers are designed to seek God simply for who he is in y life. Over the years I have combined my seeking prayers with my intercessory (prayers for other people) prayers. I have found that separating these 2 types of prayers have worked best for me.
I do intercessory prayers at night.
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