Jesus, we seek God’s word regarding prayer. When asked by Your apostles, youtaught the what we call “the Lord’s Prayer” Amen a billion times billion to this prayer.
“If you have hope this will make you cheerful. Do not give up if trials come; and keep on praying.” [Romans 12:12]
“We are quite confident that if we ask Him for anything, and it is in accordance with His will, He will hear us; and knowing that whatever we ask, He hears us, we know that we have already been granted what we asked of Him.” [John 5:14-15]
“If any one of you is in trouble, he should pray; if anyone is feeling happy, he should sing a psalm.” [James 5:13] “Pray constantly; and for all things give thanks to God.” [Thessalonians 4:18] “Grant, Lord, the prayer of Your servants…so that all the earth’s inhabitants may acknowledge that You are the Lord, the everlasting God.” [Ecclesiasticus 36:16-17]
Jesus, hear our prayers, for You promise, “Ask and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches, always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. Is there a man among you who would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or hand him a snake when he asks for a fish? … How much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” [Matthew 7:7-11] “Your Father knows what you need even before you ask Him.” [Matthew 6:9]
Jesus please purity of intention, and forgiveness towards others and ourselves, for You command, “When you stand in prayer, forgive whatever you have against anybody, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your failings too.” [Mark 11:25]
Jesus, You urge us to pray humbly, without ostentation, “Go into your private room and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.”
Jesus, You also desire community prayer, in addition to private prayer, for You say, “if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted by my Father in heaven. For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.” [Matthew 18:19-20]
“There is no need to worry; but if there is anything you need, pray for it, asking God for it with prayer and thanksgiving, and that peace of God, which is so much greater than we can understand, will guard your hearts and your thoughts, in Christ Jesus.” [Philippians 4:6-7] “Everything will soon come to an end, so, to pray better, keep a calm and sober mind.” [1Peter 4:7] “To You, a thousand years are a single day, a yesterday now over, an hour of the night.” [Psalm 90:4]
Jesus, Paul pledges that the “Spirit…comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit Himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words, and God who knows everything in our hearts knows perfectly well what He means, and that the pleas of the saints expressed by the Spirit are according to the mind of God.” [Romans 8:26, 27]
Jesus, please hear our prayers
“All the works of the Lord are good
and He will supply every want in due time.
You must not say, ‘This is worse than that’,
For everything will prove its value in due time.
So now, sing with all your heart and voice
And bless the name of the Lord.” [Ecclesiasticus 39:12-35]
“Gladness of heart gives life…console your heart, chase sorrow far away: for sorrow has been the ruin of many…and worry brings premature old age.” [Ecclesiasticus 30 22-24]
