Let's Pray About ItNäide

Ordered Steps

Once you’ve started your day off with God, your steps are ordered by the Lord (Psalm 37:23). That means He will guide you and establish the path He has intended for you. This shows that you trust and know the Father will support you and provide direction for your life. This same verse goes on to say that when you delight in His way, He cares about every detail of your life.

It’s not the quantity of prayer, but the quality that the Father desires. Quality prayer comes from the heart, expressing deep love, need, and desire. Whether you pray for an hour or just a few minutes, what the Father desires is truth in your requests and praise. You may have a lot in your heart that you want to share with your Father, or you may have a simple prayer of “Help!” Psalm 42:7 (NKJV) says, “Deep calls unto deep”. This is the deep cry of the heart, the depths of human experience, that is met by connecting with God’s deep divine presence.

Prayer is how we express our thankfulness and adoration to the Father, as well as communicate our own needs and desires and those of others. In John chapter 17, the actual Lord’s Prayer, Jesus prays aloud in a manner consistent with His outline given in Matthew 6, the Model Prayer. Jesus’ prayer begins by addressing God as ‘Father’ (John 17:1, Matthew 6:9). Then, Jesus praises his Father by glorifying Him. Next, Jesus prays for Himself first (John 17:1-5), showing that it’s acceptable to pray for oneself.

In John 17, Jesus models the importance of praying for yourself first. Don’t feel guilt, shame, selfishness, or condemnation for doing this; Romans 8:1 reminds us there’s no condemnation. In praying for yourself first, you’re saying, “Father, meet my needs so I’m better equipped to help others in need and bless them.” A modern analogy is the airplane safety announcement: put your own mask on first before assisting others.

Once you’ve expressed your needs and desires to the Father, then declare that the needs of others are met including their salvation (John 17:6-8, Matthew 6:10). Declare and believe by faith (James 1:6) that you have what you’ve asked for (Mark 11:24). Jesus continues to pray and declare that the same provision, power, protection, and unity that He has with the Father would be given to the disciples (John 17:9-12, Matthew 6:11). Then Jesus continues, to declare for all of us who would come to believe in Him for protection and unity (John 17:15-21, Matthew 6:13).

Reflection:

Embrace the wisdom of John chapter 17 and follow the outline Jesus gives in Matthew 6:9-13. You will not only bring order to your prayer life, but a transformation of your day. Following Jesus’ outline and praying aloud also helps eliminate distractions, allowing you to focus entirely on God.