Samuel Chadwick said, "The one concern of the Devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears no prayerless study, no prayerless work and no prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles at our prayers."

Daniel had rather spend one night with the lions than miss a day of prayer.

Notice what Jesus did about prayer before we consider what He said about prayer. He arose early in the morning to pray. He prayed in a solitary place. He prayed alone. He prayed with His disciples. He prayed in the garden as well as in the wilderness. He prayed on the cross.

Even thou he was the living God in flesh, prayer was a vital part of His life.

Luke 11: 1 "Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."

The Pharisees and Sadducees prayed so that everyone could hear their petitions. Their prayers had degenerated into meaningless, hypocritical babbling. Most of their prayers were ritualistic in nature. But this was not the pattern of Jesus.

Jesus’ pattern of prayer is personalized framework within which the believer can experience the friendship of God. Prayer for Jesus was a result and reward of a relationship with His father.

Sincere prayer never seeks to make an impression. If being seen and heard is our goal, then that alone is your reward.

Sincerity is displayed in secrecy – verse 6. The Pharisees wanted the attention of those around them. They wanted people to observe their religious grandeur. They feared the secret place with God. There they would be stripped and shown for who they really were.

There is no teaching against public praying (again Jesus did it in the garden and when others heard him resulting in the request of Luke 11:1). But the emphasis of all praying is that it be sincere, and without secrecy there will eventually not be sincerity.

This is not the Lord’s prayer. That is found in John 17. This is the model prayer. Look at its pattern.

"Our Father" speaks of a personal, intimate relationship we have with God because of Jesus.

"Hallowed be thy name." recognizes and honors God as holy and righteous. The holiness of God allows no room for pride or self sufficiency.

While God is near, he is still very far. He is our friend, but he’s to be feared. He is our father, but different than us.

Hallowed – he is first.

Learn to praise God for His attributes, His character, His works, His person. Use a hymnal - learn to be quiet to adore Him and love Him.

"Thy kingdom come" is acknowledging God’s kingdom in heaven and on earth and chooses to submit to the rule of God. We have the rule of God in our hearts. We submit to God.

E. Stanley Jones says, "Prayer is surrender – surrender to the will of God and cooperation with that will. If I throw out a boathook from the boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore? Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to the will of God."

Jesus did this in the garden when He prayed, "No my will, but thine be done."

"Give us this day our daily bread." God is the source of all we need. When we pray, we are asking for our needs to be met by the One who knows every one of them.

He is the source and our provider.

Praying for things more than once is not a lack of faith, because Paul prayed three times for the thorn to be removed.

"Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors." This acknowledges we are a sinner and need the forgiveness of God. For this, we go to God.

We commit sins against God, sins of the temperament, attitude, thought, sins of neglect, sins of wrong motivation. These we take to God alone.

We commit sins against others. We ask God to forgive us and then ask them.

But this also carries the relationship we have with others. We can’t have an unforgiving spirit in our heart and expect God to forgive us. If we refuse to release another person from a wrong they have committed against us, then you have not really received and understood the forgiveness of God and you won’t be released from your sins.

This must have been important enough for him to mention it again in verses 14-15.

One of the primary ways I know I have been forgiven by God is when I forgive you. If I don’t forgive you, then you have all the right to question if I have really been forgiven by God.

"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil." This is a prayer of protection.

He asks the Father to protect us, place a hedge of protection around us, and keeps us sensitive to His will so we will not yield to sin. God cannot tempt us, but He certainly can keep us from the evil one’s snare.

"For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen." This is the doxology of the Lord’s prayer. All glory and all power belongs to God. Prayer is God-centered, not man centered.

Let me close with this simple fact: the main purpose of prayer is relationshjp with the Father. There we know Him, know His heart, and wish to become like Him. One with Him. I positionally became one with Roxanne when we got married, but I am still in the process of becoming one with her and it is through our time together.

"That I may know Him." Philippians 3:10

Leonard Ravenhill said, "To be much for God, we must be much with God."