What Jesus says about prayer

now can we turn together in our bibles to the book of matthew matthew chapter 6

Matthew 6 · chapter mention

and we'll read from verse 5 to verse 13 and hear what jesus says about prayer here

and when you pray do not be like the hypocrites for they love to pray standing in the synagogues

and on the street corners to be seen by others truly i tell you they have received their reward

in full but when you pray go into your room close the door and pray to your father who is unseen

then your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you now when you pray do not keep on

babbling like pagans for they think they will be heard because of their many words do not be like

them for your father knows what you need before you ask him this then is how you should pray our

father in heaven hallowed be your name your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven

give us today our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors

and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one amen

it is fair to say that most people at some point in their lives will pray even if that is

somewhat vague and it's kind of a new age spirituality kind of thing most people will still at certain

points in life praying um and what jesus does for us is he reveals to us the difference between sort of a

vague spirituality that's sort of not sure what a person is connecting with and jesus shows how different

that is from the christian way of prayer because the new reality that jesus brings is that when he came

he always prayed to his father and he invites his followers after him to pray calling god our father so he's

inviting us into a relationship through prayer which is personal which is living which is direct this is a whole

other level of connection than anything sort of vague and impersonal

to read the gospels we discovered that the way jesus prayed often shocked the people around him it shocked

the pharisees who thought he was so presumptuous to dare to call god father

this kind of praying christian praying often shocks people of other faiths as well

and not used to this familiar kind of language it makes me think of one biography of a muslim convert

with the title i dared to call him father so the radical change of coming to be a follower of jesus

j.i packer a significant theologian from the last century says what we think about the fatherhood of god

it reveals much about our grasp of christianity how we understand god as father it will shape

our worship and our prayer and our way of life so our focus today and there's so much that we could say

about prayer so much we could say about how to pray our focus today is just to to bed ourselves into

this privilege and that we are invited by faith in jesus to pray to our father

that that our goal today would be to remind those of us who are christians simply of the joy and the

privilege that we have in being known by god as father in being able to call him father so that we

would enjoy our prayer life because we're enjoying our life with god and so the flip side of that if if

you're here today and you're not a christian um that you would see the beauty of the invitation of

christianity not to to know some impersonal a disconnected deity but to know god in a living

personal way as father how to pray but we're going to begin actually part part one today we're going to

think about how not to pray because that's how jesus begins in verses five to eight if you have your

bibles perhaps you can look at that section there when you pray jesus says do not be like the

hypocrites when you pray do not keep on babbling like pagans notice that jesus assumes that people

pray and we see this in our culture we see it when when a crisis comes or a tragedy comes

even if people are not of faith we will see a praying emojis and people talking about prayer

but jesus assumes yes people will pray but also that people may often go wrong in prayer

because we either miss or forget the character of god if we forget god is father if we don't know god

as father then then there'll be something lacking in our prayers and jesus points out two different ways

there's the way of the the hypocrite or the pharisee and jesus makes the point

to those who are listening don't try to use god so the pharisees did so so the example that that jesus

gives here is of a person who is doing their private prayer in public now let me find the busiest place

of the city the synagogue or or the meeting point of two streets and let me pray privately but publicly

why jesus says because what they're looking for is not to connect with god but to gain reputation and

standing in other words their religion is a means to an end their audience is people and not the living

god so jesus identifies this problem that we can easily use prayer as a means to an end jesus says

there's no reward in that well some people in this case might give them a well done for being very

religious but they wouldn't know god any better they wouldn't have enjoyed time with him what does

jesus say when you pray pray in secret then your father who sees what's done in secret will reward you

why does he talk about praying in secret praying before the audience of one when we pray in secret when we

want to spend time alone with god we have this wonderful promise that jesus meets his children there

the reward of making time alone with god the reward is that we get more of god it doesn't enhance our

reputation or standing we're not doing it simply to get stuff we want to know god better there's reward

in that and so there's a reminder for us at the beginning that we must meet god in secret we must meet god

personally perhaps if we've been brought up in a christian family or we're used to going to church we can

we can almost sort of gain our our prayer by by extension but god wants it to be personal and living for each one of us

in a sense there is a such a difference in jesus and the bible will say there's a difference between

knowing about god and pharisees and the hypocrites knew plenty about god and knowing god in a living way in a

direct way perhaps it reminds us to to be careful about the way that we pray the balance of our prayers you know it could be easy i

suspect for us to think about god as the sort of cosmic vending machine you know i i bring my prayer i put it in the

slot and i expect god to deliver

god is personal god is living and we pray to enjoy him

as father

so we don't pray like the hypocrites we also don't pray like the pagans what did the pagans do they kept on babbling and why did they do that

they're trying to force god

to conform to their plans and purposes so so the pagan thinking about god was

the gods there many got the gods must be persuaded

so so there needed to be cared about the volume of prayer the length of prayer the type of words that we use the location that a person pray the sacrifices that were brought

and perhaps the best place in the bible to see this is in the old testament story of elijah and the prophets of baal

elijah sets up the test for the sake of israel

let's let's build two altars two sacrifices and the god who answers by fire is the one true god and what do we see from the prophets of baal we see them

shouting and screaming and dancing and cutting themselves with knives all trying to get the attention of their god

and then elijah comes and prays personally

directly and god answers because god alone

is living

but the pagan way of thinking and perhaps

in our own hearts we recognize this some of us maybe because of our background or our circumstances

our natural thought

about god is that his instinct is to be in the first place

against us

and what i need to do is

earn god's attention

earn god's favor

and sometimes that means prayer can be used in a way to try and twist god's arm because we presume he is naturally not

for us

what does jesus say

he says don't be like them

just stop

stop and remember

we pray to a father

verse 8

do not be like them for your father knows what you need

before you ask him

he is father he loves us

he is father he welcomes us

he's the perfect father

he already knows what we need

and if you've got your bible

and you turn over to chapter 7

he gives that wonderful picture

which of you if your son asks for bread will give him a stone

hopefully nobody

or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake

again no one would do that

and then jesus says

if you then though you are evil

know how to give good gifts to your children

how much more

how much more

will your father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him

we come to a god who is generous

who is gracious

who is for his children

so we don't need to be like the pagans

we don't need fancy language

we don't need repeating phrases

and we don't need a mindset that says

i need to prove myself

to earn god's attention

our father in heaven is not like

a busy politician

or a busy work manager

where we need to

harass him with constant calls

and emails

to persuade him

that we could get

a minute of his time

actually our father is much more like

those zoom calls

that you've maybe been on

i was on one this week

and it made me think of this

maybe a work call

lots of responsible

responsible people in the room

and especially this happened a lot

during lockdown i think

you'd be in the middle of a meeting

important things being discussed

and maybe there's a dad on the call

and all of a sudden

the screen goes blank

and the next second

he's back

and he's got a kid on his knee

and there's another kid in the background

and coming in

and getting attention

and that's what our father is like

he's not too busy for us

where we do not distract him

he wants to know us

he wants us to spend time with him

and to trust his character

to know that we're free

to burst into the room

to approach with confidence

so we don't pray to force god

and also we don't pray

to try and impress god

when we know the gospel

we know that

jesus in his perfect obedience

in his sacrificing himself

for the sins of his people

has impressed god

and has earned favor for us

earned the grace of god

for us

so we pray trusting the gospel

and we pray trusting our good father

so just before we move to the lord's prayer

how do you today

view your life with god

perhaps you have read

some of those heartbreaking stories

that gets reported in the news

or perhaps in biographies

of children who are adopted

by a loving stable family

but they never managed to adapt

to that new surrounding

perhaps they never had a mum and dad

and so they continue to act like orphans

the lying continues

manipulating continues

perhaps hoarding food continues

love is there

in the house

but

but some

for a whole number of sad reasons

just can't receive it

perhaps thinking

I'm not worthy of this love

perhaps instinctively distrustful

of

another

would that describe our life with god

remember that trusting in jesus

trusting his death on the cross

to pay the price for our sin

changes our relationship

god is no longer our judge

he becomes our father

and the way is open through jesus

to know and enjoy

life with our father in heaven

to pray to him

to walk with him

that love is ours

and fellowship is ours

and security is ours

and peace is found

in our father

so it's an invitation for us to hear

jesus words

not to live as spiritual orphans

not to live at a distance from god

but to enjoy the privilege of being adopted

by our father in heaven

and pray to him as father

so if the first part of jesus teaching

is about how not to pray

he turns in verse 9 to 13

to teach us

how to pray

so from verse 9

to verse 13

whenever we're

learning anything

a new skill

it will typically be the case

that we are taught

certain key concepts

foundations are laid

upon which we then build

you need to learn the piano

well you probably get scales

coming fairly early

you need to learn a new language

you will get taught

the rules of grammar

and so on

and what jesus is doing

in the lord's prayer

is he's giving us a model

here is a pattern

here is a set of concepts

that we can pray

and use

and build on

to give shape

to our prayer lives

so yes we can use them

as they are

but also we can take the ideas

and we can expand them

and we can begin

to pray them

personally

and that's actually

what we're going to do

in our community groups

on Wednesday

to think about

how we can take

the lord's prayer

as a pattern

and to allow personal prayer

to flow from that

but just before we get

into the details

a few things to say

first of all

that the lord's prayer

gives the priority

of jesus

for us

for prayer

in the sense

that what comes first

is the glory of god

and the kingdom of god

probably runs counter

to the natural instincts

of our hearts

especially if we're

our tendency is to pray

when we need something

we want to rush straight

to you know

give us today

our bonhoeffer said

if we were left to ourselves

we'd always pray

give us today

our daily bread

probably not much else

now jesus reminds us

to begin focusing

on the glory of god

and pursuing the kingdom of god

and this prayer also

is really helpful

for setting balance for us

it's a really short

model prayer

but what it takes in

is wonderful

it takes in praise

and worship

it takes in kingdom

and mission

it takes in the needs

of ourselves

and the needs

of others

it brings us

to forgiveness

and our need

of god's grace

it reminds us

of the reality

of spiritual warfare

and the need

to resist temptation

and find help

in temptation

and notice too

and just to remind ourselves

the our and the us

language

that when jesus

wants us to pray

he wants us to pray

not just for ourselves

and when we're praying

for ourselves

to also be praying

for others

when something

in god's word

hits our hearts

that's food for our souls

but we can also pray

that that same truth

would be reality

for others as well

so prayer sets priority

and it sets balance

but again

just to remind ourselves

that when jesus

teaches us to pray

he reminds us

prayer is personal

because we pray

to our father

just to keep us

on this key truth

that who we pray to

makes all the difference

while having

sort of

set some introductions

let's look at this

prayer

it breaks down

into two sections

verses 9 and 10

we can think about

jesus teaching us

to worship

our father

our father

in heaven

hallowed

be your name

so the first concept

is worship

but remember

those first words

are about intimacy

and about access

and access

and intimacy

that we share

if we are children

of god

then we pray

to god

who is our shared

father

creates a sense

of unity

and fellowship

within a church

he sets the tone

we pray to our father

and that reality

we're praying to our father

should follow through

the whole

of the prayer

and we pray to our father

who is

in heaven

our father

is on the throne

of the universe

he is great

he is above us

and he is our father

and he is for us

and he is

personal

and we have access

so there is cause

to praise god

from the very beginning

and there is also cause

for confidence

as we pray

because he is for us

and not against us

the word hallowed

is not a word

that we hear

apart from in the lord's prayer

most likely

we can think of the idea

of jesus teaching us

to pray

that we would see god

as greater than

anyone

and anything else

see god

as more worthy

of praise

and honor

and obedience

and sacrifice

than anyone

or anything else

and that we would glorify god

as holy

and unique

and so far

above us

perfect

in all his

ways

it's really significant

isn't it

that

where does jesus begin

he begins with a focus

on the glory

of god

that the father

is on the throne

and not us

and it's a wonderful truth

for being able

to settle our hearts

for allowing us

to be able

to rest

and trust

if we know our god

and our god's in heaven

and god's on the throne

and this pattern

for prayer

just to remind ourselves

that it's not just

for prayer

it's also the ideal

pattern for life

jesus is

teaching us

that at the beginning

there's nothing greater

than knowing god

as father

than glorifying god

in our lives

enjoying him

as father

do we have that

is that our reality

that we can worship god

as father

well moving from there

verse 10

the second concept

the second building block

for prayer

is about kingdom

jesus teaches

your kingdom come

your will be done

on earth

as it is

in heaven

i think important

for us to recognize

that to pray

this prayer

is to

submit

to god's kingship

and to god's rule

rather than

insisting on

ours

this isn't

asking god

to build

my little empire

this is asking

our hearts

to be turned

that we would seek

the father's kingdom

and that naturally

flows

doesn't it

from loving god

as father

if we love him

as father

then we're going

to seek his honor

we're going to want

to obey him

we're going to be glad

to live under his rule

because we understand

that he is good

and his ways are good

and jesus is teaching us

don't pray my will

be done

but pray

your will

be done

maybe that sounds

familiar to us

we hear jesus

pray that

in the garden

of gethsemane

as he agonizes

facing the prospect

of becoming

the sin bearer

of the world

going under

the curse

going under

the wrath

of god

taking the sins

of his people

and the punishment

that we deserve

and jesus prays

if there's any other way

but not my will

but yours

be done

and so jesus teaches

his followers

to understand

that the plans

of heaven

are better

than our plans

the will

of heaven

is better

than our will

again it struck me

this week

thinking about this prayer

you know sometimes

if we're familiar

with it

we just kind of

breeze on through it

but when he prays

your will be done

he could have said

your will be done

on earth

that's a valid prayer

but your will be done

on earth

as it is in heaven

think about heaven

for a moment

what's life like

in heaven

well from the little

glimpses we get

into the bible

we can at least say

heaven is a place

of perfect joyful worship

it's a place

of absolute obedience

it's a place

of perfect love

and so as we pray this

we're praying

that the pattern

of jesus

and the pattern

of heaven

would be ours

on earth

in my life

in my family

in my church

putting the worship

of god

the obedience

to god

letting the love

of god

shape our

day to day

and maybe some

ideas for praying

this way

that we would pray

that we would submit

humbly

to the father's

purposes and plans

sometimes his plans

feel good to us

other times

they're really hard

that we'd be ready

to submit

and trust in his father

that we'd pray

and seek more

loyalty

and obedience

to our father

not just in the parts

that are convenient

for us

but the parts

where it hurts

and it's going to

cost us

to pray this prayer

also

is to commit

ourselves to

seeking the spread

of the gospel

your kingdom come

is why we've got

mission sunday

next week

to remind ourselves

and to commit

ourselves to

work for global

and local

mission

to pray for

our mission

that more people

men women

boys and girls

would know

god as father

through trusting

jesus his son

to pray your will

be done

is also going to

mean work for us

committing ourselves

to search god's

words

to know our

father's will

we need to know

our bibles

because here is

where the revealed

will of god

is found

last week we

thought about the

priority of the

bible in the

christian life

ties up with our

our prayer lives

we we read our

bibles and

perhaps some things

we're comforted

sometimes we're

challenged we we

talk to god about

that and then we

seek to obey

the first half of

the prayer

and jesus reminds us

we pray to worship

our father

and that's good for

us it's good to

remember i'm not

king

and it's good to

have confidence i

pray to this father

this father

and so that's the

first part of the

prayer worship your

father then he moves

in verse 11 to 13

to ask your father

so there's three

things that we are

invited to to

consider here first

provision verse 11

give us today our

daily bread and

remember we pray to

our father a father

who knows and a

father who is

generous

perhaps for the

the jewish people

listening as jesus

first taught this

they'd be thinking

back to the old

testament thinking

back to the

exodus thinking

back to them being

in the wilderness

and god providing

manna from heaven

every day daily the

people of god had to

trust god to provide

for us to pray this

prayer

because of the times

that we live in i

think in part is is

asking god to to

teach us and to

show us that we are

needy we have real

deep needs

because i think one

of the challenges of

this for for us

like for lots of

people in the world

they have to pray for

their daily bread

because because

there's there's

starvation and

there's drought and

there's there's

famine but for us

with supermarkets

and full fridges and

cupboards it's it's

harder we can feel

comfortable we've got

many resources and

so we need to think

deeply when it says

give us today our

daily bread what

are we asking and

we're asking for

those things that

we need in order

to do the will of

god and that's

going to involve

more than just

food it includes

food but it

involves more

but it's good for

us to stop and

remind ourselves

that my physical

life my health

my being alive

is a gift of god

he needs to

sustain me second

by second

we're that dependent

on our god

for our moral

choices

for living to the

glory of god

we need god to

help us moment

by moment

otherwise we will

not do the

father's will

it is good for us

to pray this and

and to remind

ourselves

do you know

if i'm going to

please god

then i need god's

help in my

family in those

relationships to

have patience and

wisdom

in my workplace

i need god to

know how to

work hard and

work well and

to please him

because sometimes

there's complexities

jesus reminds us

to pray to god

for the things we

need

perhaps to help

us pray this

one thing that

certainly i find

helpful you might

find helpful is

is at the beginning

of each day

just think about

what's going on

in that day

any meetings

you have

any conversations

you expect

any activities

commit them to

god

before you're

about to go

to your

classroom

pray for

that time

to live

understanding that

god is present

with us and

that he asks us

to ask him

for help

because this is

much more than

food

our needs are

so many we

need the wisdom

of god

to navigate

life well

and we need

patience

we need

compassion

we need

energy

in january

especially we

need energy

and motivation

to to live

to please god

to serve

others well

so we pray

for provision

give us today

our daily bread

and then in

verse 12

jesus reminds us

how important

forgiveness is

to the christian

life and to

our prayer

life

forgive us

our debts

as we also

have forgiven

our debtors

remember when we

pray this prayer

we are praying

to a father

who has poured

out his wrath

on his son

jesus

that jesus

was condemned

so that we

might never

know

condemnation

and so as

we we

pray we

remember that

by grace

we are

welcomed

by our

father

but this

prayer so

helpfully

keeps in

view for

us the

grace

of

forgiveness

forgiveness

that our

sins

they are

many

but his

mercy is

more

we see

that the

cross

is good

for us

to reflect

for day

to day

life

my

massive

debt

to god

has been

cancelled

by god's

grace

didn't

deserve

that

forgiveness

received

it by

grace

so that

our hearts

would be

soft

that we

would pay

that forgiveness

forward to

others

compared to

the offenses

we commit

against the

holy god

the offenses

of others

are small

if we find

ourselves

struggling to

forgive and

sometimes in

relationships

there's

there's

breakdown

and there's

a real

struggle and

we can find

ourselves

fighting and

battling or

perhaps giving

someone the

cold shoulder

that's the

time when we

need to

preach the

gospel to

ourselves

father you

have forgiven

me

an unworthy

sinner

father you

move towards

me in love

in the

sending of

jesus

help me move

towards the

other person

help me to

show grace

and forgiveness

to that other

person

jesus in this

prayer also is

reminding the

church of

the reality of

ongoing sin

this is

something to

pray regularly

daily forgive

us our

debts

people used to

speak about

keeping short

accounts with

god when we

are conscious

aware of

sinning against

god what

should we do

not not run

away from

god not try

and minimize

it or justify

it or try and

blame someone

else but

rather knowing

in the gospel

we've been freely

forgiven we

confess it we

bring our

sins into

the light so

we are forgiven

so those

barriers that

can stop us

knowing god's

smile and

experiencing god's

presence will be

removed

and then the

last concept

is in verse

13 rather

lead us not into

temptation but

deliver us from

the evil one

here's another

building block for

our prayer lives

to pray for

god's protection

and again who

are we praying

to we're praying

to our father

so we're asking

our father to

help us and to

give us strength

just as children

in weakness or

struggling doing

something that's

hard if their

parents are around

will ask for

help

what's the reality

that this prayer

this part of the

prayer is pointing

to is pointing

to the fact that

that christians are

weak that we

give in to sin

there is still

that battle of

sin that rages

in our hearts

and all too

often we give

in to those

sinful desires

it's also

reminding us of

the reality that

that christians are

vulnerable to

the attacks of

our enemy the

devil he's

described as our

adversary and

the father of

lies who wants

to persuade us

that life apart

from god is

better that not

listening to god's

word is better

wants to steal

our joy we'd

love to to rip

us out of god's

hand but praise

god by god's

grace he cannot

but to pray this

prayer is to

remind ourselves

about how serious

sin is so that

we wouldn't get

complacent

especially when it

comes to

temptation that we

wouldn't think

well i dealt

with this temptation

really well the

last time so i've

got this sorted

so i don't need to

lean on god's

word i don't need

to trust in him

to help me i don't

need to pray about

this

jesus wants us

to distrust

ourselves but to

trust our father in

heaven to never

move away from that

posture of being

dependent

of finding refuge and

shelter in and

under god

and this is

something that really

matters because

perhaps you have

seen what happens

when people have

that sort of

attitude of pride

towards sin and

temptation and

think you know it

will never happen

to me we we have

seen ministries and

churches and families

and lives be wrecked

by sin by the

devastation of sin

and so in the

heat of the

battle against

sinful desires

when the devil would

come and tempt us to

unbelief or to

disobedience we need

to remember that we

are children we need

to cry out to our

father and recognize

he's a powerful

father he's a

gracious father

he's the king

he is strong to

save

he will not allow

us to be tempted

beyond our ability

to resist in his

mercy he will

always provide a

way of escape

for us so we

pray to him and

we trust him

so jesus says to

his followers to

the church pray to

your father

returning to where

we started there

is no greater

privilege on this

earth than knowing

god as father

in heaven

and this reminds

us that we need

to know god

personally

not just to know

about him but to

know him

to have this

direct

living

personal relationship

with our creator

our king

our savior

now what jesus

doesn't teach here

is this

he doesn't teach

us

how do we

get to enjoy

this relationship

he doesn't

teach us here

how can people

like us be

children of god

and perhaps

that's our

question it's

amazing to

think how can

people like us

sinful people

be children

of god

and well again

the answer

lies in the

work of

jesus

jesus the

eternal son

the father

loves

who came

into this

world to

live

praying your

kingdom come

your will be

done

who came

to die

giving his

life to

atone for

sin

jesus the

son who

is cut

off so

that we

could come

home

jesus who

in love

shares with

his people

the joy

of knowing

god

as father

if we

trust him

put our

faith in

him

so as we

close do

we have

that joy

today

if that's

not our

joy then

pray to

god for

it

and if we

do have

that joy

pray to

god from

that joy

so that we

would enjoy

relationship

with our

great father

in heaven

let's

turn

again to

pray

and after

i've

prayed we

can pray

together

the lord's

prayer

lord god

we thank

you for

the teaching

of jesus

thank you

for these

words that

remind us

of the

great privilege

that we

have by

your grace

of calling

you our

father

lord may

we know

more and

more of

your love

and your

power of

your wisdom

of your

goodness

of your

truth

and your

compassion

in our

lives

may it

shape how

we think

about

ourselves

may it

shape our

priorities

may it

lead us

to a

concern

for mission

may it

help us

to seek

to be

reconciled

to people

may it

make us

dependent

on you

for life

and breath

and everything

else

lord

that we

would seek

to praise

and glorify

you

that as we

read your

words

it would

lead us

to praise

or to

confess sin

or to seek

your help

and to pray

for others

lord we

ask

that you

would make

us as

individuals

make us

as a

church

a people

of prayer

lord as we

pray for

ourselves

we also

want to

pray for

the city

we find

ourselves in

we thank

you for

it

lord as we

think about

this wonderful

invitation to

living relationship

we pray for

those who are

lonely

for those who

are hurting

for those who

feel forgotten

we also pray

for those who

are desperately

seeking you

but seeking

you in the

wrong places

lord may

you in

your mercy

reveal yourself

in truth

and power

and love

revealing

Jesus as

the only

way of

salvation

lord we

pray that

many people

in this

city

would seek

you and

find you

and have

that joy

of knowing

you as

father

lord we

pray for

our students

today as

many of

them will

begin

again

college and

university

lord we

pray that

as there is

more in

person

times

that that

would really

help with

learning

we pray that

you would

give them

that desire

to know

you in your

word and in

prayer so

that they might

be able to

live for you

in their

classes among

their friends

lord that you

would guard

their hearts

that you

would protect

them help

us as a

church as

we seek to

disciple lord we

pray for the

work of the

christian union

and we ask

that you would

continue to

to build

faith and

as the good

news of

jesus reaches

out into the

different campuses

that that many

would turn and

put their trust

in the lord

jesus lord we

also pray for

nations that

have been in

the news this

week we we

think of the

continued unrest

in kazakhstan

and the

tensions in

ukraine and

russia and

lord we pray

that you would

have mercy and

we pray for the

light of the

gospel to

dawn and to

spread and

we pray for

churches and

for ministers and

for christians in

those countries

and lord we

pray for the

islands of

australia and

tonga and

surrounding

and lord very

different places

with very

different cultures

but ultimately

biblically we

understand that

the need of

each person is

the same

people need to

know the

living god

through jesus

for themselves

and so we

pray for

churches and

ministries and

mission in

australia and

tonga and

other parts of

the world around

there lord that

it would be your

pleasure to take

glory for

yourself by

causing men

and women and

boys and girls

to turn and

trust in jesus

and now we can

use the words of

the lord's prayer

together

our father who

is in heaven

hallowed be your

name your

kingdom come

your will be

done on earth

as it is in

heaven give us

this day our

daily bread and

forgive us our

debts as we

forgive our

debtors and

lead us not

into temptation

but deliver us

from evil for

yours is the

kingdom the

power and the

glory forever

amen

and now as we

close and we'll

sing together the

hymn how deep

the father's love

for us

how deep the

enthusiasm and

ound

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