Praying in God’s Will

Pray then like this: “Our Father 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 also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:9-13)
 
If there was ever a time you need to be praying, it is now. Praying to God and spending time communicating with Him should be a regular part of your daily routine. However, many people are intimidated by prayer. They don’t know where to start and what to say. They don’t want to “bother God” with their requests and issues.  
 
Thankfully, we have someone to look to when learning how to pray. Jesus gave us a great example how we should approach prayer when He prayed The Lord’s Prayer, found in the Gospel of Matthew. 
 
As we read this prayer and aim to follow Jesus’ example on how to pray, we notice that Jesus prays that the Father’s will would be done. He didn’t ask that the Lord fulfill His own requests or desires. Rather, He asked the Lord to accomplish His will first and foremost.  
 
In the same way, we are to pray to align ourselves with the will of God. Jesus once again sets a great example of this in the Garden of Gethsemane. Just before He was arrested, He says, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.” (John 17:1)   
 
In essence, He was saying, “Lord, I want to make sure I am aligned with you and that you receive the glory.” As His followers, we should have the same posture when we are praying. Aligning yourself, in the decisions you are making, with the perfect will of God is critical to the Christian life.