What is prayer? Jesus Christ, God, who descended in the flesh on the sinful Earth to save people, left us many instructions recorded in the Gospel. Much has been written about prayer. And the whole Bible tells us about the righteous who raised their petitions to God. What does prayer mean for people now? How to do it right? We'll talk about it today.
When Should You Pray?
This is how modern man works - the attitude of most people to prayer today is the same as to an ambulance. Something happened, someone got sick, you need to go to the exam - you urgently need to turn to God. And if everything is fine, prayer is not really needed.
Jesus Christ in the Gospel answered the disciples' question about how to pray. This is the well-known prayer "Our Father". What does the word "father" mean? It's an old word meaning "father".
That is, if you are a Christian, if you sincerely believe in God and strive to liveRighteous, the Bible says that He is your father. Do you turn to your earthly parent only when you feel bad, something happened, you need money? If yes, then it is a pity for him - there is no true sincere relationship between you, you are just using him.
And if God is our heavenly Father, our Father, then we must turn to him every day. For a true believer, prayer is a vital necessity, giving strength, wisdom, filling the heart with love and reverence.
For the majority of people who are far from God and the church, who have never opened the Gospel, prayer is like a spell that must be read to make a wish come true. This approach has nothing to do with Christianity! What is the "Prayer to Jesus Christ from corruption", "Prayer for the sale of an apartment"? Such questions can now often be heard from different people, and they refer to a conversation with God as conspiracies, mantras, etc. And this is very sad.
What words should the prayer contain?
Jesus Christ left us an example. The Gospel records how the disciples approached their Master and asked Him to teach them to pray. Then Jesus uttered the well-known "Our Father". But this is by no means a ready-made prayer that needs to be automatically repeated 40 times every day - this is an example that we should use. It is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, in chapter 6 from verse 9 to 13.
Example
Let's analyze this prayer line by line and think about the meaning of the lines of the Holy Gospel (givenmodern translation of the Russian Bible Society):
9th verse: "Pray like this: Our Father who dwells in heaven! Holy be Thy Name."
God is our heavenly Father, we glorify (holy) His name, we thank Him for everything we have
10th verse: "Let Thy kingdom come; let Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven."
We submit to the will of our Creator. This is especially important, because sometimes we ourselves do not know what we are asking God for. For example, you can pray: "God, give me a car," but the Lord sees the future - you will crash to death in a car a year after buying it. Therefore, God does not give you a car, and you are disappointed that He did not answer your prayer, not even suspecting that your life was saved. So, submit and humble yourself before the will of the Almighty
11th verse: "Give us our daily bread for this day."
You can ask in prayer for the resolution of your problems. Prayer to Jesus Christ for help in work, study, family life, and other matters is not condemned by God at all - this is your "daily bread"
12th verse: "Forgive us all our debts, just as we forgive those who owe us."
In prayer, forgive everyone who offended you and did something bad to you. Then God will forgive your sins
13th verse: "And put us not to the test, but deliver us from the evildoer. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
Ask God for strength in the fight against sin, give thanksIts for everything
This is how true prayer should be. Jesus Christ hears your words!
