Preached by Pastor Dr. Autry Williams
Matthew 6:9-13
If you want to be connected to God, you can connect with Him by using this model prayer as your road map. In this prayer Jesus gives a pattern of words, phrases and thoughts that are essential elements of a believer’s prayer that connects you with God.
Three Ways to Get Connected to God
Acknowledge God’s Position
Rely on God’s Provisions
Recognize God’s Power
When the believer prays through the model prayer, in the manner in which Jesus taught His disciples, he’ll find he has covered the scope of what God wants him to pray for on a daily basis.
Acknowledge God’s Position
God is OUR FATHER and He is in heaven. His throne is there, the Lord Jesus Christ is there and so are the armies of angels.
The believer is to direct his prayers to our Father who is in heaven in the name of Jesus. God’s throne is in heaven, and it is before the throne of God that Jesus Christ is appearing as the Mediator for the believer.
Heaven is:
A city designed and built by God.
The streets are paved with gold, and there are 12 gates of pearl to the city and walls of precious jewels around the city 216’ thick.
The place where Christians go to spend eternity with God.
Rely On God’s Provisions
God will supply all of our daily needs. He gives each of us provisions, meaning, He has supplied us with our daily bread. Bread is the basic necessity of life, the symbol of all that is necessary for survival and for a full life.
When we say give us our daily bread, the words ‘us and our’ overcome selfishness and show concern for others. The fact that there are people who go to bed hungry should be a concern of all Christians.
The words ‘this day,’ eliminates worry and anxiety about tomorrow and future needs. They teach us to trust that God will provide our daily needs through His provisions.
Recognize God’s Power
Jesus shows the disciples how to pray and acknowledge God’s Power, by breaking out into a Doxology when he said the words, “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.”
The point of the doxology is to stress that everything belongs to God who is:
The source of the kingdom, the power and the glory.
The possessor of the kingdom, the power and the glory.
The recipient of the kingdom, the power and the glory.
Everything, the seen and unseen belongs to God and He has the power to do whatever He wants to do with it.
God is all powerful so we should recognize His power!