It's Not All About Asking.

Matthew 6:9-15
9 "This, then, is how you should pray:
" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.' 14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

This is probably one of the most traditional prayers that is said in churches across the world every week. I know I can easily recite this prayer on Sunday morning without much thought. The problem is I think sometimes we forget what it's saying. We get caught going in the motions of just reciting this prayer off memory. One of the key points of this prayer is to call God our Father!

Too often we get in the "gimee" mode. Give me this Lord, give me that. This prayer isn't exactly so. It is more heartfelt than we usually make it. As we lift our hearts to the heavens with this prayer, we are to honor an glorify God's name, seek forgiveness, and acknowledge his power.

I challenge you to go beyond the mediocre prayer of asking. Use this prayer as a model, but let your heart be aligned with your mind. The Lord wants to not only hear our requests, but he wants to hear our confessions as well.