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ciation for what He has done for us
and for all men-and in believing
love, ask His help, guidance and
blessing.
Learn To Praise God
"Hallowed be thy name." As we be–
gin our prayers, we should not only
address and think of God as "our Fa–
ther," but begin by praising and hal–
lowing His name, His office, His
character, His beneficence.
Notice how David-a man after
God's own heart-addressed God in
prayer:
" J
willlove thee,
O
Lord, my
strength. The Lord is my rock, and
my fortress , and my deliverer; my
God, my strength, in whom I will
trust; my buckler, and the horn of my
salvation, and my high tower" (Ps.
18:1-2).
Again: " 1 will .sing unto the Lord
as long as I live: I will sing praise to
my God while I have my being" (Ps.
104:33) ..
This attitude of praise, worship
and adoration is something that
draws our attention to the true God
and enlarges our own human facul–
ties to appreciate and fully sense the
great Being with whom we are in
contact and to whom we are praying
as "our Father."
Learn the Meanlng of God's
Klngdom
"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be
done in earth, as it is in heaven."
This section of Jesus' prayer out–
line is perhaps the most overlooked
and misunderstood of all. For pray–
ing "Thy kingdom come" is asking
that God's literal government be set
up on this earth through the return of
Jesus Christ as King of kings and
Lord of lords!
lt
is praying and long–
ing for the time when God's holy and
righteous law-as embodied in the
Ten Commandments-will be the
actual standard for daily life every–
where.
lt
is asking that God's charac–
ter-His law- His love-be written
in our hearts and minds here and
now, in preparation for a part in the
coming world government.
It is yearning and aching for the
time when real peace will be re–
stored-wben the desert will blossom
forth as a rose. Then there will be no
more starvation and want- in the
32
prophesied time of "restitution of all
things" (Acts 3: 19-21) .
If you are not familiar with the Bi–
ble concept of "Thy kingdom come,"
then write for our free booklet
Just
What Do You Mean-Kingdom of
God?
This section of your personal
prayers, of course, will normally be
the longest and most detailed. Here
you should ask God to help you un–
derstand and surrender to His will–
the will of your very Creator! You
should ask Him to help you study and
understand the Bible.
You should ask God for His divine
help in bearing the fruits of the Holy
Spirit: !ove, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness,· faith , meek-
~~
In our modern,
intellectually vain and
psychologized age above
al! others, we need to
seek God with al! our
hearts! We must prove
and know that the
personal God of
Abraham does hear and
answer prayer.
' '
ness, temperance or, better trans–
lated, self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).
Through prayer, study, meditation
and the exercise of His spiritual help,
learn to express the !ove, the affec–
tion, the praise, the obedience, the
service and the sense of adoration
which you should have and feel to–
ward your Father who sits at the con–
trols of this universe in heaven. Ask
Him for- and exercise- these spiri–
tual attributes.
Also, ask His help, inspiration and
guidance in expressing the !ove, joy,
wa rmth and affection which you
should toall your fellowmen. Ask Him
to help you be longsuffering and gen–
tle. Ask for meekness and humility
and for the power of self-control over
your temper, weaknesses and lusts!
Beseech God to help you yield
your will to Him and to grow spiri–
tually so that you may say with the
apostle Paul: " l am crucified with
Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not l,
but Christ liveth in me: and the life
which 1 now live in the flesh I live by
the faith of [not merely in] the Son of
God, who loved me, and gave himself
forme" (Gal. 2:20) . Ask God for this
living faith of Jesus Christ to trust
God totally- to know that His way
and His law is right- and that He
stands behind and backs up His will,
His laws and His promises to those
who serve Him!
When you pray "Thy Kingdom
come," understand the meaning of
what you are asking, and do Y.OUr
part that the tremendous meaning of
this request may become a reality
in the future government of this
earth, in the lives of all men every–
where and in your own personal life,
character and spiritual growth and
power.
Ask for Your Needs- and
Confess Your Weaknesses
"Give us this day our daily bread. "
Although certainly not put first , this
request is necessary-and we can
sincerely ask God to supply our daily
needs as long as we are seeking first
His Kingdom and His righteousness
(Matt. 6:33). In these personal re–
quests, you can break down the de–
tails to fine points and ask God to
guide you to do your part. Then be–
lievingly ask Him to intervene where
necessary that you may live the kind
of life you ought in order to be a light
to others.
"And forgive us our debts, as we
forgive our debtors."
All of us need to sincerely recog–
nize and repent of our sins, our short–
comings and our innate rebellion
against the laws of God and man!
Too many modern religionists seem
fearful of facing up to this rea lity,
but Jooking our real problems in the
face-acknowledging them and,
through God,'s help, turning away
from them-is the only real solution.
Note that God expects us to forgive
our fellowman - not harboring
grudges or ill will for real or fancied
, wrongs- if He is to Jorgive us. This
aspect is further illuminated in Ma t-
The
PLAJN TRUTH February 1979