By Todd Barrier  

Have you ever thought about your dependency on prayer?  

Do you include prayer as an important part of your life? Do you have trouble praying at all? Do you wonder, “Am I even praying right?”  

During difficult times, like the ones our country and citizens are going through now, dependence on prayer is a must for the Christian.  

Communicating with God through prayer has many benefits, including finding peace and comfort, just to name two.  

If you’ve ever had trouble finding the words, or if you have wondered whether God even wants to hear your prayers, or how to pray to Him, He answers those questions in Matthew 6:1-15. In these verses, Jesus lets us know He wants us to pray by giving us an example of how to pray and what kinds of things to pray for.  

Here is part of that reading from v. 9-13: “In this manner, therefore, pray: ‘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 forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’” 

In these verses we can see the importance God places on prayer and the types of things we should focus on in our prayers.  

I saw one writer break the prayer down like this: praise, purpose, provision, pardon and protection. These are all things God can and will provide. These are things we can feel confident about praying for to our loving God when we need comfort and healing and might not be as confident about our prayers as we should be.  

Look to His Word, and He can provide the guidance for your prayers. How is your prayer life?