Prayer from a Changed Heart

by Paul Tautges | May 9, 2012 5:20 pm

The context of the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:5-15) reveals that when Jesus taught His disciples to pray He was infinitely more concerned about the true state of their heart than He was in giving them a formula prayer. Verse 7 alone clearly indicates He was not recommending “meaningless repetition.” What kind of heart did Jesus say God is interested in? I see at least 9 characteristics of the proper “heart posture” for prayer.

Here’s a bare outline from our study at tonight’s prayer meeting. Use it as a skeleton—adding your own muscle as you study out the passage in your personal time in the Word or your small group.

1. A Humble Heart (vv. 5-6) – “not like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray”
2. A Genuine Heart (vv. 7-8) – “do not use meaningless repetition”
3. A Childlike Heart (v. 9a) – “Father…”
4. A Reverent Heart (v. 9b) – “Hallowed be Your name”
5. A Broken Heart (v. 10) – “Thy will be done”
6. A Dependent Heart (v. 11) – “Give us our daily bread”
7. A Confessing Heart (v. 12a) – “Forgive us our debts”
8. A Forgiving Heart (vv. 12b, 14-15) – “as we also have forgiven our debtors”
9. A Vigilant Heart (v. 13) – “lead us not into temptation”

Spend some time in this glorious passage of Scripture and ask God to change your heart.

Source URL: https://counselingoneanother.com/2012/05/09/prayer-from-a-changed-heart/

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