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Praying Not Begging

Praying Not Begging

Recently, I listened to myself praying. I was stopped in my tracks when I really gave weight to the words I was saying and the attitude that I was projecting. I was actually begging God, pestering Him to provide me with an answer to something I desperately wanted from Him. “Importunity” in prayer means “persistent and urgent requests, demands, or solicitations, often to the point of being troublesome or annoying.” It implies tireless pleading for something, resulting in shameless persistence….

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The Lord’s Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer

Almost everyone knows “The Lord’s Prayer” that Jesus taught in the Gospels of Matthew (6:9-13) and Luke (11:2-4). Did Jesus really teach them this prayer so they could recite it repeatedly? Asserting something over and over again verbatim is not what Jesus taught. That is what the Bible refers to as vain repetitions. When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, they wanted to emulate how Jesus abided in the Father, not the exact words He used….

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How Do I Pray?

How Do I Pray?

Martin Luther was a German professor of theology, priest, author, composer, former Augustinian monk, and is best known as an influential figure in the Protestant Reformation. Nearly 487 years ago, Martin Luther’s barber and old friend asked him for suggestions on how to pray. Luther responded with an open letter titled, “How One Should Pray, for Master Peter the Barber”. Luther gave his friend advice and instruction on how to take each petition of the Lord’s Prayer and expand them. He…

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