Kimmer wrote this great post: Lord, Teach Us to Pray
I (personally) think the ideal prayer is the one he said at gethsemane. It’s balanced and useful – we can easily see HOW to pray.
And He was saying, Abba, [which means] Father, everything is possible for You. Take away this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You [will]. – Mark 14:36
He basically said three things:
- Father, You are Lord over all
- this is what I want, to not go through this
- but I also want Your will be done
It might not be the perfect prayer, but it demonstrates the three things each prayer can have. Saying we know God is God and Lord of all, saying what we want, and then asking Him to do what is the best thing.
We are encouraged by Jesus and Paul to ask and want for things for our lives… BUT that might not be the RIGHT thing, so leave the final decision up to Him. But we MUST express our own opinions and requests – and if Jesus did it and it’s ok for Him to do it, then we can do it too.
