Ernest Smith

If you read my last post, then you know that God has been convicting me lately in my prayer life.  After a pretty challenging message by my Senior Pastor on Sunday, I have made it a priority to be specific and persistent with my prayers.  Well, God being God and doing what He does best, continued to challenge me in my prayer life, but this way it was through a more subtle way.

I was sitting in class on Tuesday (side note: I’m getting my Doctorate degree, that is why I was in class) and the professor made a statement that intrigued me.  He said that many times when he goes to speak at a church, he challenges the congregation to take a 30 day prayer challenge.

The challenge is pretty simple.  It is to pray the Lord’s Prayer every day for 30 days.  It doesn’t matter if it is in the morning, in the evening, before you eat, or when you are driving.  The key is not when you do it, but rather just do it.

Why the Lord’s Prayer?  Because it is the prayer that Jesus gave us as an example of how we are to pray.  There are elements within the prayer that should be representative of all of our prayers.  The Lord’s prayer does not have to be the exact prayer that we pray every day of our lives, but the elements within the prayer (exalting God, thankfulness, God’s will to be done, forgiveness, ability to forgive, protection, guidance).  These are all aspects of the Lord’s Prayer that should be exhibited in our prayers as well.

So will you take the challenge with me?  I am going to commit to praying the Lord’s Prayer for the next 30 days.  I may do it when I first wake up, or when I am about to eat, or when I have a break in between meetings.  It doesn’t matter when; it only matters if I will do it.

I am taking the challenge.  How about you?

“This, then, is how you should 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 today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’

Matthew 6:9-13