Advice concerning prayer

I don't see the point. When I speak with someone I have a relationship with, we just talk. I don't repeat someone else's words, especially not over and over. I don't feel I have to write out what I want to say to them to make sure it's perfectly crafted.

You may find one or more of these useful.

God bless you!

--David
p.s. - here are a couple more resources that you may find useful, though they are not about the Lord's Prayer specifically (the pattern of prayer detailed at one of the links below is the pattern that I follow most often during a time that I set aside for prayer/ACTS).

Tyler52 said:

What’s your guy’s thoughts on saying the Lord’s Prayer, or prayers out of a prayer book/app.

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Tyler,
Have you heard the Lord have said this:
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The WORDS THAT I HAVE SPOKEN to you ARE SPIRIT and LIFE. -John 6:63

This is also spoken in Hebrews regarding our Lord :
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by THE WORD OF HIS POWER. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, -Hebrews 1:3

Therefore, if you pray according the Lord’s Prayer rightly, you know the Lord Jesus has to fulfill His promise regarding His words are Spirit and life, and what has been affirmed in the Holy Scripture, that is, His words carry His power.

This is also what we have been told :
Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace. -Psalms 37:37

When we imitate prayer like David in Psalms, or the apostles in the Bible or even our Lord Jesus Christ, we imitate their trust, as we have been told :

I urge you, then, be imitators of me. -1 Corinthians 4:16

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. -Ephesians 5:1

It is for good for us to imitate prayers from holy and faithful ministers of God like the apostles，the psalmist and others so that we can imitate their faith and our faith grows.

You will find prayers quoted from the Holy Scripture are filled with the Holy Spirit.

As we have heard:
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, -2 Timothy 3:16

From godly precepts, you can better discern the prayer book and prayer app rightly.

I think the Lords prayer was more a pattern that guides us in how we should pray.

Our Father........... : acknowledging God
Hallowed be thy name: giving God glory.........
etc etc

I think prayer should be personal and it can even hinder you to use set prayer of others.

I understand that sometimes people can find it difficult to pray and reading a set prayer may help but at times when you feel you are unable to pray, I think it is good to pray or sing from the Psalms.

One thing I will add to praying in groups. I believe the prayer should be simple, heartfelt and short.
I remember the first Bible study I attended where one lady prayed beautiful long prayers. While this was very nice, it left both my mother and I, actually dreading "our turn" to come.
Everything to be prayed for, had been said and I have to say that it was really not at all what I now believe prayer should be like.

Tyler52 said:

What’s your guy’s thoughts on saying the Lord’s Prayer, or prayers out of a prayer book/app.

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Love it.. by that I mean when they have the WORD OF GOD in them.. I always pray the word. God keeps His word. If HE said it HE will do it. And 59 years later.. He has never once failed.

Personally i think, the Lord's prayer is brilliant, as it covers every area, like literally. Always ask to be led by the holy spirit though, before applying your prayer points. Especially when praying against your injured foundations. Most of us are probably contending with highly demonic systems, which have been in existence, from long before even our great grand parents were born. So it is very very important, that we let the holy spirit lead as we are wrestling against principalities and by that, i mean very powerful wicked spirits, in the heavenly realms or where ever they may be.

As long as I concentrate on what I am saying and it is not rote.

Isaiah 29:13 KJV
[13] Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

(Luk 11:1) And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
(Luk 11:2) And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
(Luk 11:3) Give us day by day our daily bread.
(Luk 11:4) And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

one of Jesus disciples asked Him to teach them to pray as John taught His disciples

(Luk 7:24) And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
(Luk 7:25) But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings' courts.
(Luk 7:26) But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.
(Luk 7:27) This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
(Luk 7:28) For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

i believe that John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament prophets, which is to say the last of the prophets under the law of Moses; this is why 'he that is least IN the kingdom of God is greater than John the Baptist' - John hadn't yet entered into the kingdom of God through the law of faith by grace (Rom 4:16) - this law was still a mystery to people under the law of Moses at that time, and was being revealed by Jesus; Jesus had not yet gone to the cross, nor sent the Holy Spirit to live inside rebrn believers.

Now that the Holy Spirit has been sent to indwell reborn believers, God is also in us as well as in heaven (Luke 7:28)

of course, God's Name was, is and always will be Holy

God's kingdom has now come on the earth through Jesus (Luke 17:20, 21)

God's will is now being done on earth as it is in heaven by the Holy Spirit through reborn believers (John 14:12)

through the knowledge our Jesus our Lord, God has given us our daily bread, both in the natural and spiritual senses (2Pet 1:2-4)

God has forgiven all our trespasses, through Jesus (Col 2:10-15)

from Clarke's commentary:

Lead us not into temptation, etc. - Dr. Lightfoot believes that this petition is intended against the visible apparitions of the devil, and his actual obsessions; he thinks that the meaning is too much softened by our translation. Deliver us from evil, is certainly a very inadequate rendering of ῥυσαι ἡμας απο του πονηρου; literally, Deliver us from the wicked one.

Jesus delivered us from the devil, and restored our authority over him (Col 2:13-15)

(Mat 6:5) And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
(Mat 6:6) But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
(Mat 6:7) But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
(Mat 6:8) Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
(Mat 6:9) After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
(Mat 6:10) Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
(Mat 6:11) Give us this day our daily bread.
(Mat 6:12) And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
(Mat 6:13) And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
(Mat 6:14) For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
(Mat 6:15) But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

so in my understanding, what is called 'the Lord's Prayer' is a framework for prayer; and His instructions on what to say were targeted to the people of Israel in His day who were under the Law of Moses.

to pray prayers written by others is to repeat them ('repetitions') as a 'vain' substitute for one's own genuine thoughts toward God - He wants to hear from you when you pray, not someone else.

when i have a need, rather than ask Him to meet it, i find it more beneficial to me to thank God for meeting it before i see how He's done that, and thank Him for leading me to the answer to my need - the former is a request based in what i can perceive with my flesh, the latter is an acknowledgement of what He has told me as a reborn believer, and reflects my responsibility to yield to His leading in order to intersect with or receive what He's already given me. this automatically puts me in a thankful frame of mind, rather than a needful frame of mind (Psalms 100:4). what God wants most from us is friendship (James 2:23); so as others have said, just talk to Him, and confidently expect (have faith) that you will hear Him through His Holy Spirit inside of you

Tyler52 said:

What’s your guy’s thoughts on saying the Lord’s Prayer, or prayers out of a prayer book/app.

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Prayer is communicating with God, directly. Prepared prayers are fine if you mean what they say. I do prayers like that as well as my own talking to God at any time, mentally, in plain language, informally.

Think of it this way - is it good to talk to someone just off the top of your head, informally, or is it better to have your words scripted and recited by you? It depends on the situation, right? If you are talking to your buddy about last night's game, you just talk, unscripted, informally, no worries about language, etc. But if you're talking to your co-workers and management at work, you may script it out, you may read a quote or script from someone else, you may be more formal in your language, etc., because you want to make sure you're saying the right things and not leaving anything out.

When we talk to God He is in all these different roles for us - our Lord and Master, our God, our Savior, our Friend, our Relative, our Buddy, etc. Sometimes we pray formally. Sometimes we "chat" with Him. It's all good if it's all from the heart and you mean what you say, regardless of it being a pre-written prayer or not.

Here's one final idea - Pray about this for a while! You'll be certain to get the answer!

Tyler52 said:

What’s your guy’s thoughts on saying the Lord’s Prayer, or prayers out of a prayer book/app.

Click to expand...

The Lord's prayer is one of my favorite prayers, to me it's a prayer of trust.