The Cleansing Prayer
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: “ ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’ ”
Luke 11:1-4 (NIV)
Jesus is asked how to pray. His response is a model designed for us to learn and extract the principles of prayer. He wants to help us understand what is happening as we pray.
The most important thing about prayer is connection. We learn that God isn’t just a power, but a person. He shouldn’t be known for what can do for us. He desires to be known for who He is. He is a perfect heavenly father not an imperfect earthly father. When we pray, we connect with the person and character of God.
God has full power and authority. The Kingdom of Heaven has its own rules and laws. When we are building the Kingdom, we are aligning with its principles. When we pray “let your kingdom come,” we are saying, “Let your values, principles, laws, and virtues come closer to us.” If we want to receive something, we must release something by surrendering our current authority. Who or what is ruling in our lives?
Through our daily bread, God wants us to depend on him. Our dependence is desired by God. Who do we depend on in our lives? Although it's good to have friends and family, nothing is greater than God, our Father. Even the greatest men and women won’t come through like our Heavenly Father can. The oath to a fresh start and clear conscience begins with a prayer of cleansing.
These six principles help us achieve this:
Review every area of your life. Look at yourself like a mirror. Look into your “spiritual mirror” and examine your thoughts, motives, and conversations.
Repent of every sin. Sin will always take us further than we want to go and cost us more than we’re willing to pay. However, we are not called to feel guilty. We are called to transformation. Repentance is not feeling guilty or sorry. It is turning away from sin that has kept us bound.
Resolve to make restitution. We must have a desire to make things right.
Receive God’s forgiveness. Oftentimes, we walk with a burden of heaviness. We receive God’s forgiveness, but we haven’t fully forgiven ourselves, weighing us down.
Reveal my faults to a friend. Most sin is connected to an area of brokenness in our lives. If we don’t allow Jesus to make us whole again, the cycle of sin will continue. For us to walk in strength and power, we need community.
Repeat these steps regularly.
Prayer: Lord, we want to connect with you as our Heavenly Father. God, we ask that you strengthen our prayer life and relationship with you. Help us to pray, even when it’s hard, and bless us with a community that wants what’s best for us. Amen.