Today we're going to look at what I believe is the most life-giving aspect of daily time alone with God.

Prayer. There are so many ideas out there about what prayer should be.

Today my hope is to clarify what prayer can mean for you and me in this space we're

creating for God's presence by looking at Scripture together and then ultimately making space

today to really pray. My hope is that today clarifies a pathway for us that we can walk every

day into deeper relationship with God. Welcome to the First 15 podcast.

Prayer is one of the most fulfilling aspects of Christian spirituality.

It's time set aside to simply listen to God,

to place our lives in his hands,

and to pray in response to the desires of his heart.

In 1 Thessalonians 517, Scripture tells us to pray without ceasing.

In John 14, 13 and 14, Jesus states, whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that

the Father may be glorified in the Son.

If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

But perhaps the most important scripture on prayer is when Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6, 5,

through 15. Because verse 15 is meant to stir your affections for God and lead you into a

transformational encounter with Him, I won't walk you through

and exit Jesus of verses 9 through 15. There are numerous resources to assist you in coming

to a better understanding of the depth and application of Jesus' modeled prayer. However, I want

you to focus your attention on verses 5 through 8 and lead you to a broader

definition of prayer, so your prayer life would be marked by God's nearness.

Let's walk through that text and then apply it as a model we will use daily in verse 15.

...