Psalm 5:1-3 Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

God knows the thoughts of your meditations. There is not a single thought that escapes God’s notice. Consider this the next time you pray. You cannot lie to God. We do however lie to ourselves.

The first and primary consideration in prayer is interpersonal relationship. Since God knows your every thought, the primary purpose of prayer is to know Him and ourselves. It is in your prayer closet, where you and God are alone that the Spirit of Truth sheds light upon even our very thoughts.

Prayer in the morning gives you an opportunity to get in some private time before the demands of life interrupt. Time always seems to be a problem with us. God has called you to be a good steward. As such you have responsibilities within this life that you have to answer. God would not have you fail to be a good steward, nor would He have you ignore Him either.

Have you ever considered that as you go through your day God is with you and not only knows the desires of your heart but every thought you have all day long. Do you keep an awareness of that fact in the back of your mind, or do you act as if God is clueless?

Galatians 6:7a Be not deceived; God is not mocked:

Psalm 94:11, 19 The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity. In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.

The differences between these two verses in Psalm 94 are man’s thoughts of himself and man’s thoughts of the comforts of the Lord. The first is a life without respect of thought for the Lord, the second is a Godly consideration of thought.

Matthew 6:9-13 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 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.

As I said yesterday one f the examples given to us by Jesus in how to pray is here in Matthew 9. The first thing he declared was for us to pray in this manner. Not to use these exact words but as an outline for prayer.

What we often overlook is the issue of prayer is a privilege. We are privileged to be able to pray to God because of our relationship. Our Father is more than a directive clause, it recognizes privilege in relationship. He is our Father God.

Proverbs 15:29 The Lord is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.

He hears our prayers because we are in right relationship with Him. Not by works, by grace, by faith in Christ, having receive Him in our hearts. I say this because we so often take prayer for granted and forget just how privileged we are to be given the right to pray.

One reason Jesus gave us a form for prayer was to respect order and content. The first four points should be clear in our minds as intent of prayer. Who do we address? What Is He to us? Give Him respect. Recognize His authority. Submit to His will.

So often our prayers begin, “Help!”

Don’t blame God if the devil answers that prayer.