“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.’” (Matt. 6:9)
Expanded Passage: Matthew 6:9-10
Have you ever promised to pray for someone, only to forget the request before you got home? I have friends who will stop and pray on the spot for someone because they want to make sure they don’t forget later and break a prayer promise.
While I’ve been known to also pray immediately, I wanted to come up with a method that would help me keep track of requests for an extended period of time. I created a prayer binder with all sorts of color-coded tabs to represent different areas of my life. In addition to helping me remember requests, I hoped my binder would teach me a practice I hadn’t been very faithful to keep—making prayer to the Father my first priority.
How often, when we pray, do we begin by praying words that remind us of the Father’s holiness? As I read Matthew 6:9, I felt convicted. What might change if I start my prayers first by acknowledging the Father? I kept the words of Jesus in my mind as I began my prayers with this reminder. Perhaps if we really followed that model and prepared our minds to remember his holiness, our requests would be submitted with an even better understanding of his magnificent power and greatness. He should come first in every aspect of our lives, and our prayers are no different.
Put worship of the heavenly Father first in your prayers.
Bekah Shaffer lives in Kokomo, Indiana, and enjoys endless coffee, scrapbooking, speaking, and planning adventures with her husband, Ryan.
© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
