Friday - Pray Like This

Welcome to daily prayer. This week we have focused on the first priority and petition that Jesus taught us to pray: “Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” 

Today we see that the Father answers that prayer for his name to be hallowed and revealed by showing us Jesus. 

Jesus was sent by the Father to reveal the nature of God. He reveals the Father's name, brings us into that relationship, and shares with us the very love that has existed from all eternity. 

That is probably the deepest way to pray, "Hallowed be your name.” To know him is to truly see, to experience his life and love. 

Jesus says, “Father, this is eternal life that they know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

As we begin our time together, let’s pause and ask for God to make himself known to us today. 

Lord, would you reveal yourself to us today. We set aside all our distractions and fix our gaze on you. 

Pause and Praise

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.

Father, we come before you and remember that before the world was made, before there was any created thing, there was perfect love for your Son.

You have always been Father, and Jesus has always been your beloved Son. 

We praise you that you have shown your nature to us and invited us to participate in your life.

A Scripture Reading from John 17:24–26:

24 Father, I desire that they also, 

whom you have given me, 

may be with me where I am, 

to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 

25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, 

and these know that you have sent me. 

26 I made known to them your name, 

and I will continue to make it known, 

that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

A Time to Rejoice in the Lord:

We rejoice in One God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. 

We rejoice in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father. Through him all things were made. 

For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; 

by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. 

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. 

On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; 

he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. 

We rejoice in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.

With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.

Jesus, I rejoice that you want us to see your glory. You want to reveal yourself to us. I rejoice that you have made the Father known to us. I rejoice and rest in this overwhelming reality- you have made yourself known in order that the love of God may be in us and that you would dwell within us.

A Time to Acknowledge our Need and Ask God for Help:

Lord, there is nothing more glorious than to realize that the Creator and Sustainer of all things desires relationship with us. And you have made it possible. This is too wonderful grasp. 

I acknowledge the wonder and mystery of this but I confess that I have taken it lightly. 

It is too wonderful for me to understand. I can’t get my heart to understand. I need you to help me. Open my spiritual eyes to see the glory of Jesus today. Open our hearts to receive your love. 

I pray that “you would strengthen us with power in our inner being so that Christ would dwell in our hearts through faith. And I pray that we, being rooted and established in you love, 18 would have power, together with all your people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God" (Eph 3:16-19)

And Lord we pray for those who do not yet know you. Open their eyes to see you. Open their hearts to believe. 

Hallowed be your name. Lord, make yourself known. That they would trust you. Love you and worship you as the one true God. 

As we listen to the passage again, let’s listen closely to the wonderful things that our Lord Jesus says:

24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Yield and Say Yes:

Lord, you’ve made known your name and will continue to make it known. We say YES to a greater revelation of your love and your glory. Lord, we yield to you and say again, “hallowed be your name.”

Let’s close by praying the Lord’s Prayer together. 

”Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 

your kingdom come,

your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread. 

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen."

*Special thanks to our friends at 24/7 Prayer and Lectio 365 for the outline P.R.A.Y.