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Prayer is the bedrock of a life connected to God. This component of our existence keeps us keyed into the source of life itself. It is a privilege to know the sovereign God through prayer.

In today’s Scripture reading in Matthew 6, we find where Jesus taught His disciples how to pray. Rather than making a performance out of prayer like many of the religious leaders of that day would do, Jesus told his disciples to go to a secluded place to pray – not with words to try to impress but a simple prayer from a pure heart.

While some people treat prayer like a wish list and God as some spiritual Santa in the sky, that's not the type of prayer Jesus calls us to. Yes, we can share our desires and ask Him to intervene in our tribulations, but if that’s all we ever do, then we’ve missed the point of prayer. God desires a genuine relationship with you, to connect with you in every aspect of your life so that He can help illuminate and guide your path. Prayer can change every part of our lives, revealing things inside us that we need to confront. Through prayer, we can confront those issues and grow, both in our intimacy with God and as people. When we stay connected to God in prayer, we will reflect it in how we live our lives.

As you pray today, open with gratitude and use Matthew 6:9-13, commonly referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer,” as your guide. Turn your focus to God and thank Him that He is faithful to meet every need you have today.