Abiding Prayer

OVERVIEW

Abiding Prayer combines the Lord’s Prayer alongside abiding as a branch in the vine of Christ. It breaks the Lord’s Prayer down into three sections: Abide, Mission, and Intercession. As you go through each section, pray along the Lord’s Prayer and listen. There are two parts of abiding in John 15; (1) Disciples praying, (2) Jesus’ commands brought to remembrance through Scripture or by the Spirit.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

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 forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.

ABIDE

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.”

Abiding is resting in who God is, knowing that you are connected to the Vine (Jesus), that He is your source, and that energy flows into you through the sap of the Holy Spirit. Announcing God as Father is to say, “I am God’s beloved child and He is my gracious Father.”

Proclaiming God’s holiness—His otherness—is to acknowledge that you cannot do anything apart from Him. You exist within a fallen world that is held down; a broken world shattered by the power of sin, satan, and death. You need to be connected to something other than this world to form it into what God wants.

As you abide, realizing who you are in light of God, listen for what the Spirit is prompting in you:

• What is the Spirit highlighting about God?
• What commands is the Spirit highlighting?

MISSION

“Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

We want to see God’s reign (His kingdom) over the earth as He reigns in heaven. God’s rule looks like “justice, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14.17). This is where you come in: God wants to use His children to bring His kingdom to light. Reflect…

• Is there inequality in my house, neighborhood, workplace, etc,?
• Are there broken relationships in and around me?
• Is there ugliness or sorrow around me?

Pray for these areas: “Lord, I pray Your kingdom to come into these areas; give me strength to embody, reveal, and, through the Spirit, bring your kingdom to light.”

INTERCEDE

“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 the evil one.”

Notice the “us” and “our” in this section. Pray…

• For the physical needs of those around you (neighbors, friends, church, family, etc.) and yourself.
• Confess sins you have been living in and forgive those who have wronged you—ask the Spirit to highlight sins and forgiveness.
• Protection against the enemy.