Omer Devotional Day 46

May 15 at sundown - Day 46
Today is day 46 of counting the Omer 
Today is day 46 out of Egypt
Today is day 46 of Messiah Resurrected

The ABC’s of Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)

9 “Therefore, pray in this way: ‘Our Father in heaven, sanctified be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

Reflect:

Prayer is always a good way to start your day. Here Yeshua is teaching us that effective prayer doesn't have to be long-winded or complicated. He lays out a few ABC’s of prayer to help us communicate with God:

1. 1)  Remember that God is holy. He’s the creator of the universe and worthy of our worship.
2. 2)  God’s plans are better than our plans. Too often in life, we want to take control of the
   situations we find ourselves in instead of asking God what to do. Making a concious effort to pause and allow God to speak to us about what we are going through literally brings heaven to earth!
3. 3)  Asking for provision for today is better than worrying about tomorrow. We can rely on God’s faithfulness to meet our daily needs. Worrying about anything more drains our ability to trust God’s constancy in our lives.
4. 4)  Forgiveness is a key element in communication with God. Asking for forgiveness for our sins and then granting it to others who have offended us is key to having a pure conscience before Adonai. When we admit our sins, God will forgive us. When we forgive others, we imitate God and become more like Yeshua.
5. 5)  Temptation is a reality for all of us. God doesn’t lead us into temptation, but we ourselves often choose to toy with the idea of sinful behavior. Satan will try to use these opportunities to derail God’s plan for our lives. Asking God for His strength in these moments is crucial to the wellness of our souls.

Let’s commit to using these principles to enrich our daily prayer lives!

Prayer: Lord Yeshua, teach us to pray. Help our prayers be effective and heartfelt. Show us that You hear our prayers by answering from heaven with miracles. Help us to turn our lives over to You and keep us from temptation. Amen.

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At Restoration, we have made it a priority to seek God first in prayer. During this season of counting of the Omer, we have decided to do this collectively as a congregation in the days leading up to Shavuot. Together, we want to trust in His power to impact our lives, our congregation, our city, and our world. The last 10 days we will encourage a corporate time of fasting and prayer, which starts the evening of May 9 and ends the evening of May 19. The conclusion of this season of prayer will culminate in a congregational picnic on the 50th day, the day of Shavuot - Sunday, May 20 at noon.