"Lord, Teach Us How to Pray"

Prayer is something I've always struggled with. My prayer life in my early years sounded a little like this: "Please God, don't let Baba (dad in greek) find out I wrote on the walls in crayon. I promise I'll never lie again, but please dont let me get caught."
In middle school my prayers were much more pathetic:
"Please make [some boy] fall inlove with me."
The summer before 8th when I really accepted Jesus into my soul, my prayer sounded a little like this:
"I want to believe in who you are"
Junior year when I discovered I had no life outside of christ my prayer sounded like this:
"God, Please give me another chance. Don't let me throw my life away. I promise I will live for you and do whatever it takes to be a true follower."

This year has been confusing me because I've either prayed to for something I wanted (a boy) something I didn't want ( a butt whoopin) or that he would rescue me from the destructive life I had set up for myself. The question im facing now is : What am I suppose to be praying for? How should I be praying? How often?

I went into Christian Life Way for one book. I believe I ended up coming out with three (typical). I grabbed a devotional called "Lord, Teach Us How to Pray". I think I'm on day 16? The five main point I've covered so far are 1. We really do need to ask God, because God really does want to give. 2. We should be asking within the boundres of God's word 3. Ask according to the will of God 4. You are to ask until the answer comes. 5. When you ask, ask for others.

I discovered the most amazing this while reading this morning. John 17:6-12....Jesus says a prayer for us. That blew my mind. He PRAYED for us. It went like this "I pray for them..for those you have given me...father protect them by the power of you name...so that they may have the full measure of MY joy within them, for they are not of the world anymore than I am of the world. My prayer is that you protect them from the evil one. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is the truth" SERIOUSLY! How beautiful. Everytime I read it I feel Jesus praying over me. It gives me the chills. When I was younger I never got the purpose of Jesus. Why did I need to believe in Jesus when I believe in God? Throughout the book they keep repeating the idea of intercessory. Jesus interceeded for us. Sounds obvious. Maybe I've just been spiritually retarded.

It was when I finished Levitius that I understood.
I think we all just grow up thinking so highly of ourselves. Especially when we first accept christ we think "why wouldn't he want a relationship with me?" What we, and what I never realized was God can't even look at us, where so..desestable. In Levitius the people had to go to such extremes to even be considered presentable in the Lord's presence. They had to sacrifice animals, because God was trying to show them that sin results in death, and we deserve to die for our sins, but he is gracious enough to accept a replacement. No sin goes without bloodshed. They had to place their hands on the animal that was to be sacrificed because God wanted them to indentify with the animal. He wanted them to know that, that was suppose to be them. Jesus was the final sacrifice. How many of us could put our hands on him, and watch him die? We wouldn't feel like we were worth it, and thats the whole point. Jesus interceeded for us. When God looks at us now, he doesn't see how disgustingly riddled with sin we are. He see's Jesus. And Jesus is smiling at him saying, "God, you have to meet our severant Mikela".

Heres the kicker. He is still...even now...interceeding for us. Even after dying a terrible death...he's praying for us. "This I know, that God is for me." Psalms 56:9-10. THIS I KNOW THAT JESUS IS FOR ME! When you feel like you're alone, when you feel like you cant take anymore, like the whole world is against you, remember at that very moment Jesus is on his knee's praying for you.

"The one who died for us...is in the very presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us"

Romans 8:34 the message.