The Lord’s Prayer: The Forgotten Prayer

By Rosemond Opare-Kumi

The prayer usually referred to as The Lord’s Prayer (TLP) or the Model Prayer is the subject of this book. It is the prayer Jesus Christ taught His disciples when they asked Him to teach them how to pray. This publication was prompted by the recipients of the 91 days of Holy Spirit inspired WhatsApp messages on the exposition of the Lord’s Prayer written down daily by the Writer between May24-August 22, 2016. The experience was unique and impactful.From the Writer’s perspective…If Jesus taught it, it must be learned by serious-minded disciples who believe in prayer as the means to communicate with God on all issues. It must be the blue print of prayer and the covenanted prayer. If it is, then Heaven is bound to hear and answer!
Although it seems forgotten and prayed less than it should, there is no doubt that it is the ultimate Prayer because it covers every need and want. Jesus taught it. He is the one who had descended from heaven and knew what His Father’s Will for us was so that we would not pray amiss. We should be confident therefore about being heard,because we would be praying back to Him the exact words He taught.
Why will heaven not hear TLP and answer? Heaven will! What we need to do is learn to pray it fervently and persistently like never before.
The 91 days of exposition on the Lord’s Prayer that were shared as whatsApp messages have been preserved and are now made available in 3 formats; paperback, e-book and hard copy with minor editing because of its new format.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
• Release date: Aug 20, 2019
• ISBN: 9781543752595

Rosemond Opare-Kumi

Rosemond Opare-Kumi (AmaRose) is a writer of christian literature and evangelist. Professionally, she is a musician and public health consultant. She has decades of social development work experience in countries including Ghana, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Rwanda in various capacities as Team Leader, Resident Adviser, Consultant and UN Volunteer. Her academic background is in music, education, demography and public health. “Treasure Hunt” is her seventh published book and the fourth in “The TREASURE” series. Her first six books are: “The Lord’s Prayer: The forgotten Prayer”, “Created to Invent: A Foretaste of Paradise”, “Incense From Golden Bowls, “The TREASURE”, ‘A Tender Shepherd” and “ Hide Me”. AmaRose and husband Solomon make their home in Botswana. They are marriage counselors and active Gideons. They have four adult children; Cynthia and Yanga Kizza, Jennifer and Michael. The arrival of their first grandson Asher-Joe continues to inspire them to Treasure-hunt in more innovative ways, as well as support other Treasure-hunters.

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Copyright © 2019 by Rosemond Opare-Kumi.

ISBN:                  Hardcover                    978-1-5437-5346-2

         Softcover                       978-1-5437-5260-1

         eBook                            978-1-5437-5259-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Cover Design by Verna Fereira

www.partridgepublishing.com/singapore

OUR

FATHER

WHO ART IN HEAVEN

HALLOWED BE THY NAME

THY KINGDOM COME

THY WILL BE DONE IN EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN

GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD

AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS

AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION

BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL

FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM AND THE POWER AND THE GLORY FOR EVER

AMEN

DEDICATION

To Mama and Papa: Citizens of heaven

Contents

THE LORD’S PRAYER (TLP)

DEDICATION

PREFACE

Divine Encounter for Ninety One Continuous Days!

Why Pray the Lord’s Prayer (TLP)?

The Book Format

WEEK ONE: INTRODUCTION

Day 1: Set Apart To Pray

Day 2: Introduction To the Lord’s Prayer (TLP)

Day 3: Fervency In Prayer

Day 4: The Structure of TLP

Day 5: The Structure of TLP

Day 6: Summary of Introduction To TLP

WEEK TWO: GENERAL LESSONS ON PRAYER

Day 1: Speak It!

Day 2: Comparing Jesus’s Prayer in John 17 to TLP- the Tone

of Jesus’s Prayer

Day 3: The Tone of Jesus’ Prayer

Day 4: Jesus’ Tone of Prayer

Day 5: Shifting My Prayer Focus To Align With That of Jesus’

Have you and I been pagans all along and we did not know it?

Day 6: Three Other Observations From John 17

Summary of Weeks 1 And 2

WEEK THREE: OUR (The 1st line of the LP)

Day 1: Our

Day 2: Our

Day 3: Our

Day 4: Our

Day 5: Our

Day 6: Dummy

Week 3 Summary

WEEK FOUR: FATHER (The 2nd line of the LP)

Day 1: Father

Day 2: Father (Omnipresent)

Day 3: Father (Omnipotent)

Day 4: Father (Omniscient)

Day 5: Father (Loving)

Day 6: Father

Week Four Summary

WEEK FIVE: WHO ART IN HEAVEN (The 3rd line of the LP)

Day 1: Who Art In Heaven

Day 2: Who Art In Heaven

Day 3: Who Art In Heaven

Day 4: Who Art In Heaven

Day 5: Who Art In Heaven

Day 6: Who Art In Heaven

Week Five Summary

WEEK SIX: HALLOWED BE THY NAME

Day 1: Hallowed Be Thy Name

Day 2: Hallowed Be Thy Name

Day 3: Hallowed Be Thy Name

Day 4: Hallowed Be Thy Name

Day 5: Hallowed Be Thy Name

Day 6: Hallowed Be Thy Name

Week Six Summary

WEEK SEVEN: THY KINGDOM COME

Day 1: Thy Kingdom Come

Day 2: Thy Kingdom Come

Day 3: Thy Kingdom Come

Day 4: Thy Kingdom Come

Day 5: Thy Kingdom Come

Day 6: Thy Kingdom Come

Week Seven Summary

WEEK EIGHT: THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN

Day 1: Thy Will Be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven

Day 2: Thy Will Be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven

Day 3: Thy Will Be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven

Day 4: Thy Will Be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven

Day 5: Thy Will Be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven

Day 6: Thy Will Be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven

Week Eight Summary

WEEK NINE: GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD

Day 1: Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Day 2: Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Day 3: Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Day 4: Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Day 5: Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Day 6: Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Week Nine Summary

WEEK TEN: FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US

Day 1: Forgive Us Our Debts As We Forgive Our Debtors

Day 2: Forgive Us Our Debts As We Forgive Our Debtors

Day 3: Forgive Us Our Debt As We Forgive Our Debtors

Day 4: Forgive Us Our Debts As We Forgive Our Debtors

Day 5: Forgive Us Our Debts As We Forgive Our Debtors

Day 6: Forgive Our Debts As We Forgive Our Debtors

Week Ten Summary

WEEK ELEVEN: LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION

Day 1: Lead Us Not Into Temptation

Day 2: Lead Us Not Into Temptation

Day 3: Lead Us Not Into Temptation

Day 4: Lead Us Not Into Temptation

Day 5: Lead Us Not Into Temptation

Day 6: Lead Us Not Into Temptation

Week Eleven Summary

WEEK TWELVE: DELIVER US FROM THE EVIL ONE

Day 1: Deliver Us From the Evil One

Day 2: Deliver Us From the Evil One

Day 3: Deliver Us From the Evil One

Day 4: Deliver Us From the Evil One

Day 5: Deliver Us From the Evil One

Day 6: Deliver Us From the Evil One

Week Twelve Summary

WEEK THIRTEEN: FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM THE POWER AND THE GLORY FOREVER AND EVER AMEN

Day 1: For Thine Is the Kingdom And the Power And the Glory Forever Amen

Day 2: For Thine Is the Kingdom And the Power And the Glory Forever Amen

Day 3: For Thine Is the Kingdom And the Power And the Glory Forever Amen

Day 4: For Thine Is the Kingdom And the Power And the Glory Forever Amen

Day 5: For Thine Is the Kingdom And the Power And the Glory Forever And Ever Amen

Day 6: For Thine Is the Kingdom the Power And the Glory Forever And Ever Amen

Week 13 Summary: for Thine Is the Kingdom And the Power And the Glory Forever Amen

EPILOGUE

You Are Invited

NAMES OF SOME OF RECIPIENTS OF THE DAILY EXPOSITION OF TLP BETWEEN MAY 24-AUGUST 22 2016 BY COUNTRY

LIST OF COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD

SHEET TO COMPILE NAMES OF MY FAMILY MEMBERS

SHEET TO COMPILE NAMES OF MY WORK COLLEAGUES

SHEET TO COMPILE NAMES OF FRIENDS AND OTHERS

SHEET TO COMPILE NAMES OF MISSIONARIES AND CHURCHES

HOW DO I PRAY USING THE LORD’S PRAYER?

THE SIX ASKS AT PERSONAL GROUP LEVEL

THE SIX ASKS FOR OTHERS

PRAYING FOR THE ENTIRE WORLD

SECOND SUGGESTION

GROUP PRAYER

ONCE YOU PURCHASE THE BOOK

Preface

HEAVEN WILL HEAR AND ANSWER -YOU WILL NOT PRAY AMISS

Why will heaven not hear TLP and answer? Definitely heaven will because Jesus taught it! What we need to do is learn to pray it fervently and persistently like never before!

Like many born again Christians I have interacted with regarding TLP, until this revelation, it is the least I prayed; in the four decades and a half that I have been born again and lived the Christian life, my prayer life had very little to do with the Lord’s Prayer.

I recall my childhood school days, when we used to recite this prayer during school assembly sessions. Another recall is at church; TLP was said by the congregation as a kind of topping after all prayers were said. In my prayer times, I hardly said it and failed to consider it.

My observation however is that unlike the orthodox churches I know such as the Methodist, Anglican, Catholic and Presbyterian, where TLP is said as a kind of supplement, most Pentecostal and Charismatic churches across the world do not. TLP has apparently been more of a recital compared to other prayers that we pray supposedly from our hearts during our own prayer times or at church and at prayer meetings.

Is it because we do not consider it as strong enough prayer to serve our needs? Or are we just ignorant about its significance? Do you also feel the same way I did before, that TLP did not give the feeling that you have prayed enough or told the Lord all the issues you need to tell Him intimately?

Can TLP which lasts only 25 seconds help us do battle and drive away demons? Don’t we have a lot of issues to talk to the Lord about as intercessors? How can TLP deal with all the issues? We certainly need more serious prayers than TLP!

These were my thoughts too until I got confronted one fine afternoon in May 2016 (a week to my birthday…now that I think about it, what a birthday gift!) My attitude to the Lord’s Prayer has changed since.

Be comforted! TLP is the ULTIMATE prayer of all time. It is enough and adequate.

I recall in 1995, on one of my professional travels from the US, I made a stop-over in the UK to visit a special Aunt who loves the Lord (Aunt Charity). We shared in common child evangelism as ministry and knowing my passion for prayer, she graciously gave me a gift of a book written in 1987 by Larry Lea on prayer, titled Learning the Joy of Prayer.

The contents of this book resonated with me completely after reading it but I did not consider the Lord’s Prayer powerful enough for my purpose then. I love to pray. I pray about anything and everything with passion and get disappointed when the Lord responds otherwise.

Sometimes, I dare to ask Him why and He tells me. Other times, He does not, but I have learned over the years to accept that also. The Lord’s responses to my prayers have not deterred me from praying because personally, I do not have any other alternatives. Like many other Christians, I have reason to be resilient in this disposition because there is ample evidence that He hears, talks and answers His people.

My husband and I had been given a prayer assignment in year 2001 by the Lord to pray for nations. In response, I presented every single nation to Him on a daily basis. I did this for years quite dedicatedly and prayed consistently how I knew best. In May 2016, He graciously showed me a better way.

I was standing in my kitchen and I heard Him asking me gently, Who are your disciples? What a strange question I thought? Anyway, I said to myself … if that is what matters to my God, why not?

I listed names of people I had witnessed to over the years and had no idea where they were; people who call me mummy, along with friends and colleagues, who looked to me for counsel and guidance on life matters.

Before long, I had a long list. It was as though the Lord was nudging me, Feed them, disciple them, this is more important to me than anything else. Really Lord, I asked? And so I started. I expanded the contacts list on my smart phone to include names of my disciples. I began to share messages of hope and encouragement from the Word of God!

This was the time our home church fellowship had remained stagnant for seven years without growth. The Lord had given me a clue when I enquired and His answer through dream (as He always does with me) was eye opening; we had not made any disciples! I refused to be devastated considering that we had offered our home and served to the best of our abilities for seven years; at least our labour of love might be rewarded…I encouraged myself. What next, Lord?

In the midst of this frustration, He graciously restored me and promptly gave me in excess of 300 people ready to receive His Word instantly and gladly without hesitation. Subsequently and for no apparent reason that I can recall, I felt drawn to His Prayer- The Lord’s Prayer.

It was as if the Lord was asking me, Have you considered My Prayer? Since you love to talk to me a lot about everyone and everything; my prayer is the way to do it. It is comprehensive, you will be praying in my own words, you will not pray amiss, you will cover everyone adequately, and heaven will hear you because you will pray my WILL".

It was as though Jesus Himself was literally telling me, My Father will hear because I know what He wants to hear; this prayer is adequate, I put it together when my disciples asked me and you are my disciple. I taught them, now teach your disciples also to pray that prayer. Oh my goodness, was I not