How Jesus Taught Us to Pray

Jesus praying in Gethsemane depicted by Heinrich Hofmann

In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Matthew 6:9-13, NKJV

Continuing on with Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, we now come to the most famous prayer in the Bible - The Lord's Prayer. Jesus has just explained that we are not to be like the hypocrites who make a great show of the fact they are praying to God (Matthew 6:5) and encourages us to pray to God privately. While there are many examples of how Jesus prayed (Matthew 26:39), when he prayed (Mark1:35), what he prayed about and whom he prayed for (John 17), the Lord's Prayer gives us a template for the correct way to approach God and what our prayers should look like.

Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed by Thy Name

This opening line shows us how to approach God. The "Our Father" reminds us that God is our Creator, Provider and Protector. That He resides in heaven reminds us that He is King of the Universe. This opening line then, immediately puts us in the proper frame of mind as we come to the Lord in reverence, trust and adoration, with the declaration that His name is Holy or Hallowed. Too often we jump into prayer without taking that first step of humbling ourselves before Him and acknowledging His greatness.

Your Kingdom Come

Our first example of what to pray for comes immediately after acknowledging God's Sovereignty. We are to pray that His Kingdom will Come. What does that mean exactly? It is answered in the next verse.

Your Will be Done on Earth, as it is in Heaven

For God's kingdom to come, we must pray that His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In other words, we must pray that the world would recognize God's authority and supremacy, so that His will is carried out on earth the same way it is carried out in Heaven. When I get to this part of the prayer I pray for my friends, family and leaders in government, that God's will be done in their lives on earth, thus furthering His kingdom.

Give us this Day our Daily Bread

We then ask for whatever it is we need for the day. We make our requests known to Him.

And Forgive us our Debts, as we Forgive our Debtors

When we ask the Lord to forgive us our "debts" we are not asking Him to gloss over unpaid loans at the bank. "Debts" in this case, is a metaphor for sin as a "debt," because it demands atonement or reparation. Therefore, we also forgive our "debtors," those who sin against us, because we are all guilty of sin and all of us are in need of forgiveness. It would be hypocritical of us to ask for God's forgiveness of our sins, if we cannot forgive those who have sinned against us.

And do not Lead us into Temptation,
But Deliver us from Evil

Does God lead us into temptation to sin? Certainly not! James 1:13, confirms this. So what does this verse mean? There are two meanings behind this verse. In Greek, the word for temptation is peirasmos and means to try, test, prove, or undergo a trial. However, it also means exactly what it says - temptation - an enticement to sin and sometimes that is, in and of itself, a trial. Scripture reminds us that trials (or temptations) are for our benefit.

Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. (James 1:12, NKJV)

So here we are essentially asking God to keep us strong when tempted or tested and to deliver us from falling into sin. Again, it is not God who tests or tempts us, but He does allow us to go through these trials so that we can strengthen our faith in Him and grow more and more into the image of His Son (Romans 8:29).

For Yours is the Kingdom and the Power
and the Glory Forever. Amen.

We close our prayer through praise and adoration of God. Reminding us that He is King and He is in control. We can take comfort in that because no matter how crazy this world gets, no matter how horrible mankind can become as they sink into new depths of depravity, letting sin guide them - our God is still in control. He has a plan and it will be carried out. He will return and His Kingdom will come. That is our hope and it is our future. Making this prayer the perfect model template for reminding us that our God is Holy, Our Father and our King.

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