What the Lord's Prayer Can Teach Us

Read Matthew 6:9-13

Continuing 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, Mark 1:35, John 17), the Lord's Prayer gives us a template for the correct way to approach God and what our prayers should look like. If you are new to prayer The Lord's Prayer is a good example to follow. But, as you grow in your faith so will your prayers and your relationship with God. You will find that you are praying "without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and your prayers will be more specific. But the basic approach to prayer that Jesus' gives us in Matthew 6:9-13 is a good one to follow.

Our Father which art in Heaven,
​Hallowed be 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 He is King of the Universe. This opening line 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.

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

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? Jesus often said that the Kingdom of Heaven or God was at hand (Mark 1:15, Luke 21:31). So when we pray for God's Kingdom to come, we are praying that we, as believers, will conform to His will, not our own. Thus, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven," is a reminder to all believers to seek God first in everything so that we may remain obedient to Him. This is a good time to be silent before God and allow Him to speak to you on how you are doing.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Did you notice that we are only to ask for what we need for the day? Jesus often told us not to worry. Borrowing trouble from tomorrow will only wear us down. We are so worried about our children, family and friends that we want to bundle them all up in one prayer to ensure we "got them covered." But Jesus says to only ask for what you need for the day. If you have found prayer a chore, it is probably because your prayer list is a mile long. God knows our needs and the needs of those we love. Ask for what you need for the day for yourself and those you pray for, and trust God to take care of it.​

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. This debt for our sin was paid on the cross through Jesus' death. Therefore, we also forgive our "debtors," those who sin against us, because we are all guilty of sin and need 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 Lead us not into Temptation
​ but Deliver us from Evil

Does God lead us into the 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 which 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)
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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 allows us to go through these trials to 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 in control. We can take comfort in that because God is still in control no matter how horrible this world gets. God has a plan that will be carried out despite what humans will say or do. Making this prayer the perfect model template for reminding us that our God is Holy, still in control, our Father and our King.