Bible Verse: This, then, is how you should 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 today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Matthew 6:9-13
Scripture Reading: Luke 11:1-4; Romans 8:15–16; Proverbs 18:10; Matthew 6:33; Psalm 121:1–2; 1 John 1:9
Jesus’ disciples must have noticed that their Master had a unique and productive prayer life. The disciples likely grew up memorizing Hebrew prayers, but they asked Jesus to teach them how He prayed. There is no one better qualified to teach about prayer than Jesus Himself.
Jesus taught us to pray like this:
“Our Father in heaven…”
- You connect with God relationally.
- God wants to be called “Father.”
- Your view of God determines the depth of your relationship with God.
“…hallowed (holy) be Your Name…”
- We worship God’s Name – a name carries power and authority. His Name is above all.
- God is known by many Hebrew names in the Scriptures. Each name describes a part of His character. There is not a need you have in life that is not already addressed by one of His wonderful names.
- Spend time worshiping who He is before you ask Him to do anything.
“…Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
- Learn to pray God’s agenda first (Matthew 6:33).
- Do not make your prayer only about you.
“Give us today our daily bread.”
- Learn to pray your agenda second.
- Pray for what you need even if you don’t think you need it. Asking for help from His hand teaches us reliance on Him.
- God wants to be your Provider. Your prayers invite Him into that role for you.
“Forgive us our debts (sins), as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
- Keep your heart right with God and with other people.
- Two traps Jesus warns us to pray against:
- Becoming desensitized to our own sin.
- Offense and unforgiveness towards others.
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
- We ask for God’s help to follow God’s agenda – making right decisions and not sinning.
- Satan has his own agenda for us – we want to avoid it.
- We ask God to deliver and protect us – in advance.
The Lord’s Prayer is so much more than a powerful recitation or beautiful song. Every phrase Jesus taught us contains truth about who God is and what He wants us to ask for. We should make good use of our Lord’s teaching on prayer.
Prayer: Father, thank you for the invitation to have a personal time with you through prayer. I am grateful that Jesus taught us how to approach you through prayer. Help me to adapt to what Jesus’ taught me and build my prayer life on His words. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Reflection: Prayer is God’s idea. He wants you to know how to approach Him, and Jesus took the time to teach us clearly how we can pray. Take some time to focus on each phrase in the Lord’s Prayer. Pray them slowly and carefully, and let the Holy Spirit give you more words to pray.
Copyright © 2023 Impactus. All rights reserved.
About
