9 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 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
2 And He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.’”
During His earthly ministry, Jesus taught many lessons on a variety of topics. Among them, He taught His disciples how to pray. Jesus instructed them to pray privately, in their inner rooms, rather than publicly “in order to be seen by men”. He wasn’t forbidding public prayer, but rather emphasizing that the motivation of our prayers isn’t to attain personal acclaim. The foundation of our prayers lives is private prayer, the time we spend alone with the LORD.
Jesus further taught them not to use meaningless repetitions in their prayers, because prayers don’t need many words in order to be heard. In fact, the Lord already knows what those who pray are going to say before they say it. Simple, brief, sincere prayers are perfectly acceptable and perhaps even preferable to God. To that end, Jesus gave the disciples an example, which has become known to Christians as The Lord’s Prayer or The Model Prayer.
There are 2 variations of this prayer recorded in the gospels. Both are very similar to one another. The first is found in Matthew 6:9-13 and is part of “The Sermon on the Mount”. The second is in Luke 11:2-4 and is spoken just after Jesus finished praying. Many Biblical translations of Matthew include the phrase, “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” However, this sentence is not found in the earliest manuscripts of Scripture, nor is it included in Luke’s version of the prayer.
The Lord’s Prayer was not given to replace all other prayers, or to be mindlessly repeated by worshipers, but rather to illustrate the basic components of what prayer should be. It teaches us who to pray to, why to pray, what to pray for, and who is responsible for the answers we receive.
1. PRAY TO THE FATHER (Matthew 6:9a; Luke 11:2a)
While it is not a sin to pray to Jesus or even to the Holy Spirit, Jesus taught us to direct our prayers to God the Father. This is the way Jesus Himself prayed. We are to ask of the Father in Jesus’ name (John 16:23-24).
2. PRAY THIS WILL HAPPEN (Matthew 6:9b-10; Luke 11:2b)
We are to hallow the LORD’s name. He is holy, and as His people should regard Him as such (Leviticus 19:2). We were created, first and foremost, to worship and glorify Him.
We are to look forward to Christ’s coming and the culmination of God’s Kingdom. In the meantime, we should work to advance the LORD’s kingdom on earth (Colossians 1:13).
We are to pray that God’s will be done in heaven and on earth. This begins with us, as we commit ourselves to live in obedience to His commands and calling upon our lives. (John 14:15)
3. ASK FOR THESE THINGS (Matthew 6:11-13a; Luke 11:3-4)
Pray for God’s provision - our daily bread. This is a reference to the manna God gave the Hebrew children during the exodus. We don’t need an abundant supply, just a sufficient one. (Philippians 4:19)
Pray for God’s forgiveness, as we forgive others. Seeking forgiveness regularly is like taking a bath and is critical to maintaining a close fellowship with God and an effective witness for Him. (1 John 1:9)
Pray for God’s direction and leading, especially to avoid temptation and sin (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Pray for God’s protection and deliverance (Psalm 121:7-8).
4. GIVE GOD THE PRAISE (Matthew 6:13b)
We should ascribe all of the glory, the blessings, the honor, the credit, and praise to God alone because He is worthy (Revelation 4:11)!
CONCLUSION
Many people view prayer as a way to get the things they want from God. This is completely backwards. Jesus taught that prayer is seeking God’s enabling in order to do the things He wants from us. We are to pray for His provision, His forgiveness, His direction, and His protection as we seek to hallow His Name, advance His kingdom, and accomplish His will. When we begin to pray this way, it will transform our lives.
2 And He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.’”
During His earthly ministry, Jesus taught many lessons on a variety of topics. Among them, He taught His disciples how to pray. Jesus instructed them to pray privately, in their inner rooms, rather than publicly “in order to be seen by men”. He wasn’t forbidding public prayer, but rather emphasizing that the motivation of our prayers isn’t to attain personal acclaim. The foundation of our prayers lives is private prayer, the time we spend alone with the LORD.
Jesus further taught them not to use meaningless repetitions in their prayers, because prayers don’t need many words in order to be heard. In fact, the Lord already knows what those who pray are going to say before they say it. Simple, brief, sincere prayers are perfectly acceptable and perhaps even preferable to God. To that end, Jesus gave the disciples an example, which has become known to Christians as The Lord’s Prayer or The Model Prayer.
There are 2 variations of this prayer recorded in the gospels. Both are very similar to one another. The first is found in Matthew 6:9-13 and is part of “The Sermon on the Mount”. The second is in Luke 11:2-4 and is spoken just after Jesus finished praying. Many Biblical translations of Matthew include the phrase, “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” However, this sentence is not found in the earliest manuscripts of Scripture, nor is it included in Luke’s version of the prayer.
The Lord’s Prayer was not given to replace all other prayers, or to be mindlessly repeated by worshipers, but rather to illustrate the basic components of what prayer should be. It teaches us who to pray to, why to pray, what to pray for, and who is responsible for the answers we receive.
1. PRAY TO THE FATHER (Matthew 6:9a; Luke 11:2a)
While it is not a sin to pray to Jesus or even to the Holy Spirit, Jesus taught us to direct our prayers to God the Father. This is the way Jesus Himself prayed. We are to ask of the Father in Jesus’ name (John 16:23-24).
2. PRAY THIS WILL HAPPEN (Matthew 6:9b-10; Luke 11:2b)
We are to hallow the LORD’s name. He is holy, and as His people should regard Him as such (Leviticus 19:2). We were created, first and foremost, to worship and glorify Him.
We are to look forward to Christ’s coming and the culmination of God’s Kingdom. In the meantime, we should work to advance the LORD’s kingdom on earth (Colossians 1:13).
We are to pray that God’s will be done in heaven and on earth. This begins with us, as we commit ourselves to live in obedience to His commands and calling upon our lives. (John 14:15)
3. ASK FOR THESE THINGS (Matthew 6:11-13a; Luke 11:3-4)
Pray for God’s provision - our daily bread. This is a reference to the manna God gave the Hebrew children during the exodus. We don’t need an abundant supply, just a sufficient one. (Philippians 4:19)
Pray for God’s forgiveness, as we forgive others. Seeking forgiveness regularly is like taking a bath and is critical to maintaining a close fellowship with God and an effective witness for Him. (1 John 1:9)
Pray for God’s direction and leading, especially to avoid temptation and sin (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Pray for God’s protection and deliverance (Psalm 121:7-8).
4. GIVE GOD THE PRAISE (Matthew 6:13b)
We should ascribe all of the glory, the blessings, the honor, the credit, and praise to God alone because He is worthy (Revelation 4:11)!
CONCLUSION
Many people view prayer as a way to get the things they want from God. This is completely backwards. Jesus taught that prayer is seeking God’s enabling in order to do the things He wants from us. We are to pray for His provision, His forgiveness, His direction, and His protection as we seek to hallow His Name, advance His kingdom, and accomplish His will. When we begin to pray this way, it will transform our lives.