The Lord's Prayer

"Pray then like this: “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 also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil."

~Matthew 8:9-13 

         

          Jesus prayed. A lot (Luke 5:16). He prayed in every situation absolutely convinced His prayers were heard and would be answered. He got up early in the morning to pray (Mark 1:35) and He prayed all night (Luke 6:12). Jesus prayed at His own baptism, He prayed prior to selecting the disciples, He prayed before He was arrested, and He prayed on the Cross. Jesus knew that His relationship with God was based on communication through a rich prayer life. So let’s look at one of Christ’s most famous prayers, The Lord’s Prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13.

          Our Father: Our prayers are directed to Father God in Heaven. There is only one God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, Creator of all things, including us. He is the one who set life into motion and is in control of all things, including our lives from before our conception throughout the rest of eternity. We have a paternal need within us, a desire to know that our Father will take care of our every need. God is the ultimate father, caring for each one of us, making sure our every need is seen to.

         Hallowed be Your name: The word “hallowed” means “holy, set apart, consecrated, to be treated as holy.” When we say “hallowed be Your name,” we are acknowledging that there is no one higher than God. We are stating that we understand God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. We are acknowledging that our lives belong to Him.

Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven: When we declare God’s will to be done on earth, we acknowledge that we are giving up our selfish, self-centered wills and are willing to accept that God knows best for us and for the whole of society. When we look around society, it’s obvious that humankind does not know what’s best and no matter how we’ve tried, we haven’t fixed any of the world’s problems. God is the only One who can fix problems in our personal lives and that of society. When we give up our stubborn wills and hand our lives over to God, we find that life gets much easier.

         Give us this day our daily bread: God is a good Father and cares for His children. We are not to worry about what we will eat or wear, God knows what we have need of and He provides for us (Matthew 6:8, 26-27). The children of Israel wandered the desert for forty years, yet they were clothed, fed, and had fresh water to drink. We do not have to fear going hungry when our lives belong to God because He cares for us (Matthew 6:31).
         And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors: We are acknowledging our need for forgiveness, but not only that, we need to forgive those who have offended us. Forgiveness is not for God and it’s not for others, forgiveness is for us. When we ask for forgiveness from God, we are acknowledging that we need Him as our Father, and we cannot continue life on our own. Each and every one of us needs forgiveness (Romans 3:23-26) in order to be received by God, and the only way to receive forgiveness is through the Blood of Jesus Christ. It is a free gift, but we still have to accept it by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Being forgiven allows us to forgive others. It’s not always easy but it is possible. Unforgiveness in our hearts blocks the flow of God through us. That God-shaped hole inside of us is meant to be filled by God alone, not by unforgiveness. When we forgive others, we free up our souls for God’s glory and our peace of mind.

        And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil: These words have probably been the most disputed, but understand, God does not “lead” us into temptation. However, He does allow temptation to come near us in order to refine us. Trouble is a fact of life and no one is immune to it. It’s how we handle the trials of life that refine our lives in Christ Jesus. When we put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:14-18), we are arming ourselves with the best weapons against the devil. God will deliver us when we have done all and choose to stand in the face of adversity.

        For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever: The Kingdom or Heaven, the Power of Heaven, and the Glory of Heaven is God, is of God, belongs to God, was brought to earth when Jesus Christ was born, and was shared with us when Christ died on the Cross. Praise the Lord for sharing His kingdom, His power, and His glory with you. Amen: So be it!

(From Keys Of Heaven by Marie McGaha © 2018 - Coming from Dancing With Bear Publishing  Fall 2018)

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