The Lord's Prayer - Teach Us To Pray

The Lord's Prayer is widely considered the most popular prayer. It is an important prayer to the Christian faith since it was personally taught by Jesus to his disciples. In fact, it is the only prayer that was taught by Christ. However, in spite of it's popularity, it has been relegated by many as just some words to recite. Whether it is at church or a secular recovery meeting such as AA and NA, it has become a little more than a tradition or some ritual prayer by most who know it. 

It is my hope and prayer that as we take a closer look at the very words spoken by Christ as he taught this prayer in the middle of his Sermon on the Mount, we will remember what it actually means and that it will begin to flow from our heart before it even reaches our lips. 

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 6:9-13

After Jesus tells his listeners how they should not pray (Matthew 6:5-8), he then begins with, "Pray then like this." These four words has caused some to simply see this prayer like a template for their own prayers, and nothing more. If we do that, this prayer is nothing but a formula. We can convince ourselves that if we have the right formula in prayer, than we will receive more positive responses from God to our prayers. I know I have done that before. 

Our Father in heaven, hollowed be your name. (v9)

We begin by addressing God as "our Father". It is vital to understand that while God has created each one of us in his image, not all of us are his children. Jesus is the only begotten Son, but it is only those who call on the name of the Lord who will be saved. (Romans 10:13) Those who are saved have received the spirit of adoption (Galatians 4:4-7). The offer of adoption is open to everyone. Yet, we can only come to be adopted into the family of God by his standard. It is very exclusive, yet open to all only through Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

It is when we begin to experience Christ in our life that we begin to remind ourselves that God is holy, and his name is hallowed (holy and consecrated; greatly revered and honoured). Jesus is showing us just how sacred God's name is. He then continues with, 

"Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven". (v10)

This is not an invitation to bring heaven to Earth. Jesus said often that his Kingdom is not of this world. But it is to be a declaration of our desire to elevate our worship to match the worship of those in the very presence of the throne of God. How is the will of God done in heaven? In Heaven, God's will is perfectly and joyfully accomplished by the angels, who are loyal and submissive servants. Their obedience is complete, immediate, and without any resistance or complaint. God is served with perfect obedience, his commands are done without hesitation.

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. (v11)

Asking our heavenly Father to give us our daily bread is asking him to provide for me today what I need for today. If I learned one thing during the 14 years that I was homeless and living on the streets is that I was unable to be content with what I had for that day. It's been several years since I was homeless yet I still struggle with being content with what I have. The problem of not trusting the provision of God is actually as old as the people of Israel. In the wilderness, when the Israelites were hungry, God fed them bread from heaven. They called it manna. The instructions were to collect every day what was needed for that day.  Anyone who took more than they could use would find in the morning then anything left over was infested with worms and it was rotting (Ex 16:19-28).

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. (v12)

This verse has a lot of weight to it. We are asking God to forgive us by the same standard we forgive others. What I struggle with is the knowledge that I don't forgive everyone when they have wronged me. I do not forgive those who have wronged me repeatedly. I try to forgive others completely. Yet I expect God to automatically forgive me when repent. And he will according to 1 John 1:9.

"When forgiving is hard, Your cross is where I start." - David Kamashian (from the poem; My Prayer)

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. (v13)

God leads no one into temptation nor will he tempt anyone (1 Cor 10:13). One of the most common temptations we face is the refusal to forgive. We have been wronged and feel that their forgiveness must be earned in order for it to be deserved. However, I will never be able to undo the damage I have done to others. While I can make amends for what I did, the damage is still there.

But God is faithful. He will always provide a way of escape from all our temptation so that we may victoriously endure. That way is The Way, Christ Jesus. And just as he rescued Peter in his moment of doubt (Matt 14:30), Jesus will come to us if we call on his name.

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13

This is the promise of the power of God to those who have surrendered to Christ. 

Immediately following his teaching of the Lord's Prayer, Christ shares with his listeners how serious our heavenly Father actually is about forgiveness. Here it is;

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matt 6:14-15)

In Matthew 18:21-35, you can an illustration Jesus told of the fate of a servant who had been forgiven but refused to forgive another. Throughout Scripture we will see that God takes himself more seriously than we tend to do. 

So, after taking a serious look at what Jesus said when he taught the Lord's Prayer, how will this change your relationship with Christ? Are you truly a child of God? Is his name holy and something that you is that something you take serious and does it fill your soul with awe and wonder? Are you learning to be content because who he is? (Phil 4:6-8, 13, 19) How am I becoming more like Christ when it comes to forgiving others? Do I face temptation with God's guidance on my mind, or is God just my backup plan? Am I relying on God to deliver me from my selfish nature and the evil within me? (Rom 7:17-18)