Reflecting on Truth #41

Q: What is the Lord’s Prayer?

A: 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 evil.

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. . . .” (Matthew 6:9)

Why does this matter?

When the God Incarnate himself was asked to teach us how to pray, we might have expected a long prayer with big words. Contrary to that, Jesus, before he taught his disciples to pray, said in Matthew 6:7-8, “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

Then, he gave us a model prayer.

“Our Father in heaven”
We remember our relationship with God. He is our Father. And this is a prayer we pray together.

“hallowed be your name”
We express and remember that our primary concern is God’s glory.

“your kingdom come”
We express our anticipation for His kingdom to be finally fully established.

“your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”
We desire and pray that God’s purposes are accomplished in all of creation.

“Give us today our daily bread”
We humbly express our complete and utter dependence on Him for the simplest thing of having food to eat each new day.

“And forgive us our debts”
We confess that we fall short of His glory each day and are in constant need of His gracious mercy.

“as we also have forgiven our debtors”
To be able to pray this means we have let go of the wrong that others have done to us, in light of the mercy we ourselves have received.

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
We are in a spiritual battle. He alone can sustain, protect, strengthen and hold us fast.

What does this mean for us?

As one pastor reflects: “As long as we have breath in us, let us live to make the King’s name famous, to hallow his name, both as a church and also as individual Christians, longing for his kingdom to come. Let us long for the return of Jesus, but know that until that day comes, he will pardon our sin, he will provide our daily bread, and he will protect us from the Evil One.”

Christ himself has taught us how to pray to our Heavenly Father. Let us allow this prayer to shape our desires, our concerns, our posture, our prayers.