“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 (NIV)
The disciples had seen Jesus do amazing things, feeding 1000’s, teaching and healing, but what they wanted after hearing Jesus pray was to have Him teach them to pray. “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’” Luke 11:1 (NIV)
The Lord’s Prayer is the answer Jesus gave to the disciple’s request. The prayer is a model and example of the sort of prayer we are to pray. What is the point of prayer? Ultimately, what we see in the Lord’s Prayer is that the majority of the prayer, 70-80% of it is related to God–not to asking for things. Prayer is to lead us into a personal relationship with God beyond cold, hard facts. Prayer is to be…personal.
Let’s look at the Lord’s Prayer as the pattern for our own prayers:
SEEK GOD IN A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP.
“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.” Matthew 6:9 (NIV) Our Father–those two words are the whole basis of prayer. If you don’t know who God is you will have a very confused prayer life. God is who? Our Father. The original word is Abba–dad. That is amazing! God is not some impersonal force out there somewhere. God is personal, He is close. He is involved in the life of His children.
Let’s pause for a moment right here. Some will struggle with the picture of Father. Because your earthly father was not that great. My dad left. My dad walked out. My dad abandoned me. My dad was harsh. Respectfully, you do have a concept and idea of what a good Father is. How else would you know your father was a lousy father? Here’s a good Father. Jesus: Don’t measure your Heavenly Father by the standards of a human father, measure your human father by the standards of God, the perfect Father.
Hallowed–means holy. When you come to the Father, realize He is holy. He is pure. God is big. We can forget how big God is–we get busy and get into a routine, and we get distracted. But the Bible is saying: When you spend time with God in prayer, seek His presence with a worshipful heart. We get to spend time with the Creator of the universe. He is holy. He is all powerful. He is in control. He is big and we are small and it is easy to forget Him.
SEEK TO MATCH YOUR PRIORITIES WITH GOD’S PRIORITIES.
“Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Matthew 6:10 (NIV)
Jesus is saying there are two kingdoms that are at war on this earth. Darkness vs. light. Satan vs. God. Lies vs. truth. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven–In God’s Kingdom, there is peace, justice, the hungry get fed, people are reconciled, the wandering find purpose and forgiveness. Prayer brings God’s Kingdom here when we pray: Your will be done.
Prayer is not talking God into doing something. Prayer is aligning our will with God’s will, aligning our lives with God’s plan. And being able to trust Him enough to say: Your will be done. If Jesus had not lived out “Your will be done” He never would have gone to the cross, there would have been no resurrection, and no Easter.
Prayer changes us. Those who pray–change.
ASK GOD TO PROVIDE FOR YOU.
“Give us today our daily bread.”
Matthew 6:11 (NIV)
God is our provider. All we have comes from God. The reality for all of us is that God gave you breath, intellect, opportunity, and a job. And He makes the sun rise and the plants grow. So, at the end of the day, everything is still a gift. Ask God–He is the provider.
SEEK GOD’S FORGIVENESS FOR YOUR SINS.
“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Matthew 6:12 (NIV). A regular part of our prayers need to ask God for forgiveness. What do you need to ask forgiveness for today? Maybe it’s a habit. Maybe an addiction. Maybe it’s your attitude.
Also, we need to forgive others. You need to have good relationships with other people. It is startling how strongly Jesus says this. “But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:15 (NIV). Jesus is saying: You can’t pray the kind of prayer I’m talking about unless you forgive the people who do you wrong. And in verse 15—you won’t be praying like I’m showing you if you’re not forgiving.
Verse 15 is pretty scary and maybe confusing: If you don’t forgive, your Father won’t forgive you. What’s that mean? Basically, when we refuse to forgive someone deep in our heart we think we’re superior to them—thinking: I would never do something like that. It’s an attitude of superiority and self righteousness—an attitude Jesus says we have to get rid of. You’re a sinner saved by grace and you can’t hold a grudge and be self-righteous at the same time. Jesus is saying: If you won’t forgive your neighbor for what they’ve done, then that means you’re not repentant, you don’t have the right attitude toward God, and you’ve blocked your relationship with Him.
SEEK GOD’S POWER TO OVERCOME TEMPTATION.
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Matthew 6:13 (NIV). In this world there is evil. Not all things are true and good. The world is filled with sin and sinners and Satan and real evil. So, you will get led toward temptation to sin and participate in evil. So, Jesus is teaching us to pray in advance before you are tempted. What does that look like? Pray: Help me keep focused today. Help me stay on the right path today.
Prayer is not just getting what you want from Dad, it’s about having a relationship with Dad. Knowing Him, loving your Dad, and trusting your Dad. Doing what your Dad has for you–caring for people, forgiving people. Remember that God is your Dad and you’ll pray better. More often, more from the heart, more humbly, more repentantly and more joyfully.
