Pray then like this… Matthew 6:9 ESV1
Read Matthew 6:6-15 & Luke 11:2-4
If you have been around Christianity for any length of time, you are probably familiar with the Lord’s Prayer. You may have repeated several times with others in church services, on your own in times of need, or even at an occasional sporting event. With as many times as you have heard and said it, you probably even have it memorized. But did you ever consider that you may not be using the Lord’s Prayer the way the Lord intended?
I do not believe Jesus intended this prayer to be repeated by mass numbers of people in unison. Why else would He have said in this very passage, “‘When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you’” (Matthew 6:6)? Now, that doesn’t mean we are to never pray with others. Jesus also said, “‘Where two or three are gathered in My Name, there I am among them’” (Matthew 18:20). The Scriptures records other examples of amazing things happening when believers gathered together to pray, two of which are the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (see Acts 1:12-14 & Acts 2:1-12) and the miraculous release of Peter from prison (see Acts 12:3-19). Clearly, we are to pray with other believers, but I don’t think that means merely reciting a memorized prayer together.
In fact, I don’t think Jesus is interested in our repeating any memorized prayer. He instructed, “‘When you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard for their many words’” (Matthew 6:7). Aren’t we doing exactly what Jesus told us not to do when we mindlessly repeat the phrases of the Lord’s Prayer? And when we say this prayer because we believe it somehow “magically” meets God’s requirements, how is that thought any different from the desperate attempts to be noticed by God mentioned in the above verse?
So, why did Jesus teach His disciples to pray this way? Why is this prayer recorded in the Bible? I do not believe Jesus is giving His followers (past, present, and future) specific words to pray, but He is showing a pattern for prayer and sharing some specific truths about prayer. Let me explain by digging deeper into each of the phrases of the Lord’s Prayer.
Our Father in Heaven …
With this introduction, Jesus is showing us that prayer is relational; we can have a deep and personal connection with God. If we have committed our lives to Christ, we are children of God. We, right along with Jesus and all of our brothers and sisters in Christ, get to address God as “Father”. We “have received the Spirit of adoption as sons…fellow heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:15-17). What an amazing nugget of truth stored right here for everyone who looks to see.
Hallowed be Your Name …
Hallowed means to be regarded as holy. Prayer should primarily be about God. Does that surprise you? So often our prayers are nothing more than a wish list presented to what we believe to be a Santa-Claus-like deity. Jesus is sharing a secret with us here. Take a moment to think about everything you know about God’s character and abilities2. Now, imagine starting out every prayer honoring God. Suddenly, all of your worries would melt into peace and confidence. We do not bring our requests before an angry, unloving, impotent God! We speak to the Almighty, All-Knowing, Completely Loving, Sovereign, Holy, God “who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).
Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven …
We say these words, yet do we mean them? How much of our prayers are actually about what God wants? Think about it. Aren’t our prayers primarily focused on our kingdoms and our will being done? Jesus is teaching us to begin our prayers by telling God that we want what He wants, in His way, in His timing.
Basically, our main concern in prayer, and in life, for that matter, should be seeking, seeing, and showing the glory of God. Why? That sounds a little selfish of God, doesn’t it3? Not at all. God knows what He is doing. You see, when God’s Kingdom comes and His will is done, everything will be the way it should be. When everything is the way it should be, we will have everything we need and really want. “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all other things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). “Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).
Give us this day our daily bread …
Now, comes the time to focus on what we need. Yea! Yet, notice that for which we are taught we should ask–our daily bread—what we need for today. We have a tendency to hoard. We want our pantries, our bellies, our homes, our hearts, and our bank accounts overflowing. We don’t feel comfortable unless we have an abundance.
Praying only for our daily needs is actually quite radical. It is laying our lives before the mercy of God, patiently trusting He will provide what we need, when we need it, not too much, not too little, not too soon, not too late4. Peace comes from trusting God one day at a time. Simple right? Yet, it takes a lot of faith to trust God to come through at the right time, instead of on our time, with what we really need.
And it takes a commitment to daily come before Him with patient expectation. But daily commitment is what relationship is all about, isn’t it? And prayer is primarily about a relationship with God. God has what we need, and He “will supply every need of [ours] according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). If we are in Christ5, we can be sure God’s got our needs covered. If we are in Christ, our wants will also be provided, because we will naturally want what He wants for us. “The eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose hearts are blameless toward Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9).
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors …
Oh, the joy of knowing that we can ask for and receive forgiveness every single day! Thank You, Jesus, that Your sacrifice covered all of our sins, past, present, and future. Thank You for Your patience and Your willingness to continually forgive. “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). But there is a catch!
Jesus teaches that we can only expect to get His forgiveness to the degree we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). Are you holding back forgiveness from anyone?
God cares about how badly you have been wounded. David said of God, “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in Your bottle. You have recorded each one in Your book” (Psalm 56:8 NLT6). Yes, God knows the agony you have experienced and how you have been wronged; He has felt the pain right along with you. It doesn’t mean what was done to you was excusable, but if you want to be forgiven by Him, He expects you to forgive! After all, you have offended Him quite badly, and He forgave you. Though it may be hard to believe, no one has done anything to us that is as bad as what we, in our sinful state, have done to Him7.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Jesus warned “His disciples, ‘Temptations to sin are sure to come’” (Luke 17:1). Good thing “God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, He will provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). God protects us from temptation by providing a safe “road” for us to walk along. But it is our choice if we want to stay on it.
“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire” (James 1:13-14). If we choose to run head-long off of a “cliff”, we are asking for trouble. “He is able to keep you from falling” (Jude 1:24 KJV8), but “’do not put the Lord your God to the test’” (Luke 4:12 NIV9). Work with God, and pay attention to the “road signs” He erects. Accept His help to walk away from temptation and stay on the “road” He has planned for you. That is what you are asking of Him when you pray these words.
So, next time you repeat the Lord’s Prayer, meditate on what you are saying. Don’t let your prayers be empty phrases. Let your prayers draw you into a closer relationship with God. Use the Lord’s Prayer as a model, and watch as He works out His plan for your life and the lives of those for whom you pray.
1Scripture quotations marked with ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All Scriptures are taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted. To aid in understanding, I have capitalized references to God.
2If you don’t know much about the character of God, I recommend, Experiencing God by Henry & Richard Blackaby and Claude King.
3If you are struggling with this concept, check out John Piper’s book, Don’t Waste Your Life.
4If you want to grow in your faith, read the intriguing life story of a faith-filled man who trusted God with daily needs, in The Autobiography of George Muller by George Muller.
5For more about being in Christ, check out Eric Ludy’s sermon, entitled “In Christ” at www.ellerslie.com.
6Scripture quotations marked NLT are from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. To aid in understanding, I have capitalized references to God.
7For help in understanding this concept read and meditate on Matthew 18:21-35.
8Scripture quotations marked KJV are from The Holy Bible, King James Version.
9Scripture quotations marked with NIV are from The Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.