The Lord's Prayer

The Lord's Prayer is found in two of the Gospels. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus disciples ask him to teach them to pray. Jesus response was what we call the Lord's Prayer, or the Our Father.

The same prayer is found in the Gospel of Matthew, as part of Jesus' magnificent teaching known as the Sermon on the Mount.

We'll follow Jesus teaching from Matthew, as we learn the Lord's Prayer...

The Prologue

Before Jesus taught his disciples the prayer, he pointed out how not to pray. It's always helpful to know what to do, and what not to do. Here's what not to do - what will make your prayer ineffective:

Do Not!

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.  Matthew 6:5 (NIV)

Don't be like the hypocrites! But what is a hypocrite? A person who says one thing but does another. These men wanted approval from men, not God. Their prayer wasn't from a humble and contrite heart, honoring God. It was a prayer from a proud heart, looking for honor for themselves.

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your father knows what you need before you ask him.  Matthew 6:7-8 (NIV)

These people did not understand God. They did not have a revelation of the nature of God. Revelation means something revealed, or made known, to a person. That's why Jesus referred to them as pagans. Because the did not understand God's nature, they had to figure out by themselves how to approach God. But even the most brilliant man or women falls short of understanding God. God must reveal himself to us. That's exactly what God did in his Word, and in his Son, Jesus.

So, these people incorrectly thought that they had to recite long prayers. And if they prayed long enough, God would hear them. How long? Who knows. Just keep going, eventually just babbling. But Jesus said, no, God already knows our needs. Jesus taught a prayer of less than 70 words, that takes only a minute or two to say. For God hears the man or woman with a humble and contrite heart:

This is the one I will esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.  Isaiah 66:2 (NIV)

Do!

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  Matthew 6:6 (NIV)

This, then, is how you should pray:  Matthew 6:9 (NIV)

The Prayer

"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.

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 Lord's Prayer is to Our Father, connecting man in a relationship to God. It is a personal relationship, a family relationship. But not everyone has God as their father. Anyone and everyone can, but requires a new birth. If you need to be born into God's family, please read this. The child honors - hallows - the name of his Father. The child desires his Fathers authority, power, and will to come to this earth, in exactly the same way it is in heaven.

The child simply asks his Father for his needs to be met. "Give us our daily bread." There is no begging, pleading, pressuring. Their is childlike faith - "My Dad will do it."

Because we make mistakes, or misbehaved (i.e., debts), we need forgiveness. So we first extend forgiveness to those who have misbehaved towards us.

And we ask our Father to protect us from the evil one - the devil. Here, on the earth, the evil one is present. But Jesus told us to be of good cheer, because he has overcome the enemy.

The Lord's Prayer is an intimate communication between a child and his or her Father. The prayer expresses love, honor, trust, and faith.

The Epilogue

After finishing the prayer, Jesus reinforces one important aspect - forgiveness. He just taught us to pray for forgiveness. But now he reveals that our receiving forgiveness only comes if we extend forgiveness. Forgiveness works on the principle of planting a seed and reaping the harvest. We must plant the seed of forgiveness to reap the harvest of God's forgiveness.

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.  Matthew 6:14-15 (NIV)

Now that you learned how to pray, now is a great time to pray, "Our Father..."