Jesus spent approximately 3 years in public ministry during His 33 years on earth. Throughout those 36 months there were 12 men who were a part of His traveling ministry team. They saw first-hand how Jesus healed lepers, fed multitudes, opened blinded eyes, cast out demons, caused the lame to walk, and even raised the dead to life. They literally sat at His feet as He taught with never seen before authority and integrity about how to truly live a life that pleases God. They could have asked Jesus to teach them to do any of these things, but we have no record of them doing so. The ONE thing they did ask Jesus to teach them to do was this:
“Lord, teach us to PRAY……” (Luke 11:1)
They saw how He took time away from the crowds to talk with God. They heard for themselves how He, on occasion, talked with His Father with other people around to hear. They realized there was a direct correlation between how He prayed and what He performed. They understood that if they learned how to pray as Jesus prayed, then they would be able to do what He wanted them to do. I agree with them!
Jesus gave His disciples a model 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 this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and power and the glory forever.
Amen.”
Matthew 6:9-13 NKJV
As a child I memorized and repeated this prayer often. Even as an adult I’ve been in services where the audience was led to recite this in meaningful ways, but my understanding of this prayer changed when I took a closer look at the words and their order.
Jesus’ model prayer begins with RELATIONSHIP: “Our Father in Heaven” As we approach any conversation with God, the FIRST thing we need to understand is the marvelous family relationship He wants to have with us! The lyrics of a popular song by Chris Tomlin express it well: “You’re a good, good Father! And I’m loved by You!” The Apostle Paul said it even better:
“For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father’. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” Romans 8:15-16
The foundation of prayer is not obligation, manipulation, or coercion. It is the love of a father and child coming together in conversation!
The next part of prayer includes RESPECT: “Hallowed be Your name.” God is, indeed, love. He is also holy, just, all-knowing, all-powerful, and almighty. And He is to be honored as such! We live at a time where disrespect of authority is popularized by many sitcoms, movies, and cartoons. There is not room for such nonsense as we approach God in prayer.
By this point in my prayer I’m usually ready to bombard God with all the things I need, or at least think I need, but Jesus doesn’t put that next in His model prayer. Here are His words:
“Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” In other words, before I start rattling off my list of needs/wants, which God is truly concerned about, I need to REPORT FOR DUTY. I need to ask Him what He wants from me. I need to position myself in submission to His will before I let Him know mine. Jesus modeled this in the Garden of Gethsemane. We should do the same.
Jesus’ next words include what is usually most pressing on our hearts. Our REQUESTS: “Give us this day our daily bread.” God knows we have needs and takes great pleasure in both hearing about and meeting them! There is absolutely nothing wrong with pouring your heart out to Him with requests. Remember, He is our “Good, Good Father” and wants to bless us in ways that bring honor to Him, so don’t be afraid to ask!
Jesus goes on to highlight in His model prayer our need for REPENTANCE: “Forgive us our debts as we forgive those indebted to us”. There is a high likelihood that while we are praying God will show us some areas where we have fallen short. He does this not to shame us, but to redeem us! This is the time to confess, repent, and receive forgiveness for yourself. It is also the time to ask for the grace to extend that same forgiveness to anyone who has sinned against you.
A vital part of prayer is RECEIVING POWER from God: “And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.” We are going to face more temptations. Some of them we are prone to run in to willingly because we are weak. God will give us grace to do better. Ask. Other temptations are coming our way because God allows them in our lives to make us stronger. God will give us strength to endure. Seek! Deliverance from temptation is available to the child of God. Knock!
Jesus concludes this model prayer with REVERENCE: “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” I will end this blog the same way we should end each prayer; with the understanding that this really is all about HIM!
For HIS Glory,
Bro. Ray
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