PRAY AFTER THIS MANNER

Matthew 6:9-13 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

When Jesus says, "After this manner therefore pray ye," He is giving us a proper example of prayer that is acceptable to God, yet it is concise and simple in form. By tradition, this prayer has become known as "The Lord's Prayer." This was not a prayer that Jesus was offering to God for Himself, because He was sinless and had no need for forgiveness. It is a model prayer; a framework around which Christians are to construct their own individual prayers and petitions to God. Here, Jesus is not commanding us to use these exact words. Neither is He limiting us to this length of prayer nor to only these specific thoughts. When our Lord said to pray in this manner, He never intended that it be repeated, word for word, or in numerous repetitions as a religious ritual. As a model, we can gain much knowledge and spiritual benefit from studying its simple, concise phrases, as we petition God in our personal prayers.

All prayers are to be addressed to our Father which art in heaven, and to Him alone. This eliminates prayers being offered to angels, "saints," Jesus, Himself, to His earthly mother, Mary, or to His apostles. We are to pray only to our heavenly Father. There must be a very tender, loving relationship between the Christian petitioner and the Creator - the God of heaven and earth. It is to take the form of a child talking to their Father - the most personal relationship that can exist. He is always near to us; within "hearing distance" of His faithful children, For in him we live, and move, and have our being (See Acts 17:27-28). God's good gifts are only a prayer away (See Luke 11:11-13).

Hallowed be Thy name. We are to reverence the name of God when we petition Him in prayer. He is the God of all creation; He is the giver of all physical and spiritual blessings; He is the sustainer of life on earth; He is the Father of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, through whom we have the hope of eternal salvation. Indeed, His name is to be revered throughout the earth, and it is with this reverence that we must approach Him in prayer.

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. The kingdom over which Jesus Christ was to rule was foreordained but had not been established at the time Jesus was delivering His "Sermon on the Mount." This kingdom was destined, not to come to any particular nation, but to each individual that would receive, through obedience to the will of God, Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the Savior of the world. At this time in the life of Christ, God's kingdom resided only in heaven. However, the establishment of His kingdom on earth was God's will from the beginning of time. The bridge that spanned God's kingdom in heaven with His kingdom on earth was His Son, Jesus Christ. God's will in heaven was done in earth with the establishment of His church over which Jesus was given dominion; His body; the church of Christ. This is one of the lessons that can be found in this example of Jesus' model prayer.

The remainder of this example prayer is given to the human needs of mankind. Give us this day our daily bread. Here we have another great lesson in prayer to God - we are to pray daily for those things that sustain our physical life on earth. We are not to pray for bread in future years to nourish our bodies. We are not to pray for His sustenance once and for all time, rather we are to seek it and give thanks for it daily. The lesson we gain is to trust in God every day to sustain our lives on earth. Our primary concern, during our sojourn on earth, is not the seeking of food to sustain our physical life, but seeking the things that bring eternal life. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. In this verse, as well as all verses included in Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus tells us what is most important in life and where it can be found. It isGod to whom we are to petition daily.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. (O)ur debts are our unfulfilled moral obligations to God and our fellow man, that is, our shortcomings of duties we should perform, and the transgressions we commitwhen we do things that are sinful in the sight of God. The lesson here is that we are to pray for the forgiveness of these debts that accumulate against us and separate us from our heavenly Father. As children, we are to obey our earthly parents (Eph. 6:1, Col. 3:20). As His adopted children, we are to become and remain obedient to our Father in heaven (Mark 7:7-9, Acts 4:19). It is to our earthly parents we go to seek forgiveness for our misdeeds, but to our heavenly Father for the forgiveness of our debts referred to in this model prayer by Jesus. Another lesson we find in this passage is that the forgiveness of our sins is dependant on our extending the same forgiveness to our fellow man. This truth Jesus fully explains in the two verses following this model prayer. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matt. 6:14-15). There are also many other teachings found in God's word to confirm this commandment, including Matthew 18:21-35, Mark 11:25-26, Luke 6:37, Ephesians 4:32, and Colossians 3:13.

And lead us not into temptation. As human beings abiding in a sinful world, God will not keep us from being exposed to all kinds of temptations, but he assures that he will not allow them to lead us astray from Him if we will seek His abiding presence in our lives. Holding the hand of a good parent, we will not be led into earthly perils and temptations. The lesson we should learn is that, when we hold the hand of our heavenly Father, and submit to His guiding counsel, He will not give us over to the temptations of life on earth. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it (1 Cor. 10:13).

(B)ut deliver us from evil. The meaning is that we are to pray to God to deliver us from the clutches of the evil one - Satan. If earnestly asked in prayer, God will deliver us out of the power and snares of Satan - He will give us the ability to overcome the wicked one (See 1 John 2:13-14). The root words that are here translated "deliver us," carries the meaning of rescuing us from the grasp of Satan - loosing the chains and bands by which Satan attempts to control the conduct of our lives. In the parable of the sower, Jesus identifies the wicked one as Satan, and the devil; as the one that comes and takes away the seeds of salvation that are sown by the wayside preventing them from germinating (See Matt. 13:19, Mark 4:15, Luke 8:12). It is from this evil that God will deliver us and for which we should constantly pray. Every good and honest heart that is earnestly seeking eternal salvation through Jesus Christ is compared to the good ground, which hears, receives, and understands the word (seed) of God, and bears fruit in His kingdom (Matt. 13:23). Indeed, God will deliver us from evil. Pray for it daily.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Although omitted from the Gospel according to Luke (See Luke 11:1-4), and by a number of other bible scholars, this phrase has great meaning and is an appropriate ending to this, "The Lord's Prayer." (T)he kingdom, and the power, and the glory for all things belongs to God; He is our Creator and the Creator of the universe as we know it today. It was created, and is governed, by His power. Therefore, the glory for this great accomplishment is reserved for its Creator. And how long is the kingdom of God to stand? The answer is here stated - it is to remain His forever - for the whole of eternity. Especially called by Jesus Christ to preach His word throughout the world, the apostle Paul gives us this fitting close to this lesson of prayer: Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God (Phil. 4:6). Amen. Dear God, let it be as Your Son has taught us in this prayer!