We have all heard the Lord’s Prayer atleast once in our lives, for some it was just something your parents made you learn as a child. But do you really understand why this prayer is so important? It is called the “Lord’s Prayer” because Jesus gave this prayer to the disciples as a model for them (and us) to keep in mind as we pray. Let’s take a look at the these verses in Matthew 6:9-14, then we will break down its meaning verse by verse:
Matthew 6:9. This, then, is how you should pray:
“Our father in heaven, hallowed be thy name, 10.your kingdom come your will be done, on earth as it is heaven 11. give us this day our daily bread. 12.Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
*and I want to add 14.For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
6:9 The phrase “Our Father in heaven” indicates that God is not only majestic and holy, but also personal and loving. The first line is a statement of praise to honor God’s name, and we can do that by being careful to use it respectfully.
6:10 “Your kingdom come” is a reference to God’s spiritual reign. When we pray “your will be done” we are praying that God’s perfect purpose will be accomplished in this world as well as in the next. This part of the prayer allows us to offer ourselves as doers of God’s will, asking him to guide, lead, and give us the means to accomplish his purposes.
6:11 When we pray “Give us today our daily bread”, we are acknowledging that God is our sustainer and provider.
6:13 “And lead us not into temptation”, god does not lead us into temptations, but sometimes he allows us to be tested by them. We should pray to be delivered from these trying times and for deliverance from Satan and his deceit.
6:14 Whenever we ask God to forgive us for sin we should ask ourselves “Have I forgiven the people who have wronged me?” When we don’t forgive others we are denying ourselves the progression of “moving on”.
(Reference from NIV Life Study Application Bible)
Let us pray:
Dear Lord God, we want to thank you for just being who you are and being the head over our life. We come before you today with a hunger and thirst to build a better relationship with you through one of your spiritual disciplines called prayer. Lord as we begin to embark on this Christian journey with you, we recognize that prayer changes things and we are asking that you would give us the spirit of discernment of what to say. Lord we know that the world around us is trying to desensitize your Word and have us to think that our prayer is meaningless. So Lord God, protect our mind and keep us focused on you as we continue to walk in your love. Dear God there are some people that may have wronged us or made us feel like our walk with you is in vain so we ask that you help us to forgive those who tried to become our stumbling block and may have hurt us along the way so that we can possibly help them in the future become closer to you. These and other blessings we ask in your son Jesus Name. Amen.
Starving Christians 