Praying the Lord’s pray
Jesus teach His disciples to pray like this, because the Lord’s prayer directs us to God as our Father, who love us and is the only true Living God who is worthy of all worship. This prayer also address the needs of us as the children of God in order for us to stay within the relationship with our Father in Heaven.
Our Father who art in heaven,
The plural “our Father” takes us away from our self centered thinking by including every one who are children of God. But He is also my Father, who cares for me. God in heaven is a Father with whom we can have an intimate relationship. He is not far off, but as close as a father. Jesus himself called God Father. Jesus could have used any of the other titles of God, but he chose to teach us to call him Father and reveals an intimate relationship. You know that you belong to God when you pray our Father and that He is not the judge waiting to punish us, He is our Father who loves us.
Hallowed be your name.
Hallowed means holy, let Your Name be holy in my thoughts, conversations this day. Also in my praying.Not praying about my concerns focusing on God, worshipping Him. God dwells in the worship of his people (Ps 22:3) Babies run to parents because they want something, older children talk to their parents as we mature we learn that love is reciprocal.The Names of God, recognizing who he is and what he has done for you.God had three primary names in the Old Testament. Elohim, God the Mighty creator; Yahweh, The Lord who is the covenant-keeping one; Adonai, Master, who rules our lives. When you pray Hallowed be your name you are making the presence of God real in your heart. You are placing God on the throne of your heart, recognizing who God is. Giving God the respect due to him, the honor he deserves (Exodus 34:5-7).God’s glory is greater than your problems or needs, or fears or anything you can do for him. When we pray this way we become God conscious. Prayer should bring glory to God. The purpose of the Lord’s prayer is to set God in his rightful place in our lives, it is not primarily about getting things, it is about putting God on the throne of our lives and on earth as in heaven. Focus your mind on God and keep it there until you understand the greatness of him. Worship is a choice. When you go to God with your worship He comes to help you with your problems. When you need understanding, your Father will understand you, when you feel lonely, your father is your helper and friend. When you have failed, God will forgive and encourage you.
Thy Kingdom come
The purpose of prayer is not to further our own kingdoms and our own will, but to align ourselves with God’s agenda and his purpose. We recognize that God is the ruler of our lives …God has a kingdom He rules. When you pray Thy Kingdom come (1)You are inviting God to rule in you, accepting to adhere by his principals as in heaven. Mat 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (2)You are asking for the spread of the gospel, a prayer for souls, winning the unsaved. For missionaries and mission fields, (3) You are asking for the return of Jesus to establish his kingdom on earth. His kingdom will manifest but until then His kingdom rules in the hearts of those who accept him and yield themselves to him. You are asking His kingdom to be manifested through your life, you are asking God to teach you how to live by his principals as ambassadors to His Kingdom. By praying the Lord’s prayer you can make a difference it takes time for God’s kingdom principals to take root in your life.
Thy will be done.
When you pray thy will be done you are asking for God’s will to be done in your life on earth as His will is done in heaven… God has a plan for your personal life.. You confess that there is a big difference between heaven and earth.You are surrendering your will to your King…you tell God to go ahead with his plan for your life as you trust Him to guide you in your daily decisions. God can see the big picture… You are willing to accomplish the desires of God. God’s commands are also an expression of his will. “be holy as I am holy” is a command… You are asking God to help you to obey his commands… you know that you cannot do what your Father wants without His help. When you pray this prayer daily it is a conscious decision to let Christ direct your life. 1)You ask God to help you find his plan for your life2) help you understand his plan3) help you submit to his plan4) help you accomplish his planYou ask God to show you what to do… ask God to change the world according to his plan.Yield your attitude to God.. yield your money to God… your time. Not only outward surrender. Not passive resignation of whatever-will-be-will-be… you actively submit to his plan with joyful anticipation.The Lord’s prayer teaches us not to rush into His presence like a child babbling about our problems, we are taught to come into His presence to glorify him, to acknowledge his agenda and to seek his will.
On earth as in heaven
Jesus told us to ask for three things to be done on earth as in heaven. 1) For God to be glorified in sinful earth as He is worshipped in the perfection of heaven. 2) For God’s principals to rule stubborn earth as they do under His reign in heaven. 3) For God’s perfect will to be done on imperfect earth as it is done in heaven. This sentence is included to show us how necessary it is that we ask.. to stretch our faith, our expectations and our prayers… to want the best from God. How is God’s will done in heaven? Instantaneous. Completely. Purposefully. Gladly. Eagerly…anxiously sought. Wholeheartedly.. for today and every day of your life. God’s will is the only priority in heaven. You cannot ask for the last petitions until you establish the priorities of the first three. “Thy Kingdom come” puts us immediately in direct confrontation with the kingdom of evil that opposes God’s rule in the hearts of man. When we pray this we pray that everything that Satan puts in the way of God’s kingdom shall be removed and for missionaries to go out into the whole world to bring the Gospel.”Thy will be done on earth” I cannot say this if there are any reservations in my heart concerning God’s will. Our confidence in prayer should never be because of our familiarity with the right words to use, but by fellowship with the heart of God. Prayer will not penetrate to God if I am acting presumptuously. (Deut.1:45) Tears of self-pity never persuade God, but only true repentancePrayer will not penetrate if I reject His kingship. (1 Sam.8:18) To persist in a self-chosen way is fatal. When I attend to the rebellion in my heart God will hear me.Prayer will not penetrate if I purposely refuse to help the needy. (Prov.21:13) Let me show real regard for God’s needy and he will hear me.Prayer will not penetrate if I regard iniquity in my heart.
Give us this day our daily bread
You can ask for bread only after you worship His name, live by kingdom principals and submit to His will in your life.Bread stands for all the physical things we need in life… money…time.. a job..the roof over our heads…the clothes on our backs. Many of us have taken bread for granted, but if you needed bread more than anything else you would have asked with all your heart.God created people with needs so that we would look to him to supply them. If we had no needs we would not grow. Our needs make us do what God commanded Adam Gen 1:28 And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue itMost people eat bread to satisfy their personal needs, but there is a bigger goal. 1Cor. 10:31 “Whether therefore you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”The bottom line in all prayer is “Hallowed be thy name. When you pray ‘give us our daily bread you ask that his name will be glorified in the provision of our needs. The same God who controls the universe is personally concerned about our individual needs as well.When you ask for ‘this day’ you are expressing ultimate confidence in God, recognizing that he is your Father, that he will put bread on the table. Worry is another word for doubt. You doubt God’s care when you worry about provision. Ants do not worry they prepare.Does God supply all we need, or all we want. Prov 30:8 give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, When we have too much bread we forget the source of our bread, who is God.
Forgive us our debts.
Many believers rush into God’s presence with their shopping list, others feel so guilty about sin that they want to begin with confession, but even though sin blocks our fellowship with God it is not the way to begin. We have to worship God first, second you seek to live by his kingdom, third you ask for guidance, forth ask for daily bread. Then you are ready to confront the sin in your life.Forgiveness is God’s greatest accomplishment and man’s greatest need.When you are praying forgive us our debts you are praying as the child who have not lived up to the expectations of the father. You are saying I’m sorry so that you can have fellowship again. You are already a Christian who calls God Father. The relationship is intact, but the father is disappointed. God’s children do not always do God’s will. We break fellowship by disobeying Him…When we do the opposite of God’s will…by ignoring Him.Why ‘debts’? The word represents how much we owe to someone.. obligations. Not ‘sins’ because our sins have been forgiven when we became Christians. Debts is also the consequences of our sins… also involves other people. When you tell a lie it hurts your self esteem, it hurts another and it offends God.If you are a child of God you cannot really sin without feeling guilty even though you may have been guilty of the same sin before you became a Christian without feeling guilt.. Now you have God’s nature. Pray daily to take care of the sins that crept into your lives… God may use the prayer to reveal a sin that you have been unaware of and may have blocked your ability to talk to Him. Guilt robs you of heaven and health.. produces self-doubt, anxiety and stress. When you are asking forgiveness you are telling the truth to God and yourself,, you are restoring your self respect and you relationship with the Lord. Godly sorrow is meaning it with your heart 2Co 7:10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. Meaning it so deeply that you never want to do it again, followed with an outward determination to change. God will forgive because he said so 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Forgiveness is God taking away sin, covering sin Ps. 85:2 You forgave the iniquity of your people; you covered all their sin. Blotting out our sins Isa.43:25 I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins. Forgetting our sin. Eph.1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.
As we forgive our debtors.
You bring other people into the relationship between you and the Father. Forgiveness is a circle… what you give is what you get. Forgiveness begins with God..He forgives first and then we follow his example to demonstrate that we really have been forgiven. We do not forgive to make the other person feel good, but for our own healing.. when we forgive the issue is between the other person and God. One way of showing our gratitude to God for forgiving us is to forgive others.. After forgiving the person pray for that person. When you pray for someone you cannot bear a grudge.
Lead us not into temptation
“Don’t let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”There is an enemy that wants to destroy you… there is the possibility that you may fall. God wants us to be winners and he wants to help us avoid the dangers and temptations. We have to lean hard on God for survival.”Forgive us our debts focuses on past sins, while lead us not into temptation focuses on future sins… potential sins. When you pray; Lead us …you are recognizing that God is your leader, that you need a Divine leader, that the Lord leads us like a shepherd (Ps 23) and you ask that He must not give up his leadership. God would never tempt us Jas.1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. This is the cry of the heart that has experienced the devastation of sin, a heart that feels threatened by sin. Life is a test and a choice. When we are tempted we have a choice to resist or to give in. We pray “Lord, do not let me face a temptation that is too big for me. We recognize the fact that it is possible for Christians to fall away from God… Satan sets a trap for every believer, aimed at our weaknesses.. 1Jn 2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world–the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions–is not from the Father but is from the world. “love not the world” refers to anti-God thinking, experiences and living contrary to God’s design. ” desires of the flesh”… God wants our bodies free to serve Him. “desires of the eyes” ..desiring things that are not yours, coveting. “the pride of life” putting self on the throne of our lives. You are asking for a life of victory. (2 Cor.2:14) God wants us to aim at perfection although he realizes that we are not perfect and we live in a world where no one is perfect. Sin is rebellion against God and his standards it is not only a mistake.When you are tempted to sin you are facing the greatest test of your life… Temptation is a test to determine if you will to be faithful to God or deny Him. When Jesus told us to pray ‘lead us not..’ He was giving us a key to overcome our sinful nature. When you are pray this you are praying for sanctification (sanctify means to set apart or make holy) (1 Thess. 5:23)You are establishing a watchful attitude over you spiritual life. You are asking for ongoing protection, you are asking for the courage to say no in a crisis, that God will have a way out. 1 Cor. 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. You acknowledge that in yourself you can fall but trust God to lead you away from the temptation so you won’t fall. You are recognizing that the leadership of God can give you victory in a moral test. The night before Jesus died he prayed.. “keep them from the evil” (John 17:15)Jesus is still praying for us. Heb. 7:25
Deliver us from evil
Because satan is trying to destroy everyone belonging to God, all of us should pray daily the Lord’s prayer for protection. When you pray deliver us from the evil one we admit that this life is a struggle with an enemy who opposes us…. It is warfare.. winning or loosing… life is a battlefield between two competitive forces.. When believers give in to sin they become tools of Satan.. it is the enemy’s way of hurting God. 2Cor. 2:11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. Satan has blinded many Christians about his work. The name Satan means adversary. Many believers think they can do nothing against satan but can only surrender under his attack others are terrified to think of his influence on them.(Witch Doctors) The Bible claims Greater is He who is in me…1 John 4:4 for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. When you pray ‘deliver… you are turning your problem over to God… you ask God to shield your life. God has revealed certain principals that can protect the Christian against defeat.*The principal of respect… Though Jesus is greater than the devil we should still have respect for our enemy.. we do not fear him but we respect his craftiness and guile enough to avoid him.*The principal of removal. .. Avoid those areas where temptation is most likely. 1Tim.6:11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. *The principal of resistance. A Christian is disobedient when he passively entertains satan or his influence. James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. When Jesus was tempted he used the Word and gained victory. Matt 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'” *The principal of readiness. Watch and pray (Mark 14:38) Put on the Armour (Eph 6:11)When you pray deliver… you put yourself on God’s side against the enemy… God is wiser than you and He knows how to protect you and he has the power to protect you. Ps 121:7-8 The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.
The benediction – You are making three statements.
Thine is the Kingdom
…you recognize God’s rule over your life, he is the sovereign ruler of the earth and of your life, he is the source of answered prayers, has the right to refuse your request, can and will answer prayers the way He chooses, you are submitting to be a follower in His kingdom
Thine is the power
…you are acknowledging God’s awesome ability to answer your prayer, you recognize that your are God’s servant and he is your boss, you yield yourself to whatever answer God chooses to send, you recognize that God is the Creator and Ruler of this world, that people were made in God’s image and are accountable to His natural and supernatural laws, God’s sovereignty to do what He desires, You realize that God may give you what you ask if it is His will and that he will not answer when it is contrary to His laws and purpose
For thine is the glory
… you recognize that God must get credit for all our answers to prayer, all we are, all we have and all we do. You must completely take your hands off the requests and give all credit to Him.You conclude your prayer with an expression of trust in Him to give you what you need, God’s ability to grant your request. Thine is the kingdom is a hope builder. You are telling God that you know that all things work together….(Rom 8:28) You end the prayer as you began it with praise and worship.For ever. His kingdom principals will not change or be canceled. Power will remain constant. You recognize the eternal nature of God, the one to whom you pray and you are identifying your request with His eternal plan and purpose.Amen means so be it… my prayer stands before God.. so be it.The heart of the Lords prayerHallowed be thy name…. The praise of GodThy kingdom come…. The purpose of GodThy will be done……….. The plan of God.Give us bread…………… The provision of God.Forgive us our debts……. The pardon of God.Lead us not into temptation The Power of GodDeliver us from the evil one The protection of God