Matthew 6:9-15
Learning How to Pray

"We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power. We have a great deal of activity but we accomplish little; many services but few conversions; much machinery but few results."   R. A. Torrey

What do you pray about the most? What is a typical time in prayer like for you? What do you do during your time of prayer? Is there a specific posture you adopt, etc.? What is your greatest hindrance in prayer?

The Lord's Prayer is actually a MODEL prayer instructing disciples how to pray. While it is fine to recite this prayer with meaning, it is actually to be used as an outline or rule of thumb for prayer. It only has meaning in the context of the life of the Christian disciple.

The order of the petitions in the prayer is significant. The how and why of the way the phrases are arrayed point out the basic pattern of prayer.

The first phrases focus exclusively on God and God's glory.

The second set of phrases focus on ourselves and our needs.

So prayer as shown here puts God in the first place. It is not so much about getting God to do what we want, but God getting us to do what HE wants, conforming our will to God's will. Someone has rightly said that "Prayer changes the pray-er!"

The petitions which deal with human needs address three essential areas of life:

Bread - the maintenance of life

Relationship - forgiveness and restoration of the relationships with God and other people.

Help in testing/trouble.

These three areas cover present, past and future concerns.

Our Father in heaven

1. This phrase reveals that Christians have a family relationship with God. God loves us and protects us and provides for us as his own dear children. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him... Psalm 103:13

2. It also reveals that other believers are our close kin.

3. Since we call God father it shows what we are special and important people. No one is insignificant who has God as Father.

4. Calling God "Father" does not diminish God's splendor, but it does elevate humanity!

5. "In heaven" reminds us that God is absolutely HOLY and to all powerful.

Hallowed be your name

1. Holy means that God is OTHER, set apart, unique in purity.

2. In the Hebrew understanding "name" is synonymous with the inner character of the person. So this petition is a prayer that God be honored as holy.

3. It is a prayer for reverence. Reverence involves giving honor to God, an awareness of God, and obedience to God.

Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

1. The kingdom is that society upon earth where God's will is perfectly done as in heaven (Wm. Barclay).

2. The prayer prevents us from ignoring the importance of seeking to bring the influence of God to bear on society.

Give us today our daily bread.

1. Reminds us that God sustains our life from moment to moment.

2. Reminds us that God provides for our NEEDS for the immediate future. This keeps us from worrying about the far future and develops dependence on God.

3. It also shows that God cares for the human body. God is not just interested in the "soul" or "spirit" but in the totality of human existence.

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors... 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

1. Since this is in the disciple's prayer it is an admission that Christians do in fact sin and need to repent and be forgiven. Christians are not sinless people!

2. Greek words for sin:
Hamartia = missing the mark (a shooting term)
Parabasis = "stepping across" the line from good to evil
Paratoma = "slipping across", not such a deliberate act as a slip up
Anomia = "lawlessness", intentionally flaunting the law of God
Opheileme = "debt", the failure to pay what is due. This is what is used here in the Lord's prayer.

3. We are actually praying to be forgiven in direct proportion to our forgiveness for others!

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

1. Temptation is not just a seduction to sin, but also a testing of our commitment to God.

2. Temptation is not meant by God to break us, but to make us stronger.

3. This petition recognizes the reality of a personal evil presence in the world.

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