The Lord’s Prayer

According to scripture, "The Lord is our Father and he cares deeply for us and our well-being." Consider this, "Therefore I tell you, do not concern yourself with your life, what you will eat or your body, what you will wear. Is not there more important things in life than food and clothes." Observe the birds; they don’t sow or reap, and yet your heavenly Father feed them. Are you not more valuable than they? What man by worrying can add a single minute to his life." Matthew 6:25 (paraphrased)

"The Greek word for Father in the Lord’s prayer is "pater" which means protector. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed to the Father using the Aramaic word "Abba." Abba Father, he said, "everything is possible for you." The writer of Galatians spoke concerning God being our spiritual Father when he declared, "And because ye are sons, God hath set forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts whereby ye cry, "Abba Father." The point Jesus was stressing to his disciples then, and to us now, is that when we pray to the God of heaven, we have the privilege of calling Him Our Father.

Hallowed be thy name: Because of the magnitude of God’s greatness, various names are used which describe him and assist us in appreciating the different aspects of his nature. "Shalom: God, our peace; Zidkenu: God, our righteousness; Rophe: the God who heals; Yira: the God who sees, provides; Nissi: God, our banner, security; Rohi: God, our friend and companion. One writer summed it up by stating, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe." As we praise God for who he is, we begin to worship, adore and make holy (hallow) his name. I Chronicles 16:24 states, "Give to the Lord the glory that is due to his name."

Thy kingdom come: One must understand that the kingdom of God is within us and must have priority over everything else. Matthew 6:33 states, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness… A key fact all believers must be aware is that "it is useless to pray for God’s kingdom to come and be strengthened everywhere in the world if we do not want God to be the king in our own lives. "Asking for God’s kingdom to come," has been considered to be one of the greatest missionary prayers ever prayed, and one, which extends to every part of the globe.

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven: God’s will must have priority over our will. "Yet not as I will, but as you will…May your will be done." Matthew 26:39, 42 Being like Jesus in his desire to do God’s will is a must for believers. "My meat," in John 4:34 "is to do God’s will." Not knowing the will of God is not an excuse for his people. Paul, in the book of Ephesians, admonished us to "Discover what the will of God is." In order for the will of the Father to be carried out in our lives, we must submit our lives to Him.

Give us this day our daily bread: "Daily bread" is a prayer of dependence because we rely on him for all our needs. Not having our needs supplied physically brings about a great deal of stress and anxiety. According to the writer of Philippians, we are to "be anxious for nothing, (don’t worry about anything) but by supplication and prayer, we are to, let our requests be made known unto God and the peace which surpasses our understanding will keep our hearts and minds." When we ask God for our daily bread, we must not confine ourselves to our own household, but pray for the needs of mankind everywhere.

Forgive us our debts as we forgive those who are indebted to us: Although this verse is not mentioned first, it is by far the most profound. Jesus spoke to his disciples and explained the necessity of forgiveness. He explained to them that there is no automatic forgiveness. In order for us to receive forgiveness, we must forgive others. Many Christians, and non-Christians alike, have difficulty with this verse of scripture. It has been met with much opposition. Phrases like the following are some examples: "But God, you don’t know what they did to me. Lord, I trusted him, and he betrayed me. Lord, if I forgive them this time, they will do it again." The prophet Isaiah answered these replies and the numerous other reasons why people choose to not forgive with a powerful response. "But your iniquities and sins have separated you from God so that he will not hear you." The prophet here equates unforgiveness with sin. In order for God to forgive us, we MUST forgive others.

"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one:" Some key facts believers must know are that "being tempted is no sin in itself, no temptation has seized you except what is common to man, and the battle against temptation is not for a short time, but is life-long." Jesus, during his earthly walk, was tempted. He answered every suggestion of the evil one with the scripture when he replied, "It is written." ‘Everyone from the Christian we admire the most, to the man/woman we see in the mirror has been tempted. NO one escapes temptation. God knows our limitations, and will not allow us to be tempted beyond our capacity to endure/ bear it. Not only will the Father not subject us to excessive pressures, but he will provide us a way of escape so that we can "DEAL with it." I Corinthians 10:13 (paraphrased). When we are tempted, we must never say I am tempted of God, "For God cannot be tempted of evil, nor does he tempt anyone." James 1:13. "Jesus’ followers face a spiritual battle every day." The devil tempts us, God tests us. In order to be successful Christians, we must be mindful that for every temptation the evil one brings, God has our deliverance available.

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory: "Father as I humble myself at thy feet, I ask you to exalt me in you." Does this prayer sound familiar? For the true believer, it is recited daily. In order for us to exalted, we must FIRST deny ourselves. God MUST be our sole supporter. He will NOT have it any other way. In the book of Psalms, the writer declares, "All you have made will praise you, O Lord; your saints will extol you. They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations." Psalms 145:10-13. Jesus instructs his disciples to pray and finish with declaring that we must be strong in the Lord and in his power. In him, is the fullness of joy. God is our Father, and to Him be the glory.

By Travestine J. Wright