“Lord, teach us to pray. . . .” Now, that’s asking something! It’s asking something because prayer is not just saying the right words, it’s about having the right heart.
So Jesus teaches, “When you pray, say:”
Father – Think about that a second. Jesus invites us to call God, “Father.” Not, “Holy One.” Not, “Almighty Judge.” “Father.” He wants us to know that God loves us as His own children, and he answers our prayers because He loves us as a Father should love his son or daughter.
Hallowed be your name. – Hallowed means, “kept holy.” Of course God’s name is holy, but here we’re asking that God would shape our heart so that our living, teaching, and witness would display His holiness, and the holiness he has given us in Jesus’ forgiveness.
Your kingdom come. – Try to stop it! Ha! What we are asking for is that God’s message of salvation would go out and many people would come to faith. We are literally asking for those who walk in darkness to be rescued to the light; that citizens of the kingdom of this world would become citizens of the kingdom of Heaven. Would anything change in our hearts if that’s what we were thinking about when we prayed these words?
Give us each day our daily bread – Because of His fatherly love, God provides all that we need for life – daily bread. We are asking that God would shape our heart to recognize His provision and help us receive it with thanks.
Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. – How dare we say we forgive everyone who sin against us? As sinful people don’t we often hold grudges? Too true! However, as God shapes our heart by the Gospel and His mercy, we begin to forgive others, too. We are asking to become more and more forgiving and merciful – just like our Father.
And lead us not into temptation – What is this about? Does God tempt people? No. As James says, “God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts no one.” So what are we praying for here? We are recognizing that our hearts are often pulled away from God by the many distractions of the world, and we’re asking God to protect our hearts so that we won’t fall into sin or be deceived by anything that would lead us away from Him.
In each of these petitions we’re not asking for something tangible - or at least not just something that’s tangible. We want to be changed to reflect our God and Savior, so His priorities and attitudes guide our lives thereby reflecting our thankfulness and love for Him. This is also what Jesus is confronting the scribes and Pharisees about. They show the outward look of godly living, but their hearts are hard, worldly and far from the Father’s love.
So, how does one get this right heart? The Holy Spirit shapes us and transforms us with the power of the Cross. Forgiveness is not a static thing. Through our salvation Jesus changes our hearts.
Father in heaven, let your name be holy. Let your merciful kingdom rescue many from the kingdom of this world. Give me what I need for today, and fill me with gratitude for your blessings. Forgive me, and help me to forgive others more and more. Don’t let me be deceived today, and don’t let me be lead astray. Shape my heart to be like Yours – child like Father. Please do this for Jesus, my brother’s, sake. Amen.
So Jesus teaches, “When you pray, say:”
Father – Think about that a second. Jesus invites us to call God, “Father.” Not, “Holy One.” Not, “Almighty Judge.” “Father.” He wants us to know that God loves us as His own children, and he answers our prayers because He loves us as a Father should love his son or daughter.
Hallowed be your name. – Hallowed means, “kept holy.” Of course God’s name is holy, but here we’re asking that God would shape our heart so that our living, teaching, and witness would display His holiness, and the holiness he has given us in Jesus’ forgiveness.
Your kingdom come. – Try to stop it! Ha! What we are asking for is that God’s message of salvation would go out and many people would come to faith. We are literally asking for those who walk in darkness to be rescued to the light; that citizens of the kingdom of this world would become citizens of the kingdom of Heaven. Would anything change in our hearts if that’s what we were thinking about when we prayed these words?
Give us each day our daily bread – Because of His fatherly love, God provides all that we need for life – daily bread. We are asking that God would shape our heart to recognize His provision and help us receive it with thanks.
Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. – How dare we say we forgive everyone who sin against us? As sinful people don’t we often hold grudges? Too true! However, as God shapes our heart by the Gospel and His mercy, we begin to forgive others, too. We are asking to become more and more forgiving and merciful – just like our Father.
And lead us not into temptation – What is this about? Does God tempt people? No. As James says, “God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts no one.” So what are we praying for here? We are recognizing that our hearts are often pulled away from God by the many distractions of the world, and we’re asking God to protect our hearts so that we won’t fall into sin or be deceived by anything that would lead us away from Him.
In each of these petitions we’re not asking for something tangible - or at least not just something that’s tangible. We want to be changed to reflect our God and Savior, so His priorities and attitudes guide our lives thereby reflecting our thankfulness and love for Him. This is also what Jesus is confronting the scribes and Pharisees about. They show the outward look of godly living, but their hearts are hard, worldly and far from the Father’s love.
So, how does one get this right heart? The Holy Spirit shapes us and transforms us with the power of the Cross. Forgiveness is not a static thing. Through our salvation Jesus changes our hearts.
Father in heaven, let your name be holy. Let your merciful kingdom rescue many from the kingdom of this world. Give me what I need for today, and fill me with gratitude for your blessings. Forgive me, and help me to forgive others more and more. Don’t let me be deceived today, and don’t let me be lead astray. Shape my heart to be like Yours – child like Father. Please do this for Jesus, my brother’s, sake. Amen.
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