THE LORD'S PRAYER

The Lord’s Prayer

Matt. 6:9-15; Luke 11:2-4

 

If you pray for His kingdom to come, the following statements of the prayer naturally follow. The disciples knew that in order for the kingdom to come, a period of great travail would precede. A day’s labor would only provide bread for one person. And if the Lord would come, a person would want his life living accordingly, forgiving and having been forgiven. Satan will attempt to deceive all, except God enlightens the elect. For this is God's kingdom and not Satan’s who wants to steal it from Him.

Praying to God on behalf of God. The first passion of prayer is a passion that God's will may be done, that God's heart may be satisfied, that God's purposes may be realized.  All the passion of Calvary pulsates through the petitions of this prayer. "Thy name be hallowed." God's name has been blasphemed. "Thy Kingdom come." He is being robbed of His own possession.

"Thy will be done on earth as in heaven." First pray to God on behalf of God, that is the first realm of prayer

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

We have forgiven not when we forgive them. Someone says, that is not the ground of grace, and that does not belong to us. Let it be remembered that Jesus did not give that prayer to man outside the Kingdom. He gave that to men inside the Kingdom. If I go to a man outside, steeped in sin, I do not say to him, if you promise to forgive, you will be forgiven. The man outside gets his forgiveness with no condition, when he believes; but once he is in the Kingdom of the Son of His Love, he lives within the laws of that Kingdom. Then he does not get forgiveness unless he is ready to forgive, unless he has forgiven.

This well-loved prayer which our Lord taught His disciples, known as The Lord's Prayer, was evidently given upon two separate occasions and under different circumstances, and with some variations: first, in the Sermon on the Mount, while Christ was warning His disciples against ostentatious formality in prayer (cp. Matt. 5:1 with 6:5-13); and second, at an unnamed "certain place" in response to the request of one of the disciples, "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1-4). Although the Lord's Prayer was obviously not given to be used only as a form, the two accounts teach us many precious lessons about the nature of prayer.

(1) Such prayer is based upon the relationship of God as the Father of all who truly believe in His Son (John 1:13), for only these can truly say, "Our Father" (Matt. 6:9).

(2) It must begin with the attitude of worship: "hallowed be your name" - an acknowledgement of the absolute holiness of all that God is and does.

(3) In the sense of petition, prayer must put first the kingdom and its coming down from heaven.

(4) True prayer accepts in advance the will of God, whether known or unknown, whether to grant or to withhold.

(5) Prayer should always envision the divine will and kingdom as objectives which will certainly be realized on earth. (Knowing travail will precede.)

(6) In the meantime the children of God may be properly concerned in prayer with present physical needs.

(7) Prayer may be hindered when the fellowship of the children with their Father is broken because of sin (Matt. 6:12, 15). And,

(8) The children of God must be divinely taught "to pray," not merely <how> to pray (Luke 11:1). This prayer, as originally given, does not specify in detail the complete doctrine of prayer for the Church, although it contains it in germ. The element of thanksgiving is not specifically mentioned (cp. Phil. 4:6-7), yet surely thanksgiving is implicit in "hallowed be your name"; for who can hallow God, i.e. hold Him sacred and offer worship to Him, without thanksgiving? Later, in the progress of divine revelation, our Lord gave the definite command to believers to pray in His name (John 16:23-24).