LK 11:1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he
finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as
John taught his disciples."
LK 11:2 He said to them, "When you pray, say:
" `Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
LK 11:3 Give us each day our daily bread.
LK 11:4 Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation. ' "
MT 6:9 "This, then, is how you should pray:
" `Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
MT 6:10 your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
MT 6:11 Give us today our daily bread.
MT 6:12 Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
MT 6:13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one. '
Lord's Prayer - A Devotion Based on Christ's Model in Matthew 6
The Lord's Prayer…
"Our Father in heaven" -- We need to always acknowledge
first and foremost who we are talking to. He (God) is our heavenly Father. We
address Him with respect just as we should address our earthly father with
respect. He is the only true God who created all things in this universe,
including ourselves. He loves us and we need to show our love for Him.
"Hallowed be your name" -- We must see Him as being holy,
sanctified, consecrated; worthy of praise, honor and glory!
"Your kingdom come" - We acknowledge His coming kingdom. We
pray that Christ will soon return and establish His earthly kingdom where we
will reign with Him for eternity.
"Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" -- We need
to be praying for His will to be done in our lives, so that we might bring glory
to Him here on earth as He is also glorified in heaven. We need to do things His
way, instead of selfishly doing our own things to satisfy our own desires.
"Give us today our daily bread" -- We should ask our Father
each day to provide for our needs, just as He promised in His Holy Word. His
Word says that we don't have, because we don't ask. Of course, we must first
know God through His Son, our personal Lord and Savior. If we don't know Christ,
God won't acknowledge this request for daily provision.
"Forgive us our debts (or transgressions) as we also have
forgiven our debtors (transgressors)" -- This speaks about
forgiveness among our associates, neighbors, friends, family and loved ones. Any
and all persons in our lives that we come in contact with in social or business
situations are included as well. If we can't forgive others, how can we expect
our heavenly Father to forgive us?
"Lead us not into temptation" -- We need to ask our heavenly
Father to help us recognize every evil thing, every temptation before us. We
need help to stay focused on our Father and see the evil that we might fall
into, for what it is really is, a trap set by Satan to bring us down to his
level.
"But deliver us from the evil one" -- Help us, dear Father,
to steer clear of that liar and deceiver. Let us see clearly the path that you
want each of us to walk. By the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us,
may we never stray from your will and way...
Lord's Prayer - A Glorious Ending
Some commentators believe that the end of the Lord's Prayer - "For thine
is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever" - was added by
someone other than the original writer. Whether that's true or not, this last
phrase simply emphasizes more praise and glory to God the Father - so it's
absolutely biblical… a glorious ending to a model prayer to God!
Article taken from: