Main Point: God wants us to spend time with Him in prayer.
Key Verse:
Jesus often went away to be by Himself and pray. - Luke 5:16
Background/Review
Jesus had come to earth to bring the Kingdom of God to men. Jesus made it clear that things in the Kingdom were very different from things in the world. In the Kingdom of heaven, people who have nothing to offer God are accepted. Those who are meek, peace-loving, and want what is right will finally have what they long for because Jesus came to conquer sin and death.
As Jesus taught on the mountainside, many people gathered to hear Him. Jesus taught that those who follow Him should never do good things just to call attention to themselves. The good things they do should be done in secret - just between them and God. God sees what we do in secret and will reward those things. (Matthew 6:4).
Prayer (Matthew 6:5-15)
One of the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1). Jesus said that prayer should not be a way to get attention and praise from people. It is wrong to pray to impress people. It should be done with a right heart toward God.
"When you pray, do not be like those who only pretend to be holy. They love to stand and pray in the synagogues and street corners. They want to be seen by others. What I am about to tell you is accurate. They have received their total reward.
"When you pray, go into your room. Close the door and pray to your Father, who cannot be seen. He will reward you. Your Father sees what is done secretly." - Matthew 6:5-6
That would be like a husband who only talked to his wife when other people were around. He would publicly tell her how wonderful she was, so people would think he was a good husband. However, when they were alone, he would never say one word to her. Is that how a good husband treats his wife? No. Would she believe that he truly loved her? No. His actions show his true feelings. He could not wait to talk to her if he loved her. He would make time to be alone with her to talk to and listen to her. Jesus continued teaching:
"When you pray, do not keep talking on and on the way ungodly people do. They think they will be heard because they talk a lot. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need even before you ask Him." - Matthew 6:7-8
The original word that Jesus used (battalogeo) means do not say the exact words repeatedly (vain repetition). Big, fancy words do not impress God, nor does repeating a memorized prayer repeatedly.
Prayer is the time you spend being honest with God. It is when you pour your heart to Him. You can tell God anything and everything. You can tell Him when you are angry or hurt or disappointed. You can talk to Him about the good stuff that happened in your day. He is with you every minute, so it should be easier to talk to Him than to your best friend or even your mom or Dad. Prayer is also when you stop to listen to His voice (John 10:27).
Jesus gave a perfect example of how to pray. We call it "The Lord's Prayer." Many people can say this from memory, but remember, Jesus just said not to repeat the exact words. Reciting this prayer does not take the place of heart-felt conversations with your heavenly Father. Jesus wanted to tell His disciples the type of prayer to pray. These things are the type of things that God will honor in your prayers.
"This is how you should pray
.
"'Our Father in heaven,
may Your name be honored?
May Your Kingdom come.
May what You want to happen be done
On earth as it is done in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
just as we also have forgiven those who sin against us.
Keep us from falling into sin when we are tempted.
Save us from the evil one.'
"Forgive people when they sin against you.
If you do, your Father, who
is in heaven, will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive people their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." - Matthew 6:9-15
TL Note: When reciting the Lord's Prayer, we stop short of verses 14 and 15. Jesus took the time to elaborate on forgiveness; we must not overlook it. Forgiveness MUST be a part of our prayer time! Citizens of God's Kingdom understand God's forgiving, saving grace and can similarly extend grace to those who have wronged them.
In Jesus' prayer, He started by calling God His Father. If you have faith in God and have put your trust in Him, He is your Father. You are adopted into God's family. You, too, have the right to call Him Father or Daddy. Then Jesus praised His Father's name. This is the best way to begin a prayer! Praise honors God, and it reminds you that God can do anything! Next, Jesus asked for the Kingdom to break out on earth. In Jesus' model prayer, God and His Kingdom come first (Matthew 22:36-37). Then Jesus asked for His needs to be met that day. It is entirely correct to pray for what you need. The Bible says that every good and perfect gift comes from your heavenly Father (James 1:17). Next, Jesus said to ask for forgiveness and to forgive others. Jesus explained that if we are unwilling to forgive others, God will not forgive us. Finally, Jesus said to ask God to keep us from sinning; this comes only by God's grace (Titus 2:11-12).
Application: There is no magic formula for praying to your heavenly Dad! However, here is how this prayer may sound in your life:
Praise: Lord, You are fantastic! Thank you for making the different seasons. Today I looked out of my window and saw the beautiful fall leaves. You are so creative in painting the world with those cool colors!
Kingdom: Lord, I would love my friend Sam to know You and enter Your Kingdom. Please use me to show Sam how much you love Him.
Needs: Please help me with my Math test today. I studied hard, but I get so nervous about tests. Please help me to be calm about it today.
Forgiveness: I was mean to my sister yesterday, and I know that was wrong. Please forgive me and help me to be nice to her today. I need to forgive Jamie for laughing at me yesterday. It hurt my feelings, and I do not want to forgive him, but I know I should. Please help me to forgive him.
Grace: And Lord, give me grace so I will not sin today. Do not let me be tempted to look at anyone else's test paper today.
Say: Of course, there is SO much more you can say, and you do not have to touch on every point every time you pray! Just talk to God like you talk to your best friend. God handcrafted you! (Psalm 139:13) He knows how many hairs are on your head! (Matthew 10:30) He knows you better than anyone and wants to spend time with you daily.
Application: God promises to reward you when you come to Him privately in prayer. He will hear your prayer and answer you (Psalm 34:17, Matthew 7:10). This does not mean God will give you everything you ask for. However, you can be CERTAIN that He will hear your requests and will answer in the way that is BEST for you.
Jesus' Example (Mark 1:35)
Jesus not only told His disciples how to pray. By His example, He showed them how to pray. He prayed loudly in front of them so they would see God's hand at work right before their eyes (John 11:41-42). Moreover, very often, Jesus took private time to be with His Dad (Luke 5:16). The Bible says:
Jesus often went away to be by Himself and pray. - Luke 5:16
The Bible even tells of times when Jesus spent all night praying to His heavenly Dad (Luke 6:12). Most of these times, the disciples knew exactly what Jesus was doing (Mark 1:35-36, 14:32, Luke 9:18, 28). He was near enough that his close friends, the disciples, could see Him. This was an excellent example for the disciples to follow.
Let us talk about why Jesus took the time to pray. Jesus had left His Dad's side, where He lived in heaven, so as often as possible, He snuck away from other people so He could talk to His Dad again. In these quiet places, Jesus could simply be honest with God. He could talk to His Father about everything that was going on. He could give God praise, seek God's perfect will, and ask for the strength He needed to accomplish the fantastic task of healing, teaching, and ultimately paying the price for our sins.
Last summer, we had a large group of teenagers that went on a month-long mission trip to South America. The teenagers were told not to take their cell phones because they would not work so far away. Telephones were hard to come by in South America, so the students would not be able to speak to their families for over ten days from the day they left home. On the eighth day, the parents received an email from the group leader telling them when they could expect a phone call from their child. It would come the following Saturday, between noon and 4:00. Ask: Do you think the parents were excited about getting the phone calls? Yes! Say: All the parents canceled whatever plans they had so they would be home to receive that phone call! They missed their sons and daughters so much; they could not wait to hear everything that their child was experiencing on their trip.
Jesus was very much like a Son on a mission trip! He left His Father to come to us, to make way for us to enter the Kingdom. Prayer was a lot like that phone call. It was His opportunity to speak to His Dad. They were crazy about each other and wanted to talk as often as possible.
Application: All believers are on a kingdom mission. Your Dad in Heaven is waiting for your "phone call." The significant part is that there is no limit on the times we can go to the Lord in prayer!
Power Of Prayer (Isaiah 38)
Prayer is even more than speaking and listening to God. Prayer is powerful! The Bible says, "The prayer of a godly person is powerful. It makes things happen." (James 5:16b). The original language used in this verse tells us that prayer is intense; it is a FORCE.
For example, an Israelite king named Hezekiah existed in the Old Testament. Israel and Judah had many evil kings, but Hezekiah was a fabulous, godly king (2 Chronicles 31:20-21). At one time, he became very sick. When Hezekiah was just about to die, God sent the prophet Isaiah to tell him that he would not get well; he was just about to die.
Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall. He prayed to the Lord. He said, "Lord, please remember how faithful I have been to you. I have lived the way you wanted me to. I have served you with all my heart. I have done what is good in your sight." Moreover, Hezekiah cried bitterly. - Isaiah 38:2-3 Before Isaiah was out the door, God told him to turn around and tell Hezekiah his prayer had been answered. God would give him 15 more years to live! God would also save him from the king who was about to attack Judah. Moreover, as a sign that God would keep this promise, God caused the sun's shadow to move backward! (Isaiah 38:7-8) God stopped the earth from turning and made it go backward! Hezekiah remembered his prayer:
I cried softly like a weak little bird. I groaned like a sad dove. My eyes grew tired as I looked up toward heaven. Lord, I am in trouble. Please come and help me! - Isaiah 38:14
It was a quiet prayer from a weak man, and God made the earth stand still! Now that is impressive power! The king was at his very weakest. On his own, he could do absolutely nothing. Nevertheless, in prayer, he tapped into the ultimate power source. God is the Creator of the universe. He spoke and laid the earth's foundation (Job 38:4). He tells the mighty oceans how far they can go on the shoreline and sends lighting where He wants it to go (Job 38:11, 35).
Application: Without prayer, you are just doing life on your own. There is no comparison between God's power and yours. Why wouldn't you want to pray and invite God's power into every situation you face? Remember, when you are at your weakest, God's power is the strongest (2 Corinthians 12:9).
There are no rules about when you should pray. However, taking time every morning to pray is the best way to start your day. It shows God that you are putting Him first and reminds you to depend on Him all day long. The Bible says that God's mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). Every day is a fresh start. Why not start it with your heavenly Dad?
Moreover, when we do not start the day with prayer, we often get so busy with our day that we never get around to it. Just imagine one of the parents from the mission trip, waiting by the phone all day, but their child got so busy that he never took the time to call. This would disappoint the parent and be a significant loss to the child who missed the loving words of wisdom and encouragement that his mom or Dad was waiting to tell him.
However, you do not have to stop with a morning prayer! You can continue to pray all day long. You can pray with your eyes open! You can pray on your bus ride to school or in the car. You can pray in the middle of a conversation with your friend when you do not have the right words to tell. You can pray when someone mistreats you and need God to help you hold your tongue. You can praise God when a beautiful sunset catches you by surprise. You can pray in your bed at night - but do not let this be your only prayer time since it is SO easy to fall asleep and miss your time with your heavenly Dad.
Prayer should be natural. The more you do it, the more natural it becomes. Like talking or breathing - before you know it, you will do it without giving it any thought. Do not ever be afraid to talk to God. God is crazy about you, and He wants you to spend time with Him in prayer.
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray to stand in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth; they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your unseen Father. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9"This, then, is how
" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10your Kingdom come,
you will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11Give us today our daily bread.
12Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.'
14 If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you
do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
We read and recite the familiar Lord's Prayer. The Bible, of course, nowhere calls Jesus' prayer "The Lord's Prayer," nor is it called the "Our Father." How are we to look at it? Is it
• An example of prayer?
• A pattern prayer? or
• A prayerbook prayer to be repeated?
It appears, from the context, to be a pattern prayer. Jesus has just criticized some of the abuses of prayer prevalent in his time: such as prayer "for effect" (verses 5-6, perhaps typified by the prayer of the righteous Pharisee contrasted by the tax collector's "Be merciful" prayer, Luke 18:9-14). Jesus has also contrasted righteous prayer with wordy prayers (vs. 7). He seems to be showing his disciples how to pray correctly, avoid pitfalls, and include an appropriate mix of praise and petition.
Was this the only prayer the disciples were to pray? No. We have many prayers recorded by Jesus, his disciples, and the Apostle Paul. None of them has a word-for-word correspondence with The Lord's Prayer, but all follow the patterns Jesus taught in this prayer.
Salutation: Our Father (6:9b)
The prayer begins by addressing God as "Our Father".
Bible scholars pretty much agree that behind the Greek word pater, "father", is the word `abba in Jesus' native Aramaic tongue.1Rather than the formal word for "father," `abba is the family word, something like the affectionate "Dad" or "Daddy" that we use in English. (See also Mark 14:36; Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6). There is a formal word for "father," but the word used here stresses the intimate family relationship. This is striking. Jesus was teaching his disciples to understand God as their Father. Though the rabbis spoke of God as the Father of the people, Jesus is teaching them to address God as their personal Father, a new and marvelous revelation.
When you meditate on this moment, the awe and wonder of it begin to break over you. The God who created the universe is our Father. Our Father is the God who revealed himself in fire, smoke, and thick clouds. "Father" is a relationship word, and considering that we have the child's relationship with Father with God is an excellent thought.
Our fatherhood is but a shell of the powerful concept of "father" that Jesus communicated through this secret word. In Jesus' day, "father" included care, love, responsibility, discipline, hopes, dreams for one's children, respect, authority, and blessing. In the West, fathers have nowhere near the life-long patriarchal authority fathers have in the Middle East and the Far East. Some of the Middle Eastern Father is depicted in Jesus' parable of the Father and the Prodigal Son to illustrate the loving, searching, longing quality of our Heavenly Father (Luke 15:11-32).
"Father's Love Letter," originally written for a sermon illustration by Barry Adams, a pastor in St. Catherine's, Ontario, Canada, is a beautiful meditation of what kind of Father our God is. I strongly recommend that you read it and take it personally. You will be enriched (www.fathersloveletter.com)
Some in our generation have excised the word "Father" from their prayers because too many bad fathers have hurt too many children, and the image of Father makes it hard for some to want to come to God. Resist this teaching that contradicts the express teaching and example of Jesus. As you meditate this week on the Lord's Prayer, I encourage you to reclaim for yourself the term "Father." Seek to find out in what ways he is a Father to you.
The Lord's Prayer is intended to be prayed privately, especially in the community of God's people, the Church. Notice that Jesus teaches us to call out to God as "our Father." Not just a self-focused "my father," but a communal "our Father."
Who Art in Heaven (6:9)
Jesus then teaches us to pray to God "who art in heaven," which adds infinity to our understanding of God. Though Solomon built a temple for God, he prayed, "But will God dwell on the earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!" (1 Kings 8:27) Yes, God is more significant than his creation, but "the heavens" is a way to understand the greatness of God's dwelling. Moreover, when we reflect on God's greatness, it is easier to have faith to ask of him things that seem difficult to us.
Petition 1: That His Name Be Reverenced (6:9c)
The first petition is "hallowed be Thy name." The Greek word is hagiazo, which means "to treat as holy, reverence."2Our word "Halloween" is short for "All Hallows Eve" or "All Saints' Eve"). "Hallowed" comes from the English word "holy." Why does Jesus include the concept of "hallowed" in the "stripped down" version of his prayer? Because without it, our understanding of "Father" can be distorted.
"Hallowed" reminds us that the Father is holy, set apart from sin. That he can be both the Father of sinners and set apart from sin requires Jesus' atonement to reconcile. Our understanding of "Father" could become sentimental to presuming upon and taking advantage of the Father's graciousness towards us. Though we pray with the privilege of intimacy to our "Abba, Daddy," we can never imagine that we are buddies with God or his equals. He is always our Father, and he is holy and exalted. Jesus teaches us to call God our Father, recognize his exalted dwelling place and reverence him.
The phrase "hallowed be Thy name" may seem a little awkward to us, but in the Near East, the idea of "name" stood for the Person, his authority, his character, and his activity. When Jesus tells us that the Father's "name" is holy, he means the Father's whole Person is holy. "Name" can be used as a substitute for a person himself. To paraphrase, "Father, hallowed be your name" means, "Father, may you be treated with the respect and honor that your holiness demands."
It is common for Christians, particularly Christians who come to faith later in their lives, to have a rather profane vocabulary. To be in the habit of using God's name often, and sometimes almost as a swearword. If, when being surprised, we say "Lord!" or "Christ!" or "Jesus!" or "God!" we are using God's holy name in a profane and standard way. We are not reverencing his name but debasing it. Disciples discipline their mouths and their hearts to reverence the Father's name.
Including "hallowed be your name" in our prayers means that we are to approach the Father with familiarity and reverence, and respect for his greatness and holiness. He is our "Dad," but he is also Holy. Moreover, as we learn to pray, we must not forget this.
Q1. What about our lives and the words "hallows," the name of our Father? What desecrates and besmirches it? How should we "hallow" the Father when we begin to pray?
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Petitions 2 and 3: For His Kingdom and Will (6:10)
When we pray too often, we want to get on quickly to our concerns. However, in Jesus' model prayer, we first pray about the concerns of God's Kingdom and his will. This is not the petitioner's prayer but the disciple's prayer. This is how disciples learn to think, pray, and act, with God's Kingdom foremost and predominant in their minds.
"Thy kingdom come...." We cannot take this phrase or fragment without looking at the rest of the sentence since the meaning is found in the context. What are we asking?
"Thy kingdom comes, will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
The Kingdom of God
The idea of the Kingdom of God is complex. It goes far back into the Old Testament, at least to the book of Exodus, where God reveals himself as Israel's King. He makes a covenant with them in the form of an ancient suzerain-vassal treaty, a treaty made between a great king and a subservient people (Exodus 19:3-6). The tabernacle in the wilderness is the throne room of a desert monarch. He leads them by day and night. Having no king but Yahweh is one of the unique marks of the Israelites, to the point that their clamoring for a king under Samuel's judgeship is considered a sin (1 Samuel 8).
Saul was Israel's first human king. David, born in Bethlehem of the tribe of Judah, was the second king and became the archetypical king. He is promised that one of his sons will always sit upon the throne (2 Samuel 7), fulfilled ultimately in Jesus Christ. (I cover this in greater detail in my essay "What Is the Kingdom of Heaven?" www.jesuswalk.com/manifesto/kingdom-of-heaven.htm)
John comes proclaiming, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near" (Matthew 3:2), and Jesus takes up the same message (Matthew 4:17). He sends out his disciples with authority to do miracles and proclaim to villages, "The kingdom of God is near you" (Luke 10:9, 11). The Kingdom of God comes when Jesus proclaims God's reign and demonstrates that reign by preaching good news to the poor, freedom for the prisoners, sight for the blind, release for the oppressed, and the Jubilee Day of the Lord (Luke 4:18-19). The Kingdom is here in Jesus and his disciples -- and in you and me -- but it will come fully and completely when Jesus returns to earth to reign over all as King and Lord (Revelation 11:15).
May Your Kingdom Come
Jesus asks us to pray that the Kingdom of God come soon. As one of the last phrases of the Book of Revelation says, "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20). The Kingdom will only be present fully when Christ returns, when "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever" (Revelation 11:15).
When we pray, "Your kingdom come," we ask God to manifest His Kingdom's power and glory in us and throughout our world. What a prayer! We are praying that Christ might reign over all. We are also asking the Father to hasten the return of Jesus Christ to this earth. Amen!
May Your Will Be Done on Earth
This petition is also a condition for prayer that all our prayers conform first to God's will. Prayer for disciples is not to be selfish prayer, but prayer in tune with and guided by God's will. How can we pray the kind of prayer that Jesus wants of us and still ask for our petty desires, which are so clearly contrary to God's revealed will in the Bible? Teach us to pray, Jesus, we say. Part of that teaching, indeed, is to determine God's will and pray along those lines.
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray to stand in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. However, when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your unseen Father. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Furthermore, when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
"This, then, is how you should pray:
"'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your Kingdom come,
you will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts
As we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But
If you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Footnotes
a. Matthew 6:13 The Greek for temptation can also mean testing.
b. Matthew 6:13 Or from evil; some late manuscripts one, / for yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Jesus also warned about the danger of hypocrisy (Matthew 6:2, 5, 16) and the sin of using religion to cover up sin. A hypocrite is not someone who falls short of his high ideals or occasionally sins. Matthew 6:5-15 (The Lord's Prayer)
One of the most known texts of the Bible is the Lord's prayer. This portion of the Bible is an integral part of Western society. We can hear it in movies or from people who are not Christians.
The importance is highlighted by two occurrences in the New Testament in Matthew 6:5-15 and Luke 11:2-4. Matthew's account is also reproduced in Didache 8:2, and gentle echoes can be detected in John 17.
The actual text of the prayer is Matt 6:9-13. However, its context is also important to note. The broader context is the Sermon on the Mount. We want to think about this text within its nearer context.
The nearer is Matt 6:5-8 and 6:14-15 (introduction and conclusion).
Verses Matt 6:5–8 are the introduction to the prayer. Jesus begins by instructing his disciples not to be like hypocrites (Matt 6:5-6) and Gentiles (Matt 6:7-8). Hypocrites are those who want to demonstrate their piety which is wrong publicly. Gentiles are trying to persuade God by their words to do something as if he does not care about people. Jesus is refuting these two preconceptions. There is a powerful explanation that God is proactive in our needs (Matt 6:8).
The body of the prayer (6:9-13) can be divided into two parts. The first part (Matt 6:9–10) concerns the eschatological hope that God's Kingdom will manifest itself fully. The second part (Matt 6:11–13) concerns our daily needs here and now (food, relations, safety).
The conclusion of the prayer (Matt 6:14-15) is interesting. Jesus seeks some pastoral concerns here. There is a conditional statement. This is very important because we are sometimes blinded by the love towards God while not seeing our neighbors (1 John 4:20). This might also be reminiscent of the Greatest Commandment (Matt 22:36–40). If we forgive, God will bless us.
We can, of course, contemplate the prayer within this context or just read it in its own right.
This was a very brief thought about Lord's prayer. However, we encourage you to study it yourself because it is worth the effort.
