The Model Prayer: What Jesus Christ Taught His Disciples

Our Father which art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13 KJV)

Prayer is a process through which God is acknowledged, praised, and celebrated. Christians believe that prayer involves direct communication with God. Prayer is a privilege and an obligation of the Christian where we communicate with God. It is how we convey our confession (1 John 1:9), requests (1 Timothy 2:1-3), intercessions (James 5:15), and thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6) to our holy God. We are commanded to pray (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Some requirements of prayer are a pure heart (Psalm 66:18), belief in Christ (John 14:12-14), and that the prayer be according to God’s will (1 John 5:14).

(1) "The Lord's Prayer" is not prayed by Jesus but given as the model to his disciples. Jesus forbids the prayers of "hypocrites". To Jesus, the critical element was not the location or position of the one praying, but the motives. The public versus private antithesis is a good test of one's motives; those who pray more in public than in private reveal that they are less interested in God's approval than in human praise. Not piety but a reputation for piety is their concern. It is far better to deal radically with this hypocrisy and pray in a private room. The Father, who sees in secret, will reward such disciples. Prayer is the language of the heart, not merely of the lips. Prayer is our hotline with the Almighty God who knows us more than we know ourselves; so, long prayers and repetitions should be avoided. Unmeaning words, useless repetitions, and complimentary phrases in prayer, are in general the result of heathenism, hypocrisy, or ignorance.

(2) The phrase "our Father which art in heaven" indicates that God is not only majestic and holy, but also personal and loving. That he is "our Father which art in heaven" reminds us of his transcendence and sovereignty. Jesus himself addressed God as his own Father, and he teaches his disciples to do the same. Jesus taught his disciples to pray "Our Father" and not "My Father". This prayer evidently made in a peculiar manner for the children of God. And hence we are taught to say, not My Father, but Our Father. We are bound together in one family where peace, unity and harmony should prevail. We are bound together in one family where peace, unity and harmony should prevail.

The word Father, placed here at the beginning of this prayer, includes two grand ideas, which should serve as a foundation to all our petitions:

1.         That tender and respectful love which we should feel for God, such as that which children feel for their fathers.

2.         That strong confidence in God’s love to us, such as fathers have for their children.

(3) God is holy. We therefore hallowed his name by giving reverence to him in worship and obedience to his commandments. To hallow his name is a statement of praise and a commitment to honour God's holy name. We can honour God's name by being careful to use it respectfully keeping in mind his holiness. As God is eternally holy, so he eternally reigns in absolute sovereignty. To pray “thy kingdom come" is both to ask that God's saving, royal rule be extended now as people bow in submission to him and to cry for the consummation of his eternal kingdom.

(4) When we pray "thy will be done," we are not resigning ourselves to fate, but praying that God's perfect purpose will be accomplished in this world as well as the next. We invite God into our hearts as our King and allow him to use us for the extension of his kingdom. God's kingdom was announced in the covenant with Abraham, is present in Christ's reign in believers' hearts, and will be complete when all evil is destroyed and God establishes the new heaven and earth. To pray that God's "will", which is good, pleasing and perfect, “be done in earth, as it is in heaven” is to use language broad enough to embrace three requests. (1) We pray that God's will may be done now on earth as it is now being accomplished in heaven. This prayer corresponds to asking for the present extension of the Messianic Kingdom. (2) We pray that God's will may ultimately be as fully accomplished on earth as it is now being accomplished in heaven.

(5) Our daily needs are few but our wants are endless. When we pray "give us today our daily bread," we are acknowledging that God is our sustainer and provider. We must trust God daily to provide what he knows we need. We must pray for our needs, not our greed. It is for one day at a time. Pray for needs and spiritual bread of life. This is a lesson easily forgotten when wealth multiplies and absolute self-sufficiency is portrayed as a virtue. The Lord’s Prayer begins with glorifying God and then asking that his will be done. The petition for our daily bread comes in third. This sequence is vital in the life of every believer. They must discern their priorities and never put the cart before the horse.

(6) In addition to physical provisions, we also need forgiveness of sin and deliverance from temptation. Just as God is ready to forgive our sins, we too must have a forgiving spirit toward those who hurt us.

(7) The word used for "temptation" rarely if ever before the writing of the NT means "temptation" in the sense of "enticement to sin"; rather, it means testing. All Christians struggle with temptation. Sometimes it is so subtle that we don't even realize what is happening to us. The prayer asking God not to lead us into temptation is the admission of our weakness to overcome temptations all on our own. We need spiritual strength from God to do so. It is not faith but foolishness to ask God not to lead us into temptation and then go to places where temptations abound. It is perfectly proper to ask God to spare us from trials and temptations because on our own we may fail under the test.

(8) "Deliver" can mean either "spare us from" or "deliver us out of." Both are spiritually relevant. The words translated "the evil one" can either mean "evil" or refer specifically to the Devil. “But deliver us from evil” is a petition that, while implicitly recognizing our own helplessness before the Devil whom Jesus alone could vanquish, indicates trust in the heavenly Father for deliverance from the Devil's strength and wiles.

(9) God wants to make us his subjects for his kingdom of glory. His purpose is to call us out from darkness to light. Forever and ever means the whole of eternity. We are to give his name all the glory both in this world, and in that which is to come.

(10) We end our prayers with "Amen" (so be it) and dedicate ourselves fully to God. Prayer is not just about requesting God's services. Prayer opens the door of our hearts to permit God to come in and bless us.

Have you humbled yourself and sincerely repented? Are your sins forgiven? Have you accepted Christ as your Lord and Saviour? Have you invited him not as a guest but as the Master of your life? Will you have a place in his kingdom everlasting?

Selie Visa