A friend recently reminded me of this simple yet powerful thought, which led to these thoughts this week. It is something I find myself repeating frequently, along with thanking God for providing.
I am sure you recognize that verse, a line from the Lord’s Prayer.
The Lord’s Prayer is in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. I will share thoughts based on Matthew’s gospel as it contains a few more lines. I like Luke’s introduction though…
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.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed is your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.” –Luke 11:1-4 (NIV)
It fascinates me how many times the Bible mentions Jesus going off by Himself to pray. If Jesus, being God’s Son, took so much time to be alone with God and pray, how much more we should be doing it. What a great example He left for us to imitate. I like that the disciples wanted to know how Jesus prayed too.
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And 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. –Matthew 6:5-8 (NIV)
From Matthew’s introduction to the Lord’s Prayer, we learn how we should pray. Our heart needs to be sincere in our love for God. We should not pray on the street corners for others to think we are pious, as then our heart is not right with God. Jesus tells us we do not need to use many words to get God’s attention. God listens to the sincerity of our prayers and even knows all our needs. When we pray from our heart, we enter God’s presence and experience a personal encounter with Him.
Let’s look at the meaning of each of the lines in the Lord’s prayer:
Our Father in heaven…
–We acknowledge that God is our true Father who is in heaven.
hallowed be your name…
–We give praise to God, for His name is holy.
your kingdom come…
–We ask for God’s kingdom to reign in our lives.
your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…
–We pray God’s divine will be done on this earth, just as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread…
–We take one day at a time, knowing God provides everything we need when we need it.
And forgive us our debts…
–We need to recognize we are sinners and seek reconciliation in Jesus.
as we also have forgiven our debtors…
–Since God has forgiven us through Jesus, we need to forgive those that have wronged us too.
And lead us not into temptation…
–We need to pray, to resist temptation in our lives, so we remain close to God.
but deliver us from the evil one…
–Praying to be rescued from Satan is necessary. We belong to God and God alone!
This week may you be inspired to pray the Lord’s Prayer daily remembering…
~God is our Father
~To praise God
~Desire God’s kingdom on this earth
~Line up your will with God’s
~See how God provides what you need each day
~Seek and share God’s forgiveness
~With God’s help, avoid temptation and Satan.
Is there a particular verse in the Lord’s Prayer that speaks to your heart and serves as a good reminder for you? Feel free to share in the comment section below.
I will continue to repeat and reflect on “Give us today our daily bread,” knowing God provides everything I need at the exact moment I need it. One day at a time!
Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. — Colossians 4:2 (ESV)
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! –Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)
Regarding the Our Father prayer, I like to think of the “daily bread” part as relating to when a person receives Holy Communion. But that is just my view.
Thanks for sharing! Yes, that fits with that line as well. Blessings to you~
I currently an reading “Life without Lack” by Dallas Willard. It is a whole book dedicated to this prayer. He devotes each chapter to one line or thought. Very in-depth but very interesting
I am sure that is a very interesting and insightful book. Thanks for sharing! God’s perfect timing once again. Blessings to you and your family~