How Should We Pray - A dissection of The Lord's Prayer
This is the written material for a sermon which I wrote and spoke at Truth and Liberation Concern (TLC) Church in 2017.
The full sermon can be heard here.
The Lord's Prayer
(traditional)
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 trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
The power, and the glory,
For ever and ever.
Amen.
These are the words of The Lord’s Prayer.
But how often do we say these? Once a day? Twice? When you remember? The importance of these words are great and guide us to being the best we can for God to do his work within us.
I’m hardly out of the cradle, but there have been amazing things I have seen through the power of prayer.
When I was in Vetamorphus back in 2013 lead by Stephen Barrington, on one of our retreats, we were given the opportunity to pray for an individual in our group. Instead, in true TLC fashion, one by one, we were all prayed for by each other, and after three hours, we opened our eyes and found ourselves in an empty room with the guest speaker staring at us in astonishment and amazement.
Prayer itself is an integral part of our day to day lives as Christians.
What does it mean to us to pray though?
Well, it is our communication line with God.
But how many people actually remember this?
It’s a spiritual discipline, but when the word “discipline” is attached to anything, for some people it can feel like a chore. But does a physical and spiritual art such as prayer need to be identified as a discipline, or a rule?
Let’s try to understand this by dissecting the words of The Lord’s Prayer.
• Our Father which is in Heaven
Jesus teaches His disciples that God is our parent in Heaven. The Apostle Paul restates this by exhorting the believer to address God as "Abba" (Aramaic for "Daddy"- the kind of intimate word that a child would use to his or her father) " And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."" (Rom 8:15, NIV)
• Hallowed be his name
The first of seven requests in this prayer. "Hallowed" means holy. As we pray this line we are reminding ourselves that God is separate from us, completely pure and faultless. Here we become aware of our own frailty as we adore and worship the living God.
• His kingdom come
God's kingdom is to do with His ways and order. So here we are asking that God's ways happen here, as they are fully obeyed in Heaven.
• His will be done
The third request in this prayer is that God's will occurs. Here we are aligning our will with God's will, we are submitting ourselves to Him, and asking that His way triumphs.
• Give us this day our daily bread
We need God in all areas of our life (physical, spiritual and mental), and this is a daily need. We need to come back to God regularly, each day- indeed, many times each day and many ways, for we can quickly become independent and self-seeking. Jesus reiterates this daily dependency when he exhorts us to not "worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself" (Math 6:34, NIV)
• And forgive us our trespasses
Different versions of this prayer use different words here - sometimes "trespasses", "debts" or "sins" (click here for a explanation of this). Here we bring to mind the ways in which we have failed God and others, and ask the Lord for His forgiveness.
• As we forgive them that trespass against us
As we receive God's forgiveness, we bring to mind anyone who we feel may have wronged us, and pardon them.
• And lead us not into temptation
The sixth request in the Lord's prayer is not to be in a place where temptation might overwhelm us. It is not wrong to be tempted or tested (Jesus was!). It is wrong to give in to this temptation.
• But deliver us from evil
The final request is for protection by our Father in heaven. When Jesus was tempted by Satan, he declared 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'(Math 4:4 NIV). In times of trial, Jesus recognises the Lord as His source of deliverance. Likewise we are to depend on God when evil is at our door.
• For this is the kingdom, the power and the glory. Forever and ever. Amen.
The prayer finishes with a closing doxology, that is, a hymn of praise to God. Not all versions of the Lord's prayer include this as many biblical scholars believe that this was added at a later date.
All of these elements are integral to the life of a Christian like you and I, and are practiced in many other cultures beyond the realm of Christianity too.
For years as I was maturing as a teenager, I often looked down on prayer as the obligatory thing we have to do before dinner time and only associated it with giving thanks to food and to the day.
It took me until later to realise that if we ask God at times of need, then he will supply.
Prayer is better understood as a “food for the soul” because of it’s fulfilling richness, beauty and and to quote Romans 12, “being transformed.”
I have been honoured to have witness people come to God through the power of prayer and reduced to tears of joy in the outcome, which is a beautiful act in itself.
Prayer can be requested when we need healing of the heart, mind and body.
We can make this any way we like as it’s our own intimate time with God.
We can simply close our eyes and sometimes not even have to utter a word and He will know our needs.
There are very miraculous examples of the things prayer can do.
Prayer is often developed in more subtle ways, but the outcomes of those prayers can be awe-inspiring in the way it affects those people.
When something needs to resourced or found, people find each other.
This is apart of God’s working.
We are so used to sticking to old phrases and saying “What a small world,” but doesn’t this belittle our Christian belief?
I’ve caught myself on this, and in more recent times, when I find one end meets another and I am surprised by this outcome, which moreorless happens quite frequently in my day to day activity, to quote Douglas Adams, “everything is connected.”
Time and time again, I see in this community and beyond how prayer has made wonderful things happen, and it all goes towards God’s work at the end of the day.
But for those of you who struggle to grapple with the idea of “food for the soul”, let me leave you with this;
Everyday, I try to be thankful for all the little things that God ties together for my bigger picture and I am sure most of you would probably do the same. Of course, sometimes, or most cases, when we recognise those things, “from little things, big things grow.”
Rita Snowden in her book called ‘The Lord’s Prayer - The Living Word’ says
“Clause by clause, it is too close to life. It arose out of a real situation to match again and again a real situation.”
Now this is the first time God’s people have been encouraged to call Him “Father” in their prayers, which you and I are so accustomed to now.
The prophet Isaiah came closest when in a prayer he used the words, “O, God you are our Father.”
Other writers such as Paul must use the term Father to describe an attribute of God.
But Jesus speaks to God as his Father. The way he prays in Matthew 11 is evident.
“I praise you Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth.”
His kingdom come, his will be done, and is complete when we simply ask Him.
Thank God for the close shaves and near misses, the little coincidences that happen and the fulfillment He brings when we simply ask or thank.
As we reflect on the end of a new year and the beginning of a new, remember the things we thank God for and continue to do so.
Prayer is a powerful tool. An encourager for those who need encouraging, a spear against the Devil’s work and a request whenever we need it. And if God sees it in his will, he will do it.
We are a community that thrives on gathering around together and if we seek prayer, we are very quick to rally up alongside each other.
So my encouragement will be to not only pray for yourself, but seek prayer.
Then I encourage you to pray for others. And that is when you will really see God’s glory shine.
This living relationship through the power and the words of The Lord’s Prayer is expressed simply in the opening words, “Our Father.”
The richest revelation of God known on our Earth.
(traditional)
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 trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
The power, and the glory,
For ever and ever.
Amen.
These are the words of The Lord’s Prayer.
But how often do we say these? Once a day? Twice? When you remember? The importance of these words are great and guide us to being the best we can for God to do his work within us.
I’m hardly out of the cradle, but there have been amazing things I have seen through the power of prayer.
When I was in Vetamorphus back in 2013 lead by Stephen Barrington, on one of our retreats, we were given the opportunity to pray for an individual in our group. Instead, in true TLC fashion, one by one, we were all prayed for by each other, and after three hours, we opened our eyes and found ourselves in an empty room with the guest speaker staring at us in astonishment and amazement.
Prayer itself is an integral part of our day to day lives as Christians.
What does it mean to us to pray though?
Well, it is our communication line with God.
But how many people actually remember this?
It’s a spiritual discipline, but when the word “discipline” is attached to anything, for some people it can feel like a chore. But does a physical and spiritual art such as prayer need to be identified as a discipline, or a rule?
Let’s try to understand this by dissecting the words of The Lord’s Prayer.
• Our Father which is in Heaven
Jesus teaches His disciples that God is our parent in Heaven. The Apostle Paul restates this by exhorting the believer to address God as "Abba" (Aramaic for "Daddy"- the kind of intimate word that a child would use to his or her father) " And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."" (Rom 8:15, NIV)
• Hallowed be his name
The first of seven requests in this prayer. "Hallowed" means holy. As we pray this line we are reminding ourselves that God is separate from us, completely pure and faultless. Here we become aware of our own frailty as we adore and worship the living God.
• His kingdom come
God's kingdom is to do with His ways and order. So here we are asking that God's ways happen here, as they are fully obeyed in Heaven.
• His will be done
The third request in this prayer is that God's will occurs. Here we are aligning our will with God's will, we are submitting ourselves to Him, and asking that His way triumphs.
• Give us this day our daily bread
We need God in all areas of our life (physical, spiritual and mental), and this is a daily need. We need to come back to God regularly, each day- indeed, many times each day and many ways, for we can quickly become independent and self-seeking. Jesus reiterates this daily dependency when he exhorts us to not "worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself" (Math 6:34, NIV)
• And forgive us our trespasses
Different versions of this prayer use different words here - sometimes "trespasses", "debts" or "sins" (click here for a explanation of this). Here we bring to mind the ways in which we have failed God and others, and ask the Lord for His forgiveness.
• As we forgive them that trespass against us
As we receive God's forgiveness, we bring to mind anyone who we feel may have wronged us, and pardon them.
• And lead us not into temptation
The sixth request in the Lord's prayer is not to be in a place where temptation might overwhelm us. It is not wrong to be tempted or tested (Jesus was!). It is wrong to give in to this temptation.
• But deliver us from evil
The final request is for protection by our Father in heaven. When Jesus was tempted by Satan, he declared 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'(Math 4:4 NIV). In times of trial, Jesus recognises the Lord as His source of deliverance. Likewise we are to depend on God when evil is at our door.
• For this is the kingdom, the power and the glory. Forever and ever. Amen.
The prayer finishes with a closing doxology, that is, a hymn of praise to God. Not all versions of the Lord's prayer include this as many biblical scholars believe that this was added at a later date.
All of these elements are integral to the life of a Christian like you and I, and are practiced in many other cultures beyond the realm of Christianity too.
For years as I was maturing as a teenager, I often looked down on prayer as the obligatory thing we have to do before dinner time and only associated it with giving thanks to food and to the day.
It took me until later to realise that if we ask God at times of need, then he will supply.
Prayer is better understood as a “food for the soul” because of it’s fulfilling richness, beauty and and to quote Romans 12, “being transformed.”
I have been honoured to have witness people come to God through the power of prayer and reduced to tears of joy in the outcome, which is a beautiful act in itself.
Prayer can be requested when we need healing of the heart, mind and body.
We can make this any way we like as it’s our own intimate time with God.
We can simply close our eyes and sometimes not even have to utter a word and He will know our needs.
There are very miraculous examples of the things prayer can do.
Prayer is often developed in more subtle ways, but the outcomes of those prayers can be awe-inspiring in the way it affects those people.
When something needs to resourced or found, people find each other.
This is apart of God’s working.
We are so used to sticking to old phrases and saying “What a small world,” but doesn’t this belittle our Christian belief?
I’ve caught myself on this, and in more recent times, when I find one end meets another and I am surprised by this outcome, which moreorless happens quite frequently in my day to day activity, to quote Douglas Adams, “everything is connected.”
Time and time again, I see in this community and beyond how prayer has made wonderful things happen, and it all goes towards God’s work at the end of the day.
But for those of you who struggle to grapple with the idea of “food for the soul”, let me leave you with this;
Everyday, I try to be thankful for all the little things that God ties together for my bigger picture and I am sure most of you would probably do the same. Of course, sometimes, or most cases, when we recognise those things, “from little things, big things grow.”
Rita Snowden in her book called ‘The Lord’s Prayer - The Living Word’ says
“Clause by clause, it is too close to life. It arose out of a real situation to match again and again a real situation.”
Now this is the first time God’s people have been encouraged to call Him “Father” in their prayers, which you and I are so accustomed to now.
The prophet Isaiah came closest when in a prayer he used the words, “O, God you are our Father.”
Other writers such as Paul must use the term Father to describe an attribute of God.
But Jesus speaks to God as his Father. The way he prays in Matthew 11 is evident.
“I praise you Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth.”
His kingdom come, his will be done, and is complete when we simply ask Him.
Thank God for the close shaves and near misses, the little coincidences that happen and the fulfillment He brings when we simply ask or thank.
As we reflect on the end of a new year and the beginning of a new, remember the things we thank God for and continue to do so.
Prayer is a powerful tool. An encourager for those who need encouraging, a spear against the Devil’s work and a request whenever we need it. And if God sees it in his will, he will do it.
We are a community that thrives on gathering around together and if we seek prayer, we are very quick to rally up alongside each other.
So my encouragement will be to not only pray for yourself, but seek prayer.
Then I encourage you to pray for others. And that is when you will really see God’s glory shine.
This living relationship through the power and the words of The Lord’s Prayer is expressed simply in the opening words, “Our Father.”
The richest revelation of God known on our Earth.
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