We read what is commonly referred to as the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ in Matthew 6:9-13, “After this manner therefore pray ye: 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, for ever. Amen.”

These words of the Lord were given immediately after He taught His disciples about how we should pray.  We read in verses 5-8, “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” 

The Lord warns us about ‘vain repetitions’ in our prayers.  That would be repeating any particular prayer with no thought as to its meaning or appropriateness.  In reality, when we get into the habit of habitually repeating prayers, we hinder the Holy Spirit’s work in leading us in our prayers.  We learn of this work in Romans 8:26-27, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” 

When we pray, we are speaking to the Lord.  Imagine someone speaking to you, but only using rehearsed, repeated words.  That would show a lack of intimacy and a lack of being honest.  In the “Lord’s prayer” we are not being asked to memorize and repeat this prayer.  The Lord gave it to us as an example of how we ought to pray.  Before looking further at this prayer, I want to point out that, although this is called the Lord’s prayer, this is not a prayer the Lord, Himself, would pray.  In this prayer, we read “forgive us our debts”.  In this prayer there is a request for forgiveness.  The Lord never had an occasion to ask for forgiveness for anything.  He is sinless and therefore never needed to seek forgiveness.  Rather, this is a prayer for believers, and it is to be used as a pattern for our prayers. 

  • When we pray, we address the Lord as our Father.
  • We acknowledge His presence in heaven, which indicates awe and reverence to Him.
  • Hallowed literally means holy, so we understand God’s complete holiness when we are speaking with Him.
  • We acknowledge His coming kingdom and pray for its nearness.
  • We pray for God’s perfect and holy will to be done on earth, even as it’s done in heaven.
  • We confess our daily need of the Lord and pray for His faithful provision.
  • We realize the value of confessing our sins to the Lord as we read in 1 John 1:9 which says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  We also need to practice forgiveness as we enjoy the Lord’s forgiveness.
  • We ask the Lord to keep us from trials that might be too difficult for us, even as we ask Him to keep us from evil that might lure us away from Him and cause us to live lives in opposition to His will.
  • We then recognize the supremacy and deity of our Father, the Lord.

Again, this prayer was given to us as a form or pattern to show us how to properly address the Lord when we pray.  It was not meant to be a prayer to be repeated as if saying these words will move the heart of God.  When we pray from our hearts, and according to the leading of the Spirit, the Lord will respond accordingly.  (CC)  (724.2)