What does
Jesus teach His disciples about prayer?
Once Jesus was in a certain place praying.
As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, "Lord, teach us
to pray, just as John taught his disciples." Jesus said, "This is how
you should pray: Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come
soon. Give us each day the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive
those who sin against us. And don't let us yield to temptation." Luke
11:1-4
This is the traditional prayer known as The
Lord’s Prayer—but you maybe more familiar with the classic King James Version.
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
 |
| Our Father who is in Heaven...be glorified. Reach down to us--may Your Kingdom be in us. |
It is the model
that Jesus taught His disciples. So, if it was good for His disciples, it can
still be a model for us today. Books have been written and sermons preached on
the Lord’s Prayer, but let’s take a look at it for ourselves:
-
Our Father which art in heaven—God is in Heaven—He is our Father,
as well as the father of Jesus. He is
worthy of our praise…and that is a good way to begin your prayer.
-
Hallowed be thy name – Honor his name.
-
Thy kingdom come. - His Kingdom—His spiritual kingdom. Since God is
spiritual, His kingdom is spiritual. It is not one that we will see in any
capital city on any continent on earth. We cannot see the spiritual realm—but
it is all around us…and within His believers. Yes, Lord—may Your Kingdom be evident
here.
-
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. God’s will—what He
wants done—may it happen here on earth just like it is being done, happening,
in Heaven. I think it is interesting that the translation has done in
earth, not ON earth. In
the earth. Think about it. Was Jesus referring to the spiritual realm of
the earth? Not all translations address God’s will, but it is important that we
observe and obey God’s will.
-
Give us this day our daily bread. God provides our food each day…physical
food as well as spiritual food. When I was in the sixth grade my Sunday School
teacher taught us that the daily bread
could be more than the food on the table. It includes our spiritual food for
the day. We were sitting around the table in the kitchen when our class met—what
an appropriate place for such a lesson on food. Are you reading God’s word…the Bible…everyday?
That is where we get our “spiritual food.”
-
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Debts and
debtors…some translations use trespasses and those who trespass against us. Have
you offended someone or has someone offended you? Forgiveness is important. Forgive…and
be forgiven. Jesus goes on to teach that unless we forgive others, God will not
forgive us. Are you willing to risk that?
-
And lead us not into temptation…Temptation is all around us.
Protect us, Lord, from the evils of this world. Proverbs 3:5-6 teaches us to Trust in the Lord with all your heart and
lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He
will make your paths straight. Straight paths do not lead to temptation.
Trust the Lord to guide your footsteps.
-
but deliver us from evil: Protect us from the evil one…keep our
minds pure and our feet from straying down paths that are filled with darkness.
-
For thine is the kingdom, and the power… Yes. God is all powerful. We
acknowledge that He is above all and that nothing is more powerful than Him—in any
realm.
-
and the glory, forever. Give God the glory and honor and praise due
Him. Always. That is forever.
-
Amen – So be it.
How to pray? That is
just what Jesus was teaching His disciples.
Honor God.
May His will be done.
Thank God for all He provides—physical
and spiritual.
Forgive me.
He will keep me from being tempted
and living in darkness.
Glory to God.
God is our provider,
sustainer, and all powerful. Give Him glory and honor. Do you do that? Who is
God to you. How do you pray?
Prayer ~ Father God, You are awesome and I
can’t wait to learn more about You and Your see Your plans for mankind to
happen just as You’ve planned. Forgive me for things I’ve done or thought today
that weren’t what You wanted. Please keep me from evil or even bad thoughts. I
don’t want to live in darkness—but in Your light and Your ways. Glory. Glory.
Glory
Verse of Salvation ~ If you warn them and
they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins. But you
will have saved yourself because you obeyed me. Ezekiel 3:19
©
2020 Text, photos and paintings by
Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
Unless
otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation,
copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of
Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from
the King James Version of the Bible. Public domain.
Follow And Like "Banquet With
The King" on Facebook. 👍
No comments:
Post a Comment