The Lord’s Prayer
Matthew 6:5-14, Luke 11:1-13
In the sermon on the mount, Jesus gives his disciples a model of how we ought to pray. Prayer is a space where we can come before the Father and pour our hearts out to him as he hears and knows us well. He understands what we need before we tell him. He sees us where we are at and wants us to come to Him.
In Matthew 6:5-14 Jesus gives a perfect example of the things we ought to pray to the Father for. Jesus begins by recognizing that God is our Father and that he is holy or “set apart.” Because of the fall, no human naturally desires for God’s glory to be known. By praying this way, we are modeling after Jesus. We are praying that God’s kingdom would come and will would be done above our own. We ask for his help and rely on Him for strength to redeem our desires and sanctify our hearts. This gives us the ability to walk in righteousness and graciously be a part of His wondrous plan. Jesus is asking us to surrender our ways for his ways. He is our daily bread, sustaining us to meet our physical and spiritual needs. We are called to continually repent for our sins before God. Just as He has forgiven us, we too should never hold back from forgiving others. Forgiveness is the way of the Lord. Jesus died on the cross and rose again to cover our sins and make a way for us to be reconciled to God. When we withhold forgiveness we are holding onto bitterness rather than the grace of God.
In Luke 11:1-13 it says we will know how to pray by looking at the way Jesus prayed. We are called to be disciples by continuously coming before the Lord regardless of what we are going through. He has delivered us from darkness, His word is timelessly true, and he is asking us to trust in it. Edward Bounds, in his book Bounds on Prayer, says, “The largest results in praying come to him who gives himself, all of himself, all that belongs to himself, to God.”
Everyone needs to be in communion with God through the form of prayer. His scripture provides us with the words to say, but even more, He is desperately waiting for us to enter into relationship with Him and offer Him all that we have. Prayer is a time to remember what Jesus has done for you and to be thankful. When you were once rejected, you have now been accepted and as a believer you are led to confess and be united with God in the form of prayer. God wants to remind you of who he is, the truth that He speaks over you and the love that He has for you. His will and glory are being accomplished in you. Draw close to him and lean on his Spirit for guidance.
