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Prayer is not a substitute of work, thinking, watching, suffering, or giving; prayer is a support for all other efforts.(George A. Buttrick)

"Lord, teach us to pray," Jesus' disciples asked.
This simple prayer, which Jesus taught His disciples,
can show us how to talk with God in prayer.

Matthew 6:9-13

Our Father Who art in Heaven

Jesus taught His disciples to call God "our Father." It is this intimate father/child relationship that makes prayer possible. As children of God we can come to His throne expectant and unafraid because we are accepted in His beloved Son (Hebrews 4:15-16). Because we are His children, we can come at anytime to speak with our Heavenly Father, for He delights to hear our prayers!

Hallowed be Thy name

 Worship--to honor and adore God--is a privilege of the Christian. We who have experienced the miracle of His saving grace can praise Him for His greatness and love. Throughout the day we can offer praise and thanksgiving as He showers us with His blessings. "Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name...Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness" (1 Chronicles 16:29).

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven

As God's children, we should desire that His righteous reign throughout the earth. His will should reign  in our own lives. We are made sensitive to His will for us as we prayerfully read and meditate on the Word of God. As we pray, God exposes our spiritual condition and reveals to us how to to bring our desires into conformity with His will (Romans 12:2). From these first three petitions Jesus teaches that God's glory and kingdom should have preeminence in our prayers and lives. God promises those who put Him first: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you"(Matthew 6:33).

Give us this day our daily bread

We are dependent upon God for all our needs---spiritual and material. And, like any loving Father, He desires  good things for us. Nothing is too great for His power; nothing is too small for His love. He invites us to share the most intimate details of our life with Him. "Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks.  And God's peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
NCV (Philippians 4:6-7).

Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors

As we speak with our loving Father and read His Word, we realize that He expects us to be gracious to others (Ephesians 4:32).  Confession of our sin is necessary. By quickly confessing our sins, our fellowship with God is restored. " But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done."
NCV (1 John 1:9)

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

The Lord has promised to protect His children in the hour of temptation: "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to everyone; but God is faithful, who will not permit you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will, with the temptation, also make the way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13). Let us therefore pray for wisdom to see His "way of escape". As we learn to pray to the Father, we enter into the glorious praise which closes our Lord's prayer:

For Thine is the kingdom

We know that God has control over all matters; we can entrust our deepest needs to Him.

And the power

He has the power to accomplish all we ask  (Ephesians 3:20)

And the glory, forever. Amen.

 We worship Him as the All-Mighty One, knowing that "Every good action and every perfect gift is from God. These good gifts come down from the Creator of the sun, moon, and stars, who does not change like their shifting shadows".
(James 1:17) NCV.

This is how the Lord taught His disciples to pray. And by His example He showed them the need for time alone with the Father in prayer. We too must set aside time to talk with God and "Study to show ourselves approved unto God, a person that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth". (2 Timothy 2:15)      

  

"They never sought  in vain that sought the Lord alright!". (Burns)

 

 

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