The Lord’s Prayer (Based on Matthew 5&6)

One day Jesus went up into a mountain and sat down. His disciples came to Him, and He taught them there. He began by telling them who are the truly blessed, who are the really happy people in this world. Are they the rich and the great? No, Jesus did not say that any people are happy because of riches and greatness. He said, “Blessed are the meek, the humble, and the gentle; blessed are those that mourn over their sins and that ask for pardon; blessed are those who have new hearts and are willing to give up all for righteousness’ sake.” These are the blessed people, although they may be poor and despised and have no possessions on this earth. They are blessed because God has worked in their hearts.

Then Jesus gave His disciples some beautiful lessons about loving their fellow creatures. He told them they ought to love not only their friends but also their enemies. How kind God is to His enemies. We deserve nothing, yet He is always giving us good things; He sends His blessings not only to His own people who love Him but also to those who do not love Him. The sun shines on the wicked as well as upon the righteous, and the rain falls upon the unjust as it does upon the just. This should teach us to be kind, even to those who are not kind to us.

Then Jesus spoke to His disciples about prayer. He told them not to pray like the Pharisees, in the streets, to be seen of men. No, they should pray in secret, in their own rooms, where only God could see them. Then He taught them how they ought to pray, instructing them in the beautiful prayer which we call The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13).

“Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name.” Who is this Father? It is God, the great God who made us and has kept us all our lives. We should obey, love, and honor Him as children obey, love, and honor their earthly parents. We should honor His Name, for it is a very holy Name, and we should never speak of it irreverently.

“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” What is this kingdom which we pray may come? God is King over the world now; He rules over all, and nothing happens without His command. This prayer is more than a request that God would rule over the world. It is a prayer that He would be King in our hearts, that He would send His Spirit to teach us obedience to Him. Then we will not want to do only what is our will hut what is His will; this is what the angels in heaven do. Then His Name will receive all the honor and the glory.

“Give us this day our daily bread.” All good things come from God. The bread we eat and the water we drink are sent by Him. We should acknowledge His kindness in prayer, thanking Him for His past mercies and humbly asking for more. Christ did not teach His disciples to ask for great and fine things. He told them only to pray for “daily bread,” for what they really needed and nothing more. We must learn to be content with little, and we should not wish for greater things than God gives us. If we have only bread to eat, let us be thankful for it, for it is more than many others have and much more than any of us deserve.

“And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them who trespass against us.” Trespasses are sins. We have come into this world as sinners against a holy and righteous God. Here Jesus gives instruction to ask the Lord for forgiveness. He is gracious and ready to forgive, but how can we say to God, “Forgive us our trespasses,” if we do not forgive those that trespass against us? Even our best friends sometimes make us sad or angry, and we too often vex and trouble them. Then we should learn to bear with one another and to forgive one another. Ask the Lord to give you a forgiving heart.

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” This world is full of sin, and Satan and our own wicked hearts are always leading us into what is wrong. Jesus, knowing our weakness, has taught us to seek help from God. Every morning, before we begin the work of the day, we ask Him to “lead us not into temptation”: not to let us go anywhere or do anything which might bring us into sin. We must not only pray to be kept from temptation, but we must watch against it, too, and avoid those places and people that we know will lead us into sin.

There is evil, sorrow, and trouble in the world as well as sin. These evils must sometimes come upon us all, and who can comfort us then? Only God; He can make us happy even in sorrow, or He can, if He pleases, take the sorrow away. He says, “And call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee...” (Psalm 50:15).

“For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” All belongs to God; nothing can happen without His will. If He is so powerful and so gracious, then we must trust in Him for whatever we need. He can help us in our greatest difficulties because He is so powerful. We are weak, but He is almighty, and He alone will receive the glory for all His works.

The last word in this beautiful prayer is “Amen.” This word means “So be it.” It means that we really believe, feel, and wish for everything that we say and ask for in that prayer. Ask the Lord to teach you to pray in Spirit and in truth as His disciples did.

Rev. Geiler of Kaiserberg once stated that people with their sins have much in common with the loggers who float logs down the river. As long as the logs are in the water, the loggers do not realize how heavy they are. When, however, they have to bring them on land, then they realize for the first time how heavy the logs really are. It is much the same with those who live on, unconverted. As long as they go through life, they are without concerns and cheerful; yet, when they reach the shores of eternity, then they shall realize that they are bound with the heaviest chains and will know through all eternity how heavy sin is.

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