“Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
(For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever, Amen.)’” Matthew 6:9-13
This past Sunday, (as is the case on most Sundays) as our church family gathered to worship, the sweet sound of many voices, old and young, filled the room. As we prayed these words given by Jesus to His disciples as a framework for prayer, I was reminded that as a kid who only went to church a couple of times a year that this simple prayer was confusing even if it did warm my heart to know it by heart. So this morning just a simple refresher for us and our kiddos.
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” – Because of Jesus’ finished work on the cross, we have been adopted into God’s heart and family. We now GET TO call God “Father” and we GET TO “hallow”–that is, revere, rest, and rejoice in our Father, and everything He is and does.
“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” – As Jesus began His ministry He said, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand…” (Mark 1:15) announcing that His kingdom has come as He is here. But this passage also calls on us to consider eternity as we think of Jesus’ return. On THAT DAY God’s kingdom will come in fullness in the new heavens and new earth. The already and not yet is alive and well. Right now because of our salvation the kingdom is in us because the Holy Spirit indwells us and we are kingdom citizens. Yet the fulfillment of the kingdom is still coming which calls for our singular obedience that will bring Him glory until He returns.
“Give us today our daily bread” – This calls us to a daily dependence upon, and fellowship with our Father, which is both a discipline and a delight. No matter what we choose to think, on any given day, the truth is, as His children we remain needy, and we are to be expectant and grateful…for it is God who provides for us physically and spiritually.
“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” – As we receive from Him all that He has promised we are also called upon daily to seek forgiveness for our sins making the gifts that come from Him sweeter. Jesus’ finished work on the cross secured our forgiveness. We are now free to confess our sins on a daily basis—appropriating the forgiveness we already have received. Having been given so much, this little verse reminds us that our first response towards our brother and sister in Christ is our daily calling to forgive others as we have been forgiven.
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” – By these words, we acknowledge our weakness and “tempt-ability.”(Saw this word in a book by J.I. Packer recently and have been looking for a place to use it!) Until Christ returns, we are capable of thinking, speaking, and acting in ways that contradict His glory and love. So He teaches us of our need to ask this so that we will be more and more delivered from evil. Though Jesus has defeated the control of the devil, the devil has yet to be eradicated. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (I Peter 5:8)His schemes will persist until the Day of Christ’s return.
“For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever, Amen.” Though some of the oldest manuscripts do not have this doxology, the Church has maintained this as an appropriate ending to this prayer as we are all called to glorify God in all we do. When we say this doxology we are committing ourselves then, now and always to worship and adore Him… Soli Deo Gloria= to God alone be the glory!
So let’s say this prayer more often and teach our children to say it as well with the knowledge of all that is includes so that we and they might glorify God today and throughout the week.
God Bless y’all today!
In His Grip,
Pastor Mike
