A "MODEL" PRAYER
The Lord's Prayer is meant to be our "model" prayer. It was given to us as an example of the way in which we are to pray. It is not meant to be repeated and Jesus said:- “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” Matthew 6:7
It is not to be used as a mantra, a sacred verbal formula repeated in prayer, meditation, or incantation, such as an invocation of a god, a magic spell, or a syllable or portion of scripture containing mystical potentialities. A commonly repeated word or phrase, especially in advocacy or for motivation.
Christianity is not a religion but a relationship with God our Heavenly Father. The prayer is a model of praise, worship, and trust in Him. Prayed properly it will build faith and trust in our God and saviour. If we continue to open our spiritual ears and eyes, God is able to come into communication with us, nd we into harmony with him.
WORSHIP
Notice the way the Lord starts out this model prayer, this example for us of how to pray. Notice the very first statement of this prayer could be summed up in one word: worship!
The Lord's Prayer reveals to those who would seek it, some very important statements about the way God would have us approach him when we come before the throne of grace seeking answers to our petitions.
"Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name."
"Hallowed be thy Name" is the first of the seven petitions in the prayer (the first three address God, the second four are prayers related to our needs and concerns).
If the whole "Lord's Prayer" is to serve as an example, then we should take particular notice of this first (and probably most important) lesson offered. And that is, whenever we approach the throne of the all-powerful and all-mighty God, we should approach it with words of praise and worship on our lips.
Matthew Henry's Commentary : “Hallowed be thy name. It is the same word that in other places is translated sanctified. But here the old word hallowed is retained, only because people were used to it in the Lord's prayer. In these words, (1.) We give glory to God; it may be taken not as a petition, but as an adoration; as that, the Lord be magnified, or glorified, for God's holiness is the greatness and glory of all his perfections. We must begin our prayers with praising God, and it is very fit he should be first served, and that we should give glory to God, before we expect to receive mercy and grace from him. Let him have praise of his perfections, and then let us have the benefit of them. (2.) We fix our end, and it is the right end to be aimed at, and ought to be our chief and ultimate end in all our petitions, that God may be glorified; all our other requests must be in subordination to this, and in pursuance of it. "Father, glorify thyself in giving me my daily bread and pardoning my sins," &c. Since all is of him and through him, all must be to him and for him. In prayer our thoughts and affections should be carried out most to the glory of God. The Pharisees made their own name the chief end of their prayers (Mt 6:5, to be seen of men), in opposition to which we are directed to make the name of God our chief end; let all our petitions centre in this and be regulated by it. "Do so and so for me, for the glory of thy name, and as far as is for the glory of it." (3.) We desire and pray that the name of God, that is, God himself, in all that whereby he has made himself known, may be sanctified and glorified both by us and others, and especially by himself. "Father, let thy name be glorified as a Father, and a Father in heaven; glorify thy goodness and thy highness, thy majesty and mercy. Let thy name be sanctified, for it is a holy name; no matter what becomes of our polluted names, but, Lord, what wilt thou do to thy great name?" When we pray that God's name may be glorified, [1.] We make a virtue of necessity; for God will sanctify his own name, whether we desire it or not; I will be exalted among the heathen, Ps 46:10. [2.] We ask for that which we are sure shall be granted; for when our Saviour prayed, Father glorify thy name, it was immediately answered, I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
GOD'S WILL
"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."
After we have come before God with praise and worship, the next step in ur praying should be determining the will of God. And this is tremendously mportant. How many times we get into trouble because we don't first seek God's will!
Far too often all we know is our "wants", not God's "will". We know we ant something. The only thing that fills our consciousness is our desire or the object or result. It really doesn't matter if it is what God wants or not. We want it and that's all that matters. It may not be good for us at the time, or it may be something diametrically contrary to God's plan for our life. As long as we want it, nothing else matters. Despite our outhings and protestations, God knows that in our hearts we aren't really committed to the thought that we don't want it if he doesn't want it.
Albert Barnes on "Thy Kingdom Come: “Thy kingdom come. The word kingdom here means reign. Mt 3:2. The petition is the expression of a wish that God may reign everywhere; that his laws may be obeyed; and especially that the gospel of Christ may be advanced everywhere, till the world shall be filled with his glory.”
How much trouble would we avoid if we would honestly seek the face of he Lord before we go before him with a request. How much better in many ases, if we would merely take our problems before him, and ask for olutions to them, rather than going before him with a solution we have etermined is the proper one. If we would learn to pray in this manner, we ould never have to start out with the oft-proclaimed but seldom-meant tatement, "Lord if it is in they will ..."
In a sense, we can maintain a very compatible prayer life with God without ever using that phrase. In the first place, an overwhelming number f situations are well covered in Scripture. There are very few things we an bring before God in which he hasn't already demonstrated his will. For xample:
If I go before him requesting salvation for someone, I don't have to say, "If it is in your will, Lord." Scripture tells us that God "is not illing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
Therefore there is no question of God's will in this matter. The only will that interferes with the accomplishment of salvation is the will of the person resisting God's desire for him to come to repentance.
If I therefore go before him and say, "Lord, save so-and-so if it be your will," such a prayer would be a faithless prayer, or insulting to God, or at least revealing of my lack of knowledge in things he has given me to now in Scripture. I therefore just say, "Lord, I am presenting so-and-so yo you for salvation." Now God's hands are free to deal with that person in whatever way he chooses to bring him to repentance and salvation.
Another example of this is in the area of praying for healing. Scripture reveals to us in a number of places that it is God's will that we are healed. We are told in Matthew that Jesus took our informities and bare Our sickness. James said the prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise them up. The psalmist tells us, "He forgiveth all our niquities and healeth all our diseases." When the leper came he said, Lord if thou wilt, thou canst make me whole." And Jesus said, "I will."
Therefore we know that God wants to see us healed. There is no reason or us to go before God and say, "Lord I am asking for healing, if it be our will." Such a prayer is erroneous, unscriptural, and self-defeating. Too often, I feel it is done defensively and in lack of faith. Perhaps some feel it gives off an impression of humility and sancitity. In truth though, it is false humility. And how must our heavenly father feel when we present ourselves and ask his will concerning something he has already clarified many times?
Now we can ask his will in regard to the method of the healing or the time of the healing. There's nothing wrong with this. But there is definite error when we go before God and ask whether he would prefer to see us healthy or not.
Another area where God has spoken out very clearly regarding his will is n the area of prosperity. It is God's will for his children to be prosperous. How they become prosperous, however, is another matter. Or the egree of properity we might aspire to could cause us problems. But there s no question about God's basic desire to see his children prosper, since he makes his attitude clear in a number of places in Scripture.
We can therefore go before God and pray for prosperity, and we can seek is will in regard to the method for us to acquire the prosperity. But it ould be patently insulting for us to first inquire whether he wants us to e prosperous. God makes it clear to anyone willing to put in some time in earching Scripture that he wants us to have joy, health, peace, security, and so forth.
Of course, there is a question of how we are to acquire these very desirable situations. When we go before him seeking improvement in any of hese areas, we should diligently seek his will as to methods, directions, iming, and so forth. These are variables from time to time and from person o person. What might be the perfect route for one person, might be the orst possible avenue for someone else.
We should alwlays desire his will for our lives. We should continually be searching for that will. Only his will is the perfect way for our lives.
Why then, take second best (or less), by seeking out some alternative route, hen all we have to do is go before him and dedicate our lives to the one est way he has determined for us?
OUR NEEDS AND CONCERNS
Matthew Henry on "Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread" Give us this day our daily bread. Because our natural being is necessary to our spiritual well-being in this world, therefore, after the things of God's glory, kingdom, and will, we pray for the necessary supports and comforts of this present life, which are the gifts of God, and must be asked of him, Ton arton epiousion--Bread for the day approaching, for all the remainder of our lives. Bread for the time to come, or bread for our being and subsistence, that which is agreeable to our condition in the world (Pr 30:8), food convenient for us and our families, according to our rank and station.
Every word here has a lesson in it: (1.) We ask for bread; that teaches us sobriety and temperance; we ask for bread, not dainties, not superfluities; that which is wholesome, though it be not nice. (2.) We ask for our bread; that teaches us honesty and industry: we do not ask for the bread out of other people's mouths, not the bread of deceit (Pr 20:17), not the brad of idleness (Pr 31:27), but the bread honestly gotten. (3.) We ask for our daily bread; which teaches us not to take thought for the morrow (Mt 6:34), but constantly to depend upon divine Providence, as those that live from hand to mouth. (4.) We beg of God to give it us, not sell it us, nor lend it us, but give it. The greatest of men must be beholden to the mercy of God for their daily bread, (5.) We pray, "Give it to us; not to me only, but to others in common with me." This teaches us charity, and a compassionate concern for the poor and needy. It intimates also, that we ought to pray with our families; we and our households eat together, and therefore ought to pray together. (6.) We pray that God would give us this day; which teaches us to renew the desire of our souls toward God, as the wants of our bodies are renewed; as duly as the day comes, we must pray to our heavenly Father, and reckon we could as well go a day without meat, as without prayer.
Matthew Henry on "Forgive Us Our Trespasses"
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, This is connected with the former; and forgive, intimating, that unless our sins be pardoned, we can have no comfort in life, or the supports of it. Our daily bread does but feed us as lambs for the slaughter, if our sins be not pardoned. It intimates, likewise, that we must pray for daily pardon, as duly as we pray for daily bread. He that is washed, needeth to wash his feet. Here we have, A petition; Father in heaven forgive us our debts, our debts to thee. Note, Our sins are our debts; there is a debt of duty, which, as creatures, we owe to our Creator; we do not pray to be discharged from that, but upon the non-payment of that there arises a debt of punishment; in default of obedience to the will of God, we become obnoxious to the wrath of God; and for not observing the precept of the law, we stand obliged to the penalty. A debtor is liable to process, so are we; a malefactor is a debtor to the law, so are we. Our hearts' desire and prayer to our heavenly Father every day should be, that he would forgive us our debts; that the obligation to punishment may be cancelled and vacated, that we may not come into condemnation; that we may be discharged, and have the comfort of it. In suing out the pardon of our sins, the great plea we have to rely upon is the satisfaction that was made to the justice of God for the sin of man, by the dying of the Lord Jesus our Surety, or rather Bail to the action, that undertook our discharge.
An argument to enforce this petition; as we forgive our debtors. This is not a plea of merit, but a plea of grace. Note, Those that come to God for the forgiveness of their sins against him, must make conscience of forgiving those who have offended them, else they curse themselves when they say the Lord's prayer. Our duty is to forgive our debtors; as to debts of money, we must not be rigorous and severe in exacting them from those that cannot pay them without ruining themselves and their families; but this means debt of injury; our debtors are those that trespass against us, that smite us (Mt 5:39,40), and in strictness of law, might be prosecuted for it; we must forbear, and forgive, and forget the affronts put upon us, and the wrongs done us; and this is a moral qualification for pardon and peace; it encourages to hope, that God will forgive us; for if there be in us this gracious disposition, it is wrought of God, and therefore is a perfection eminently and transcendently in himself; it will be an evidence to us that he has forgiven us, having wrought in us the condition of forgiveness.
Albert Barnes on "Lead us not into temptation" “And lead us not into temptation. A petition similar to this is offered by David, Ps 141:4 "Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity." God tempts no man See Jas 1:13. This phrase, then, must be used in the sense of permitting. Do not suffer us, or permit us, to be tempted to sin. In this it is implied that God has such control over us and the tempter, as to save us from it if we call upon him. The word temptation, however, (Mt 4:1) means sometimes trial, affliction, anything that tests our virtue. If this be the meaning here, as it may be, then the import of the prayer is, "Do not afflict or try us."
Matthew Henry wrote - “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. This petition is expressed, Negatively: Lead us not into temptation. Having prayed that the guilt of sin may be removed, we pray, as it is fit, that we may never return again to folly, that we may not be tempted to it. It is not as if God tempted any to sin; but, "Lord, do not let Satan loose upon us; chain up that roaring lion, for he is subtle and spiteful; Lord, do not leave us to ourselves (Ps 19:13), for we are very weak; Lord, do not lay stumbling-blocks and snares before us, nor put us into circumstances that may be an occasion of falling." Temptations are to be prayed against, both because of the discomfort and trouble of them, and because of the danger we are in of being overcome by them, and the guilt and grief that then follow.”
Albert Barnes on "Deliver us from evil"
“Deliver us from evil. The original, in this place, has the article-- deliver us from THE evil--that is, as has been supposed, the evil one, or Satan. He is elsewhere called, by way of eminence, the evil one, Mt 13:19, 1Jn 2:13, 14, 3:12. Deliver us from his power, his snares, his arts, his temptations. He is supposed to be the great parent of evil, and to be delivered from him is to be safe. Or it may mean, deliver us from the various evils and trials which beset us, the heavy and oppressive calamities into which we are continually liable to fall.”
The Power and The Glory
"The power and the glory" is part of the doxology that falls at the end of the Lord's prayer.
Matthew Henry - “It is a form of praise and thanksgiving. The best pleading with God is praising of him; it is the way to obtain further mercy, as it qualifies us to receive it. In all our addresses to God, it is fit that praise should have a considerable share, for praise becometh the saints; they are to be our God for a name and for a praise. It is just and equal; we praise God, and give him glory, not because he needs it--he is praised by a world of angels, but because he deserves it; and it is our duty to give him glory, in compliance with his design in revealing himself to us. Praise is the work and happiness of heaven; and all that would go to heaven hereafter, must begin their heaven now. Observe, how full this doxology is, The kingdom, and the power, and the glory, it is all thine. Note, It becomes us to be copious in praising God. A true saint never thinks he can speak honourably enough of God: here there should be a gracious fluency, and this for ever. Ascribing glory to God for ever, intimates an acknowledgement, that it is eternally due, and an earnest desire to be eternally doing it, with angels and saints above, Ps 71:14.”
“By power, that energy by which the kingdom is governed and maintained. By glory, the honour that shall redound to God in consequence of the maintenance of the kingdom of grace, in the salvation of men." - Adam Clarke
