"This, Then, Is How You Should Pray."

I grew up on the words. I’d recited the words from memory more times than I can count. They were commonly said corporately before ball games, in church services, in hospitals, in large gatherings and in religious events:

“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

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

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”

Matthew 6:9-13

I’ve heard these words throughout my 41 years of life, but for most of those 41 years, they were just words… words we said at church or before games. They didn’t really have meaning to me… until about a year ago. I heard it said that the one and only thing Jesus’ 12 disciples asked Him to teach them was how to pray. The Lord’s Prayer was His response. This piqued my interest, and for the first time, I dove deep to analyze and truly figure out what it all means. What I found was a powerful, comprehensive, hope-filled, God-honoring prayer. Let’s break it down and dive in. I hope it will come alive to you as well if it hasn’t already.

I had to bite off a little at a time like this:

Phrase: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

What it Means: God, our Heavenly Father figure- His name is Holy

Application: We acknowledge that we have a Great Heavenly Father who is holy in every way. This should keep us in constant awe of who He is.

Phrase: They kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

What it Means: In God’s Kingdom, He reigns over all. Heaven is a place of perfection- no sin, no sorrow, no sickness. It’s full of worship and praise for our Father. We desire to for God’s will to be done on earth just as it is in Heaven.

Application: Our ultimate goal every day should be for God to reign over all and for His will to be done on earth, just as His will is done in Heaven. (When this reality hit me, it blew my mind. What a concept! Of course we want that!)

Phrase: Give us this day, our daily bread.

What is Means: For today, give us what we need- our daily portion.

Application: We trust God to provide for our needs (not our wants) and we focus on today only- not worrying about tomorrow.

Phrase: And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

What it Means: God, forgive our sins and may we also forgive those who have sinned against us, just as you forgive.

Application: It’s not by accident that us forgiving those who have sinned against us is tied to the way Jesus forgives our sins. We are called to forgive as he forgives. (“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” Matthew 6:14)

Phrase: And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

What it Means: Father, don’t lead me into situations that will tempt us. Deliver us from the hand of Satan and his schemes.

Application: We all have weaknesses. This portion of the prayer acknowledges our weaknesses and pleads with the Lord to spare us from temptations that will feed off of our weaknesses. It asks to be spared from Satan who is constantly lurking around desiring for us to fail and be separated from God.

Phrase: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

What it means: It is all yours, Father. You are all-powerful and you get all the glory forever more. Application: We should approach each day with the knowledge that this whole creation and everything in it belongs to God. He is all-powerful and can do anything. And He gets ALL the glory. Nothing good comes from us- it is all from our Father and we should constantly be in a posture of praise and adoration for who He is and what He has done for us. Period.

When I took the time to really think about what the words of the prayer mean instead of mindlessly reciting memorized phrases, the words came to life. And then to think that this is how Jesus taught others to pray. He spoke the words, “This, then, is how you should pray.” I love that this prayer begins and ends with giving God honor and glory. It focuses us on God’s will being what we chase after. The prayer humbles us as we ask for only what we need and also in asking for forgiveness and prompting us to fogive others. The prayer also reminds us of temptations we’re prone to and cautions us to be aware of Satan’s desire to devour us.

The Lord’s Prayer is a short and simple prayer, but it is comprehensive. It is powerful. It is intentional. And it is God-focused, God-honoring, and God-willing… when prayed with sincerity. I’m ashamed at how many times I’ve voiced this prayer without a single thought to what it actually means.

T his model prayer has become even more personal as I’ve prayed it with specific people or events or circumstances in mind. For example, last summer, I prayed this a lot over my school, our staff, our students, and our families:

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

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

Father, may your will and your will alone be done this school year.

Give us this day our daily bread.

Remind us to be content with what we have, and more than food, Lord, give us a hunger for you, The Bread of Life.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Make us aware of our sins so we can get right with you and forgive those sins. When we sin against each other, compel us to forgive one another and work in harmony.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:

There will be temptation this school year. Caution us and steer us toward righteousness. Bind Satan from our school and from the homes of our staff and our families.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen

Father, I have confidence in your power to equip us for your work. You get all the glory. You are every bit of the good that will come from this year. I praise you in advance for what you will do this school year. Thank you, Father! Amen

This prayer, The Lord’s Prayer, the prayer he gave his disciples as a model, this very prayer is a gift. It is a prayer I want to live and breathe every day. I need the words to ground me, to humble me, and to focus my day on God’s will and His glory. No more reciting the prayer like a 13 year old at the end of a scorching hot baseball game who just wants to chug his Gatorade. (You know that’s real!) What would happen if God’s people prayed this prayer with sincerity and then lived out what they prayed? I know one thing: Satan wouldn’t like it. But I know someone who would!!! 😉 And to that, I say” LET’S GO!!!”

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“Satan laughs at our toiling, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.”

~ Anonymous

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7