Matthew 6:5-15
The LORD's Prayer
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Luke 11:1-4
The LORD's Prayer
1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:
“‘Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.’”
We learn much from our LORD's Prayer in Matthew and Luke's Gospels...
We learn about how we should have a relationship with God...The prayer starts by addressing God as "Our Father in heaven," establishing a loving and family-type relationship between God and humanity...He is our Father...There is this focus on God's Glory..."Hallowed be Your Name" expresses reverence and sets the tone for honoring God...We should know about God's Kingdom and do His Will..."Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" acknowledges God's Ultimate Authority and expresses a desire for God's will to prevail on earth...We have this dependence on God..."Give us this day our daily bread" highlights our dependence on God for our basic daily needs...We must have forgiveness in our hearts..."And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" emphasizes the importance of forgiveness, both receiving it from God and extending it to others...God will deliver us from evil..."And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" acknowledges human weakness and pleads for God's help to resist temptation and evil...Forgiveness again is highlighted in Jesus' Prayer...He says: "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you...But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."...So we learn we are to forgive others and then our Father will forgive us...
In conclusion, we learn the power and the glory forever of God...Since we know now that God's Will gets done on earth as it is does in heaven, this reaffirms God's sovereignty and power and includes in His prayer a sense of praise and worship for our Father in Heaven...
So there is this priority of God in our lives...The prayer places God's Will and His Glory above our own desires...There needs to be a balance between our needs and wants...It acknowledges our need for daily provision while keeping it simple with "daily bread."...There is a Great Importance of Forgiveness...The focus on forgiveness highlights the importance of letting go of resentment and practicing reconciliation...There needs to be humility and dependence in our lives, with faith leading the Way...We acknowledge our limitations and dependence on God's guidance and protection...The LORD's Prayer is a model for prayer, offering a framework for expressing reverence, petition, and dependence on God...