The Lord’s Prayer Thoughts
I started taking a closer look at the Lord's Prayer after attending a Bible study where the workbook asked me what the five points of the prayer were. My first thought was, why five and not six points? The follow-up Bible study to discuss the topic never happened; Covid hit, and people were too afraid to meet. However, I got stirred to take a closer look at this prayer, and as I spent more and more time with it, I realized why I was never comfortable participating in it during service all those years. It gave me a lot of dirty looks and made me feel weird when I would stand quietly, but now, after studying it some more, I’m glad I did.
The Lord has been teaching me a new way to pray the Lord's Prayer, and I'd like to share it with you, not saying that it’s the only right way.
And yes, I know it's not really the Lord's Prayer, which is found in John 17, but since most people call it just this, I will call it the Lord's Prayer for simplicity reasons.
Let’s start with a mind-boggling thought from Matthew 6:9: Our Father who is in heaven.
Our Father, wow! Our Father is not just my brothers ' and sisters' Father, but also includes Jesus. He is Jesus', mine, and yours - Our Father. Let that sink in!
Matthew 6:9
The Bible study suggested that the prayer starts with praise (Hallowed be Your Name). Indeed, I agree that a petition to God should begin with praise, and I wish I could remember praising God every time before approaching Him for my needs. With that being said, let's get started.
HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME. It’s not been about praise to me, but rather a deep-felt longing for God to be more revered. It almost makes me cry when I look around at churches (sleeping ones), people I know, and the rest of the world, and my cry to Him is, God, hallowed be Your Name. May Your name be kept holy; this makes it a prayer instead of praise! Therefore, it makes it six instead of five prayer points. I pray that God's Name will be hallowed and kept holy by me, in this place, during my day, in my city, and through my brothers’ and sisters’ lives all over the earth. Hallowed be Your Name, for You are God and the One who gave us life. Hallowed be Your name, for You are the only One worthy of praise! May You be recognized and honored everywhere. Hallowed be Your name!
It is a cry within me towards the whole earth that He will be glorified. It should be a cry within all of us! Try it. Try to have a heart for God to be given glory forever and ever. Does it make you sad that His name is not revered as it should be? It makes me sad. He deserves it! He requests it! (Isaiah 43:21) He created us for this reason, and He is worthy of it! He is the Great I Am and King over all, leading me to the next verse.
Matthew 6:10
Your kingdom come, and Your will be done are more cries for God to move and for His people to awaken. Your kingdom come, meaning bring revival to the land and let every heart beat for you. Let Your plan for Your children be established, and let the whole world know You are Lord!
YOUR WILL BE DONE! Let me be aware of Your will. Please help me be more available and attuned to the Holy Spirit's nudging and bring the harvest in as the ants do. May I be Your kingdom worker, equipped by Your power, worthy of the calling, and always ready. Your will be done, not mine. Help me hear Your directions and not get distracted by my own thinking.
YOUR KINGDOM COME! Your kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Rom. 14:17) Being right with the Father means receiving Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, but also continuously monitoring my actions, confessing my sin, striving for a closer walk, and learning more about Him through His Word. I will live in the peace that only Jesus can give, appreciate, honor, and apply the blood that He has shed for me, and truly enjoy the presence of the Holy Spirit and fellowship with Him in all my circumstances. And as I search for the kingdom of God, all these other things I need will be added unto me. (Matt. 6:33)
Let me be part of Your kingdom, an ambassador in line with Your will. Let your will be done in my life today. Let Your will be done by everybody who was called by Your name. May Your will be done, not my will, not our will, but Your will alone.
ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN! Most people refer to on earth as in heaven, saying that there's no poverty or sickness in heaven; I’ve heard it so many times. Let us take another approach. In heaven, there is no friction or hesitation, or delay. Your will be done instantaneously, freely given, and joyfully fulfilled. So let it be on earth as it is in heaven, meaning I am Your willing vessel. I want to do Your will. So, here I have three cries out to God in the first of three parts of my prayer - may Your name be kept holy, may Your kingdom come, and may Your will be done.
Matthew 6:11
GIVE US TODAY OUR DAILY BREAD, which is not the bread to fill my belly. It is the bread that I'm looking for, that Your Word would speak to me, give me revelation, and that I may get a touch of the Most High to empower me to make it through this day according to Your will. Yes, it can include food, God knows, but more than anything, I need food from You, God, Your Word, and Your living presence in my life.
I'm speaking here for myself. You will have to adjust it according to your needs.
Matthew 6:12
FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS - You forgive my sin and cleanse me so I may walk righteous and aware of the Holy Spirit. I need to be free of sin to hear You clearly and fellowship with You. I ask for forgiveness through the blood for my failure, acknowledging and thanking You for Your sacrifice on the cross, Jesus. Father, I thank You for sending Your son to die in my place so I can live and come boldly before Your throne.
AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO SINNED AGAINST US. Let it not be a quick move on to the following sentence. Ask God, who is it that I haven't forgiven? Please bring to my attention who I need to deal with so I can move on with this day and with You. I want to be right with You because I love you, Lord.
“Don’t let me move on with this prayer
if I have any lingering unforgiveness.”
Matthew 6:13
LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION. It was hard to understand at first, for God doesn't tempt. But He also said He would send us through the fire to purify us. He will allow things to happen and will test us. He will give us trials. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that we as Christians have an easy walk, but we are overcomers, and God will not let us go through anything without giving us a way out. He empowered us to overcome. He created the blacksmith who makes the fire hot to make the right tools. (Isaiah 54:16)
The second part, DELIVER US FROM EVIL, is not just an addition to asking to be free from troubles. There are so many little demons in our lives and all around us that we don't even know about that keep us from living the holy life. Deliver us from evil, that I may be the person You called me to be, that I will do Your will that hallows Your name all day long and everywhere I go. Deliver me from evil, meaning show me my true self. Show me, don't just deliver me quietly; let me see what I need to be delivered from. In that way, I will be free and free indeed! Free and wise through understanding and seeing, learning to avoid the schemes of the enemy in the future.
“Lord, let me see the whole truth about myself
so I will be the best I can be.”
So, to sum it up, this last part is to ask God for deliverance so that I don't walk through those long trials, walking around that mountain over and over, but that I will be delivered and my eyes will be opened to the truth, and I can overcome. It requires a heart turned towards God, willing to see the truth about self, and freely receiving the truth that may hurt so I can be a vessel for God in all and everything. It is the only way God will help me see without long, dragging trials. God does look at the heart and knows what I can handle; all I need to do is be available.
And finishing up this prayer in the same verse comes the praise and a proclamation. It is not really for my personal benefit to pray this prayer. It is for Him, God Almighty, who rules and enjoys His beloved and longs to see His kingdom flourish and expand and His plan fulfilled. YOURS IS THE KINGDOM! And YOURS IS THE POWER that does it! And YOURS IS THE GLORY FOREVER. So be it. AMEN!
“ I’m longing for Your kingdom to be established on the earth, to be part of making Your kingdom beautiful and appealing to all, fulfilling my purpose.
”
Praying this prayer often for myself, God showed me that Jesus didn’t say, I, me, and my, but us and our.
I asked myself who is “us” when I pray? Is it just a word, or does it cognitively include a group of people?
So far, I have mainly prayed for myself, but I need to make it a prayer for all: family, friends, neighbors, my city, my country – all! That is what this is truly about.
At first, God showed me to include my nearest surroundings, like my closest friends, family, brothers and sisters in my congregation. After a while of praying for the nearest surroundings, including myself, I moved up a step to include my town in this prayer. Having a picture of a whole city is not easy; it takes time. It also needs pauses to catch up on the thoughts so they can flow from the mind into the heart, lining up with one's spirit. I want to speak it out, including everyone around me. It is my desire that one day, I will be able to include the whole world. It is a process to get it right.
The Lord’s Prayer is one of the first prayers a Christian learns. It’s rehearsed at large and taught to be performed rather than being words of revelation about our Lord’s kingdom and a heartfelt cry for His reign. I hope you can agree that this prayer said in twenty seconds cannot include all.
Jesus didn’t mean to say it but to pray it! Don’t let it be only lip service. (Isaiah 29:13)
Can you imagine every Christian, in every church, praying this prayer, not speaking in the we-form only but praying it wholeheartedly? As I write this sentence, a Scripture comes to my mind. (2 Chronicles 7:14) Can you imagine?!
Let’s pray the perfect prayer for the perfect cause!
An additional thought to perfect prayer:
The first part of the prayer: three requests on His behalf: May Your name be kept holy, Your Kingdom come, and may Your will be done.
The second part of the petition is about the advancing of the kingdom: Give us our daily bread, forgive us our sin, and deliver us from evil.
The third part of the prayer includes praising God, proclaiming His sovereignty and omnipotence, and telling him why we are praying this prayer: because His is the kingdom and the power, and of course, His is the glory forever, amen!
Three is the number of divine completion/perfection. There are three parts to the prayer, three requests in each of the first two parts and three statements in the third part. 3 – 3 - 3 makes for a perfect prayer!