Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 11:1-4
On one occasion after Jesus had finished praying, a disciple came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” (Luke 11:1) This question led to what we know as the “Lord’s Prayer” today. The disciple observed that the key to the effectiveness and power of Jesus’ ministry is in his prayer. He did not just want to learn how to pray, which he could learn from the examples of many old covenant saints, but he wanted to learn to pray like Jesus!
Let us examine the reasons why Jesus teaches us the Lord’s Prayer.
1. Jesus Set an Example for Us
Our Lord Jesus has set an example for us to follow him on the life of prayer. He wakes up early to pray in the morning while it is still dark. And he often retreats to a solitary place to seek God, especially at critical times in his life and ministry (Mark 1:35, Matthew 14:23, Mark 14:32, Luke 6:12-15).
God the Father has sent Jesus to come to be the Saviour of the world. Every day he prays to the Father to receive instructions and to receive strength. We must also follow Jesus’s example of seeking God every day.
Just like Jesus received the assignment from the Father God, we have received the Great Commission from our Lord. Jesus prayed daily to finish his assignment, hence we must also pray like him for us to accomplish ours. Prayer is the key to receiving strength and inspiration from God. The work that the Lord has given to us is spiritual work, and it needs spiritual strength to undertake it. We must not attempt to do life or ministry without using this incredible resource called prayer.
2. The Lord’s Prayer is a Form of Our Worship to God
God is our Creator, and we are creatures made to worship Him. Prayer is a form of worship to God. We live under the new covenant, instead of bringing an animal to be sacrificed on the altar, we bring ourselves as living sacrifices to Him (Romans 12:1-2). We worship God as living sacrifices and offer our lives to Him. When we pray to God, our prayer comes before him as incense before His throne (Psalm 141:2, Revelation 5:8).
3. The Lord’s Prayer Teaches Us the Revelations of God (Matthew 6:9-13)
a. God Our Father
“Our Father in heaven,” (Matthew 6:9)
Our confidence in approaching God arises from the relationship we have with Him. “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1). Hence we approach the throne of God with boldness, having a confidence that we will find grace from Him to help us in the time of our need (Hebrews 4:16).
b. God Our King
“Your kingdom come.” (Matthew 6:10)
God reigns as King over all the visible and invisible worlds. When Jesus was on earth, he preached the gospel of the kingdom of God (Mark 1:14). In the Lord’s Prayer, we acknowledge God as our King and we are His loyal subjects. Jesus has given the Great Commission to the Church as a continuation of his earthly work, and it will not be completed until he returns at the end of the age. Our priority is to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and also to make known the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.
c. God Our Provider
“Give us this day our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11)
The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer for both the individual believer as well as for the entire Church. God is our Creator and can be depended upon to provide for our physical and spiritual needs (Matthew 6:25-33). This is especially true in current times when there are so many dangers and uncertainties looming on the horizon. We can have the faith and expectancy that God will provide miraculously when we pray.
d. God Our Saviour
“And forgive us our debts,” (Matthew 6:12)
When we ask Him for forgiveness, He will forgive us because of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. The Son of God dies on the cross to reconcile us to God. Paul tells us that God justifies us by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has made him to be a propitiation by his blood (Romans 3:24-26).
e. God Our Protector
“And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:13)
Through the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, he destroyed the work of the devil. And he disarmed the demonic rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them (1 Colossians 15:24, 55-57; Colossians 2:14-15). We should always pray to God, our shield and fortress, to shelter us from the adversary, who is the devil. The Lord has won the victory on the cross and he has given victory us in Christ regardless of the circumstance we face in this life (Romans 8:37-39).
f. God the Preeminent One
“Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.” (Matthew 6:13b)
Here is a doxology which proclaims the glorious praise to our everlasting God. He is before all things, all things have been created by him, he will reign forever for all eternity and his Kingdom shall never end (Colossians 1:16-20). No matter what tempests or challenges may threaten us, we should always look up to God who sits on the throne. Because God is always there for us, He will carry us through every storm of life.
DAILY MEDITATIONS:
Monday – Galatians 3:13-14
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Tuesday – 2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
Wednesday – Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV)
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Thursday – Philippians 3:7-8 (NIV)
But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.
Friday – 1 John 4:7
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
Saturday – Romans 5:1-2
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Sunday – Colossians 3:1-2
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
All scriptures are quoted from the New King James Version (NKJV) unless otherwise stated.
By Pastor William Tan
