The Lord's Prayer (5 of 6)

Pray then like this:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Matthew 6:9-13

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

We are not asking God to overlook our sins, because we know, or should know, that's not going to happen. What we are asking is that He forgive our past sins. This is something we need to do on a daily basis. Why? Because, whether we realize it or not, we are prone to sin on a daily basis.

Romans 3:23 tells us that we all fall short of God's standards. We all sin. Sometimes we realize it, sometimes we don't, and yes, sometimes it is intentional. Fortunately, we have such a loving God that He is willing to forgive us.

Here's the catch. In order for God to forgive us, we need to forgive others. Matthew 6:15 states that unless we forgive others, God WILL NOT forgive us. We are also told commanded in Colossians 3:13 that because God forgave us, we need to forgive others.

The Lord's Prayer (4 of 6)

Pray then like this:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Matthew 6:9-13

Give us this day our daily bread

This is the first request in the prayer that focuses on us, and not on God. Well, to a degree.

We ask God to provide us with the essentials for our physical, as well as our spiritual survival. Food, shelter, and clothing for the physical aspect, and His word and the Holy Spirit for the spiritual aspect.

The physical needs are focused on us. Without them, it can be difficult to continue the spiritual journey. Without them we can become physically weak, and lose our spiritual focus.

We aslo need to keep in mind that these are needs, not desires, that we are praying for. As I mentioned in prior posts, we are more likely to have our prayers answered if they are aligned with God's will, not our own.

I'm not saying it's wrong to ask him for things you would like to have, but I wouldn't expect a great return rate if it doesn't line up with His plans for you.

The Lord's Prayer (3 of 6)

Pray then like this:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Matthew 6:9-13

Your will be done,
on Earth as it is in Heaven

Many of us can struggle with God's will. It may not be that we do not want to do His will, but that we have the wrong understanding of what it truly means.

The key words here are "as it is in heaven". These words alone change the whole scenario.

As we know, everything in Heaven is perfect. Why is that? Simply put, everything and everyone there is aligned with God. God's will is being done in Heaven because everything is in tune with God.  On Earth, not so much the case. We live in a world filled with sin, and can sometimes struggle to keep clean.

The whole idea is to pray for, and to strive for, obedience to God. Disobedience is what truly separates us from God's will. Once we learn to be obedient, we can work out His will on Earth.

Jesus gave His life for us in total obedience. God may not be calling you to die, it may be much simpler than that. Maybe He's calling you to invite someone to church, or to spend a couple hours serving others. Maybe He's calling you to share your story of faith, or to just be a listening ear for someone in need. Whatever the call, be sure to listen, and be sure to answer.

The Lord's Prayer (2 of 6)

Pray then like this:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Matthew 6:9-13

Your kingdom come

John tells us that "the kingdom of heaven is near". Jesus tells us this as well, but He also tells us that we won't know when. Jesus tells us it will come like a thief in the night.

Throughout the Bible we have several instances of people praying for something that eventually came to pass. Sometimes we pray for things, and they come to pass as well. Then there are times we feel the prayers aren't answered.

Jesus wasn't asking for God to send His kingdom. He already knew that would take place. Jesus was praying that God follow through on the promise of the kingdom. Jesus was claiming God's promise.

There's a difference here. God fulfills HIS promises, as He promises. God may not always answer OUR prayers the way WE want them answered. If we pray for the delivery of His promises, and not our wants, we might find that our prayers get answered sooner.

The Lord's Prayer (1 of 6)

Pray then like this:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Matthew 6:9-13

Hallowed be Your name

The word hallowed means consecrated, or holy. We need to keep this in mind during our prayers. God already knows that He's holy. He doesn't need us to tell Him. We need us to tell Him. 

We need to praise all He does for us, all He has done, and all He will do. We need to thank Him, and give Him all the glory. Jesus felt so strongly about this, that he mentions it first in the prayer.

Everything we have came from Him, for us to use for Him. All our possessions, money, spare time, and spiritual gifts all came from God. How we use these items can show glory to Him as well.

Psalm 23 (3 of 3)

You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil.  My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me     all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord     forever.     Psalm 23:5-6

God called David a man after His own heart. He said that David would do anything He wanted him to do. When we have the same desire to please God that David did, God will provide for us above and beyond. Not only the material items, but emotionally, and spiritually as well.

God has an undying amount of love, mercy, and grace for us. So much that we can't use it up in one day. It says "all the days of my life", because each day starts new. Each day God wipes the slate clean and gives us a new day full of forgiveness, mercy, grace, and love. Nobody here on earth can do that for you, and nobody ever will.

When we accept his gifts, we are not only in His family, but will one day live with Him in His house We will one day be hanging out with God, Jesus, and all the believers.......forever.

Psalm 23 (2 of 3)

t2  He let's me rest in green meadows;

     He leads me beside peaceful streams.

     He renews my strength.

He guides me along right paths,

     bringing honor to His name.

Even when I walk

     through the darkest valley,

I will not be afraid,

     for You are close beside me.

Your rod and your staff

     protect and comfort me.
Psalm 23:2-4

When we have a right relationship with God, regardless of any obstacles put in our paths, He will provide us with a sense of peace nothing can match. We can be at an all time low in our lives, but somehow be at peace knowing that He will provide a way out.

God doesn't tell us anywhere in the Bible that the Christian life is going to be easy. In fact, He tells us the opposite. He tells us that there will be pain, suffering, and hardships. 

The good news is, our relationship with God is our way out. If we listen to Him, He will lead us out of our dark valleys, and back to His peaceful streams.