This article could very well be titled “God & Sons”. I believe what we know as “The Lord’s Prayer” is really about our relationship with him. We believers who know Christ after his death, burial and resurrection have the privilege of being part of his kingdom NOW. Verses 9-10 are about how we have moved from being separated from him to being his children and partners in ministry. Verses 11-13 are an acknowledgement of what he has done for us as well as recognizing who is the true King and the source of our power. And because his kingdom and power are forever so is the praise and honor that belong to him for all these reasons.
Matthew 6:9-13 “ In this manner, therefore, 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 this day our daily bread.12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
- Our Father-personal intimacy with Yahweh. We who were once far away are now sons of God.
Ephesians 2:12-13 “remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.…”
Romans 8:15 “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!””
- Hallowed be Your name-his name is holy. This is a form of worshipping him, an act of glorifying him and acknowledging God’s holiness.
I love that scripture says that we are called by his name. This means we belong to him, we are his children. Another confirmation of our relationship with him.
Acts 15:17 “So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the Lord who does all these things.’”
Deuteronomy 28:10 “Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you.”
Jeremiah 15:16 “Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.”
- Your kingdom come-the kingdom has already come and every kingdom has a king, ruler.
Luke 17:21 “nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
Since the kingdom is here and is inside you, you should be asking yourself some pretty important questions. Who is your king? Is it you or is it God?
With God as our king that means HIS rule is in us and HIS rule is through us, his partners here on earth.
I think it’s important to note here that we bring the kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven.
“All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:27
“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10
Guess what? You’re an each, and you’re part of God’s plan to reach the world.
From the beginning (Genesis) you see many examples of God working through people. Look at Moses. In Exodus 14:16 the Lord tells Moses to lift up his rod and stretch out his hand over the sea and divide it. Then in Exodus 14:21 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, the Lord caused the sea to go back, and the waters were divided. PARTNERSHIP. This working together continues throughout the Bible. You see it in Jesus’ relationship with the Father; Jesus said “the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing” (John 5:19). This pattern culminates with us. In 1 Corinthians 3:9 we are called God’s fellow workers. We are in partnership with him. We’re in the family business!
- Your will be done-this constitutes praying in agreement with his will and aligning ourselves with his will. God’s word reveals his will.
Take healing for example. I hear prayers regarding healing with the words “if it’s your will”. Exodus 15:26 “I am the Lord who heals you.” The Lord himself says this. Scripture also says God does not change. Malachi 3:6 “I am the Lord, and I do not change.” If he was the God who healed then, he is the God who heals now. IT IS HIS WILL. Only believe.
Think of Mary, the mother of Jesus. This is her response to the angel when he told her she would have a son. Luke 1:38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me according to your word.” We must remember that Mary had a free will. She could have said no, but she didn’t and she gave birth to the Savior of the world.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of Lord, Teach Us to Pray.