Teach Us How to Pray... Use the LORD's Prayer as an Outline

New Christians often ask about learning to pray. JESUS’ original disciples asked him the same thing: “…Lord, TEACH US TO PRAY…” Luk 11:1 JESUS told them to pray like this:

“… Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil (one).” Luk 11:1 / Mat 6:9

Known as the LORD’s prayer, people often recite it by wrote (word for word), without thinking too much about what it means. We have all done it; some of us have done it for most of our lives. But like many other things in the BIBLE, it has a deeper meaning. Once you realize that every line has a purpose, you can start to use the Lord’s Prayer as an outline or structure for every prayer you pray - just add your individual needs and concerns to each line. Let’s look at the LORD’s prayer, line by line.

First, the basic function of each line:

1. Giving respect to GOD.

2. Agreeing to do HIS will.

3. Asking and thanking GOD (in advance) for supplying our needs.

4. Asking for forgiveness (repentance) and acknowledging the need to forgive others.

5. Asking for continual deliverance from our desire to sin.

1.      Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

GOD the creator is actually our father – you are related to GOD.  We respect GOD’s NAME. “Hallowed” means to make holy, consecrate, sanctify. Holy means to set apart, or to respect above common every-day ideas and things. This is a reminder of the 3rd Commandment, “you shall not take the name of the LORD your GOD in vain.” Ex 20:7 The entire Book of Job is a lesson about people not understanding how great GOD is. Although he was a righteous man who greatly respected GOD, even Job didn’t respect GOD enough. GOD had to remind Job that HE MADE EVERYTHING in the universe and Job was just one of HIS creations, to do with whatever HE wanted. Like us, Job did not have the capacity to understand GOD's plan or that he (Job), like everyone else in the Old Testament, was being used by GOD as an example for all time.

2. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.

This is both a statement of fact and our agreement to that fact. GOD will reestablish HIS rule over the earth (satan’s rule is temporary for our testing). GOD’s will was, is, and will be done, and we (Christians) agree to obey GOD’s will as our part of the contract. Doing our own will is actually idolatry – following our own will is acting as our own god.

3. Give us day-by-day our daily bread.

Asking and thanking GOD for our daily needs. The key scripture: …seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things (everything you need to live) will be added to you. Mat 6:33 The things that prayer is not: A shopping list of material things you want GOD to give you. There is a difference between what you need and what you want. It is typical of human nature that people who are rich and self-satisfied tend to ignore GOD because they think they don’t need any help. See Prosperity Gospel A list of demands and complaints. Some people act as though GOD is their servant and outrageously present lists of commands that they expect GOD to fulfill. Requests to make other people do things that you think they should do. Praying with a mind to manipulate others is witchcraft. Yes, pray for GOD to help / bless other people but not for them to do your will, ie, make Bob marry Susan or tell so-and-so to give me their house, etc.

4. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

The debts mentioned symbolize sins. You have to forgive others in order to be eligible for GOD’s forgiveness. The importance of this verse cannot be overstated. This isn’t a transaction where you grudgingly forgive people who have sinned against you. Your proper and sincere Christlike attitude should be to forgive out of love, realizing that JESUS loves and forgives them just as much as you want HIM to love and forgive you. This can be tied to JESUS’ parable about the unforgiving servant. Mat 18:21 The servant owed a huge amount of money to his employer, he begged and the employer mercifully cancelled the debt. Afterwards, the servant refused to forgive a guy who owed him a small debt. When the boss heard about it, he reinstated the wicked servant’s original debt and had him put in debtor's prison because he had not appreciated the mercy he received enough to forgive someone else. (A picture of losing one’s salvation.) For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. Mt 6:14

5. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil (one).

This is a hard verse because according to scripture, GOD does not tempt anyone to do evil.  Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Jas 1:13 So why is JESUS telling us to pray to not be “brought or led into” temptation? I think this means that we should plead with GOD to help us avoid the destructive testing (chastisement) that would result from pursuing our own sinful thoughts (lusts). As long as we resist temptation, we remain under GOD’s protection. Like Adam and Eve, willful sin gives the devil legal permission to attack and destroy us.