It has been said that it is the most popular of all the prayers recorded in the Bible, maybe because this prayer is probably the one single prayer most prayed elsewhere in Christendom. In fact, many have looked closely into what this prayer has to offer to Christian believers and unbelievers alike and have unearthed a wealth of spiritual principles essential not only to the practice of prayer but also to the way of life that it requires of each one of us.
Indeed, the Lord's Prayer, or what may be most appropriately called as the Model or Disciple's Prayer, has a lot to offer that no humans seriously searching for a deeper relationship with God can afford to ignore.
But there seems to be something else that must not be overlooked, a very important biblical principle that must be carefully observed if one is to follow Jesus' instruction for His disciples to pray "in this manner" (Mat. 6:9a NKJV). This principle surfaces through the way Jesus Himself structured this prayer as shown in Matthew 6:9-13.
God's Priorities Above Human Priorities
Jesus appears to have intentionally structured this prayer by putting the priorities of God above human priorities. So that if one is to outline this prayer, it may be divided into two major points: the priorities of God (verses 9-10) and the priorities of man (verses 11-13). But why place the priorities of God above our own priorities?
No, it is not because God is selfish. It is only because He is God, and for that reason He must be central in everything. If there is one single thing that the Lord's Prayer (and all the other prayers in the Bible) has to teach us, it is the fact that prayer has everything to do with this arrangement. Moreover, it serves as a corrective to the wrong disposition of the heart which serves as a major obstacle to this arrangement (see verses 5-8).
Following the pattern set forth by the Lord's Prayer, here then is how prayer should look like according to Jesus:
- "Our Father in heaven ..." - Note that the one who prays is in an intimate relationship with God. He calls God his Father because he is a child of God. He is born of Him and has been given the right to be called as such (John 1:12-13; I John 5:1, 4 and 18). Praying in secret, here is the child of God exercising his special privilege to get an audience with his Father in heaven. A child of God as he is, he approaches Him with boldness and confidence (Heb. 4:16).
- "Hallowed be Your name." - The first petition in prayer is now offered and it concerns the very person of God Himself. The New Testament was originally written in Koine Greek and the word used here for "hallowed" (or "to be declared holy") captures its literal meaning: i.e., "to set apart." That is to say, God's name must be set apart from the rest of all that exists. It paints for us a picture of what worship is all about according to the Bible: the worship of Him who alone is set apart, whom philosophers call as the Wholly Other and whom the Bible simply calls as the Holy One (Isa. 6:4). The Bible makes it clear that it is on top God's of priorities that all creation worship Him and Him alone because He alone is God and there is no other. It is His passion and He is jealous for and about it (e.g., Exo. 20:3-7).
- "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" - For the name of God to be hallowed or set apart in a solemn act of worship, His Kingdom must be established on earth to execute His plans and purposes. Here the child of God participates in his Father's redemptive work in cosmic history by lifting up this petition secretly in prayer. It must be noted here that the work of salvation belongs to God alone devoid of human participation, but this He often does in answer to prayer.
- "Give us today our daily bread" - Here then comes the first mention of human priorities in prayer. Having prioritized God's priorities, the human heart at this point is now ready to receive from God. Any provision from God before this would only worsen His child's state of affairs. But any gift from God from this point on, even if it is just a piece of bread, would be enough to sustain His child to joyfully live for another day for God's own pleasure and glory.
- "Forgive us our debts as we have also forgiven our debtors" - Although the wrong disposition of his heart has already been dealt with accordingly, the child of God remains aware of his own frailties, which occasionally cause him to sin. He therefore knows that he must constantly ask God for forgiveness. But he has no confidence to ask for it unless he himself is gracious to his offenders. It then follows that our relationship with God has a great deal to do with our relationship with our neighbors.
- "And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one" - Knowing the tendencies of his heart to be enticed so easily by the Tempter's offer for self-centeredness, worldly pleasures and lusts, the child of God pleads for His protection. He must distance himself from temptation the best as he can, yet he is aware that such an effort is not enough. It is his only hope if he is to maintain his fellowship with Him.
- "For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen"- Prayer most appropriately begins and ends with God. It is inaugurated in worship and culminates in an outburst of praise that declares His rule over all the heavens and the earth in all power and glory.
References:
Heny, Matthew. Method for Prayer. Edited and revised by Ligon Duncan.
Ryken, Philip G. When You Pray: Making the Lord's Prayer Your Own. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2006.
Edwin Vargas - Edwin joined the faculty of Conservative Baptist Seminary – Asia as lecturer in Systematic Theology and New Testament Survey after ...
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