“You, therefore, pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven! May your Name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come; your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us the food we need today. Forgive us what we have done wrong, as we too have forgiven those who have wronged us. And do not lead us into hard testing but keep us safe from the Evil One. For kingship, power and glory are yours forever.’ Amen.’” – Matthew 6:9-13 Complete Jewish Bible
Here we have Jesus’ example of how to pray. It’s a model that may be recited verbatim if you so desire or can be treated as a sort of guide to follow. Let’s break it down.
First, it establishes that we have a Father who resides in heaven. This obviously would make us His children. Secondly, it states that we should keep his name holy even as He is holy by virtue of His stature as the eternal King and Lord, judge, and Savior. In our prayers we should acknowledge His holy nature. This is, in effect praising him for who he is. Next it asks that God’s Kingdom may come quickly according to His will, which has already been set since the foundations of the earth. His kingdom on earth will be established once all evil on the earth is destroyed. Even though God could eradicate all evil with the snap of a finger, wouldn’t it be interesting if He used believers to rise up with the purpose of destroying evil on the earth in His name?
Our need for sustenance is addressed in the direct request for the food needed for the day. This acknowledges that God is our provider and sustainer in this life. We may think we provide for our needs ourselves, but if you really think about it, God already knows what we need and meets that need each day.
Forgiveness is spoken of in verse 12. Verses 14 and 15* reveal the danger of not offering forgiveness to those who have committed sins against us. This falls under the category underlined in Matthew 7:12 where it says to ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ You forgive others because Christ forgave you … with no indecision, no remorse, and no hesitation. You forgive others sins against you or God will not forgive your sins. This doesn’t mean your salvation is revoked, but rather, any sins going forward from that point wouldn’t be forgiven. Your lack of forgiveness blocks your connection to God as a blockage in your throat would impede your ability to swallow something. It’s not forever … only until you see the error of your ways and repent.
Verse 13 looks at temptation, which we all battle regularly throughout our life on this earth. This version that is shown at the top of the post refers to temptation as “hard testing”. Sometimes we are tested to see how much we have grown. God is monitoring the situation and gives a way of escape when the time is right. Not all temptation is like this, but all temptation comes from the enemy. God just allows some as a means of spiritual growth. So, we pray for protection from temptation and safety from the enemy of our soul.
The latter half of verse 13 is not found in the oldest manuscripts, but the Complete Jewish Bible does have it shown. It is simply ending the model prayer by acknowledging once again that Almighty Jehovah God is the one true King of all creation, whose power and glory emanates from His majestic being. The ending is the classic use of the word “Amen” which means either “so be it” or “let it be so”.
So, we start with the acknowledgement of who God is; we praise him for who he is and what he has done; we ask for our daily sustenance; we seek forgiveness, making sure we’ve forgiven others; we seek his help avoiding temptation and circle around to the finish by once again acknowledging his kingship, power and majestic glory. May it be so. For those who are unsure how to pray or what to say, Jesus provided an outline or blueprint explaining just how to pray. Now go pray miracles into existence. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.
Richard Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
*Matthew 6:14-15 - “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
NOTE: This is the final posting regarding prayer. I hope you’ve enjoyed it. My hope is that you may have a greater understanding regarding this important topic and be able to pray more effectively in the future.
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