Zachary Peters

We are talking about prayer. Two weeks ago we saw that before Jesus gives us this structure — what is called the Lord’s Prayer — he gives us examples of how not to pray. You have to have your heart right in your prayer life with God. You are not praying for the wrong reasons. In particular, you are not praying for attention from your fellow human. And you do not pray as the world prays, or as other religions pray — heaping up empty phrases in order to incite some sort of response from God. God is already listening to you, which is a beautifully powerful thing. And God already knows exactly what you need, which might not be what you want, but is infinitely better than what you want.

And of course, Jesus is teaching his disciples and talking to the crowd with the understanding that it is not if you pray, but when you pray. You have to communicate with God. Like any earthly relationship, your relationship with God grows through consistent communication. And now we are ready to walk through the Lord’s Prayer. Let’s read.

Matthew 6:9–13 (ESV)

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.”

There it is. That is the example. That is the standard. This is the structure on which we can build a healthy prayer life.

Before we jump into the specifics, let me point out one thing. Jesus says pray like this — not exactly like this, not word for word, though that is perfectly appropriate if that is all you have. Now, this is not a Mad Lib where you just fill in the blanks, but these words and these lines teach us the thought process, the attitude, and the structure of our communication with God. If you do not know what to pray, you can pray this, and that is fine — but each one of these lines represents something you could spend almost an entire day talking to God about.

Our Father in Heaven

The first part of this prayer is a recognition of who God is to us. When you pray, you have to realize you are talking to your Father. And it is not just Father in a formal sense — the word used here is actually closer to dad or daddy. Abba, Father.

I know that not every earthly relationship is what it should be, but in general, I hope we understand the significance of being able to call God our Father. Every good thing about fathers, multiplied by ten thousand, with none of the earthly human mistakes they make. You have been invited to have that level of closeness with your creator and your maker. That should inspire some confidence in your prayer life. That should allow for a level of comfort in your communication with God. And it certainly should inspire some thankfulness in your relationship with God your Father.

So he is our Abba Father, and he is in heaven. While we are close, we also have to remember the distinction between us and God. We are here, and yet he is somewhere beyond us. There is that father relationship, but we ought to remember we are not on equal terms.

Hallowed Be Your Name

That leads us perfectly into this: hallowed be your name. When Moses was guiding sheep in the desert before he went back to Egypt, he came across a burning bush in the wilderness. Without rehashing the entirety of the call of Moses, I hope you remember that the ground around that burning bush — around that manifestation of the presence of God — was called holy ground. You might even say it was hallowed ground. It was distinct. It was different. There was a level of awe and wonder associated with this holy ground. And in a symbol of necessary respect, Moses was called to take off his dirty shoes to walk on it.

Part of what it means to hallow God’s name is to recognize that significant, heavenly part of God that is separate from us — that deserves complete and total respect. We have to recognize everything that God is.

We live in a society that does not hallow anything. Nothing is sacred. Nothing is above critique. Nothing deserves honor. You see this in the media. You see this on social media. You see this in books. You see this in movies. You see this on stage with comedians. Nothing is holy. And yet in our prayers, we desire for God’s name to inspire a feeling of reverence, respect, and awe. A world that respects God is a world set up to receive blessings and stability. This goes hand in hand with the commandment not to take the Lord’s name in vain, because his name means something.

So in our prayers, we have to start with the recognition of who God is. He is our Father, but he is also so much more.

Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done

Then here comes the first request or petition in our prayer. I think about my own prayers sometimes and how quickly I get into just asking God for things, and sometimes I forget the whole “heavenly Father, hallowed be your name” part of a prayer life. And even when we start asking God for things, Jesus teaches us that it starts with a kingdom request.

It does not start with asking for healing. It does not start with asking for a loved one to get saved, and it certainly does not start with asking for a brand new car in the parking lot. It starts with a request that God’s perfect will be done here on earth as it is done in heaven.

If you recall correctly, part of the entire purpose of the Sermon on the Mount is to teach his followers, his disciples, about kingdom living. And when you are a disciple, you are submitting yourself to a mission and a calling that is about the kingdom of God. That attitude has to be evident in your prayer life.

I promise you that if in your prayer life you start by submitting first to the will of God and his purpose and plan for your life and for the world, it will change the way you experience the letdowns, failures, and defeats that you may live through in this life. Trust in God is a beautiful thing. “God, I prayed for this, but first I prayed for your will to be done, so even though this didn’t happen, I have to believe I’m still walking in your blessings, your goodness, your mercy, and most importantly, your purpose for your kingdom. What’s the kingdom purpose of my life right now, God? Help me to be a part of it.”

I am convinced that many of our spiritual failures and disappointments come from misplaced priorities and a bit of selfishness in our prayer life with God.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

From there, we get a little more specific to what we might be going through in our lives. And again, Jesus teaches us the proper attitude to have: give us our daily bread.

This is significant for several reasons. First, how often do we get fixated on the future? I get caught daydreaming all the time, and it is not a sin — but if I am not careful, it gets me distracted from the blessings and the provision that I have right now. Second, daily bread signifies an appreciation and understanding for being content with having what you need and not everything that you want. If our focus is on eternity and on the kingdom, then joy and peace do not come from having a plethora of bread. And trust me, I know that is challenging, because it challenges me every time I read it and every time I think about it.

Forgive Us Our Debts

Then Jesus wants us to include forgiveness in our prayer life. First, forgiveness for our own failures. Before I get angry at someone else’s problems and issues, forgive me first of my many issues. Self-examination before external examination. One pastor put it this way: the first step to conquering the world is conquering yourself.

Starting with yourself gives you the grace to look at others with the same grace that you know you are thankful for. And from there, we have the liberty and the opportunity to do a beautiful thing — which is to forgive others as Jesus has forgiven us.

One of the more striking moments from the memorial service for Charlie Kirk came near the very end, when his wife gave the eulogy. That forgiveness pulled the teeth out of many — not all, but many — of the people who were criticizing the event. That example of forgiveness stood out to those who were struggling with unforgiveness themselves, and to those who perhaps did not fully understand the significance of forgiveness. It landed differently because of the example that was set.

Lead Us Not Into Temptation

And finally, Jesus calls our attention to the fact that our prayer life should include prayers for protection from the one who can actually do something about the attacks of the enemy. Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from the evil one.

Jesus knows there are temptations. Sometimes the temptations are unavoidable, but sometimes they are well within our control to do something about, and sometimes we just need Jesus and the Holy Spirit to give us a little kick to help us avoid them. Sometimes, if you pray this prayer, there is no telling what God is saving you from — what he is guarding your heart and your mind from before it even becomes a problem.

The fact of the matter is there is a being out there who hates your guts — who wants you destroyed and permanently separated from God. You can see some of the traps. You can see some of the things laid before you. But only God sees all, and only God can save you from all.

Closing

So when you pray, you are talking — on a relational level — to your dad. But your dad happens to be holy and righteous and perfect and good and powerful and mighty: the creator of the heavens and the earth, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end of all things. And his name causes people to stop and worship, to stop and gaze in wonder, and to stand in awe and realize how hallowed his name truly is. And yet, we get to pray and talk to him.

When we get into the heart of our prayer, first and foremost we are submitting ourselves to his purpose, his will, and his ways. I am not saying God is not moved or stirred by our prayer life, but maturity in Christianity means we submit ourselves to the mission first. “God, my hand hurts. Can you heal my hand? But more importantly, if you need to use the pain in my hand for your glory and your honor, do that first.”

And when we pray, we pray for what we need and have faith that God will take care of us. Sometimes we will have a lot; sometimes we will not have so much. But it is the daily bread that we trust our heavenly Father for. We will not be distracted or discouraged by material lack, because we know that is not even at the top of the list of what really matters in our relationship with God.

Lord, forgive me. You know my mistakes, you know my problems — forgive me, Lord. And as you forgive me, I extend that same forgiveness to anyone who has done anything against me. The same grace I have received, I give to others.

And protect me from the issues and the temptations that want to derail my relationship with you — the obvious things and the not-so-obvious things. Protect me. Do not let the enemy of my soul touch me and harm me. Help me not to put my own foot in my mouth, and keep me on the right path.