Here’s an example for you:
“Hey Mr. Smith, how are you doing? You're sure a great man to work for, I love my job. I expect today will be a productive day.”
“Hey Mr. Smith, how are you doing? You're sure a great man to work for, I love my job. I expect today will be a productive day.”
“Hey Mr. Smith, how are you doing? You're sure a great man to work for, I love my job. I expect today will be a productive day.”
Are you starting to get the picture? If you keep repeating the same words over and over, eventually Mr. Smith is going to realize you really don’t mean what you say, you’re just talking.
So… let’s break it down, as simple as it is.
Our Father in heaven; When Jesus said this he was referring to us, that is, yours, mine, and his Father, in heaven. God the creator of everything, the sun, the moon, the stars, the earth, the animals, the fish, the birds, you and me… everything! He is our Father in heaven.
Hallowed be your name; In the dictionary, the definition of hallowed is: holy. The definition of holy is: exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness. This is the name of the God you are talking to.
Your kingdom come; The kingdom of God, it’s unexplainable. There are glimpses of it in the bible; a city made of gold and precious stones, no anger or war; only peace, no sorrow or pain; only joy, no hatred of any kind; only love. On the throne, our awesome Father, God Almighty to watch over us
Your will be done; God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.(Rom.12:2) God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.(1Jn.4:16) And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.(1Jn.4:21)
On earth as it is in heaven; Exactly what it means! Bring the glorious light of heaven (God’s kingdom, God’s will) to this darkness we call earth, to rule and reign for eternity.
Give us today our daily bread; The Bread of Life; our eyes and ears are open to receive the Word of God to fill our spirit’s needs. The physical bread to fill our bodies needs.
Forgive us our sins; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom.3:23) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1Jn.1:9)
As we also have forgiven everyone who sins against us; Jesus died on the cross, so that everyone is forgiven of their sins. You have no excuse not to forgive someone, when Jesus has already forgiven them.
And lead us not into temptation; God has put a straight and narrow path in front of us. We need God to lead us down that path, to keep our eyes focused on Him, we can’t do this on our own. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (1Cor.10:13)
But deliver us from the evil one; As we walk down the path God has given us, we will trip, or stumble, or maybe even fall, because we are not perfect. Satan is constantly reaching for us, and sometimes he gets a claw in us (temptation) and pulls us down. We are asking God to pull the claws out, pick us up, brush the sinful dust off of us. Point our eyes towards Him, lift our chin up and send us on our way.
For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever (some late manuscripts) Amen; Some late manuscripts; this means; these words were not written in the original document, but they were written so many times in other documents that there was a strong possibility Jesus said these words. The meaning of these words is for praising God. There are many other words to use to praise God other than kingdom, power, and glory… such as; amazing, awesome, great, wonderful, the Creator, beautiful, magnificent, etc. Forever, means what it says. I am the… the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. (Rev.22:13) To finish your prayer with the word Amen means; so be it, let it be done, let this happen, I agree.
These are probably the best words ever spoken in prayer to God. Just like any child, they know how to talk to their dad. When Jesus said “This, then, is how you should pray”, he knew what he was talking about. But, this is an example of how to pray. Use this prayer when talking to God; just say it in your own words. God knows what his son said, he wants to hear what you say.
Chaplain D. Terry
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