• Matthew 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ever, Amen.  
  

  Because we didn’t know what to pray for, here Jesus is trying to help us. So many corrupt things had been placed in prayers by the Jews and their numerous laws that Jesus saw it necessary to give a new instruction or directory for prayer. This is not the only way to pray, it was just an example. It explains how we should talk to God.

  Our Father who art in heaven

  • Our – He is everyone’s father. Not just the jews, nor just the gentiles, but everyone. This means black, white, red, ALL RACES. God made everyone, not just a select race. RACISM is wrong and God will judge the guilty.
  • Father – We are taught to pray to God only, not to saints or anyone else, only God. We only honor God in our prayers.
    He is a common Father to all mankind by creation.
    Christ, when he prayed, mostly called God Father.
    Since he is our Father, he will deny us nothing that is good for us..he will pity us in our weaknesses,, he will make the best of our performances.
  • In heaven – God is everywhere, but in heaven is where his throne is. Jesus, our intercessor, is also in heaven sitting on the right hand side of the father.
    Heaven: A place we can look forward to. Streets of Gold, no pain or suffering. Just permanent love and worship. A place of eternal satisfaction; happiness.

  Hallowed

  We must give glory to God, we are here showing adoration. We must begin our prayers with praising God if we are to expect to receive mercy and grace from Him.?

  be

  Not was, or has, but BE. Present tense. God is alive, here with us NOW. Do not think he is not here or far away, he is HERE.

  thy name

  Thy name: no one else’s. God is the only true, living God. There never has been another, nor ever will be. He is the ONLY one.

  Thy kingdom come

  Christ promised to return. We as Christians, should surely desire to live with God in heaven. What God has promised, we must pray for and truly desire.

  Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven

  We pray that earth may be made more like heaven by the observance of God’s will, and that we may be made more like holy angels in their devotion and obedience. Christ prayed “not my will, but thine be done.” Let God’s will be done, let earth appear as it is in heaven,,, peaceful, reverent, Holy..

  Give us this day our daily bread

  Because our bodies require food and nutrients to survive, in order to worship and serve God we must have food. We ask for bread, not riches. We must be humble and show temperance. Bread is wholesome, but it is not nice.

  We ask for daily bread, which teaches us to pray every day, and also not to worry about tomorrow.

• Matt 6:34 We must constantly depend upon God’s divine providence. We ask to give US, not me. This teaches us charity, concern for others, the poor and needy. It suggests also that we should pray with our families (US).

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors

Debts are sins. We must pray daily for the forgiveness of our sins because if we do not ask forgiveness of our sins, then we face the wrath of God. When we pray for forgiveness, then the punishment for the sin will be canceled.We must forgive others for their sins against us. This is mentioned time and time again by Jesus. This would include all types of sins.. if they hurt us,, if they owe us money and can not repay,,

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

God never leads his people into temptation for the purpose of causing anyone to fall, but for the purpose of proving the sufficiency of his presence. When God is the One who leads His people into temptation, it is for the purpose of proving to His child that when God leads to temptation, He does not abandon him, but He is with him to give him the victory and to make him more experienced in warfare against the devil. However, when one allows Satan or his own lusts to tempt him, he should never say that he is tempted of God.

• James 1:13-14 Lord, do not leave us to ourselves. Do not let Satan loose against us. But deliver us from evil, the evil one. The tempter. From the evil sin.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, for ever, Amen

Meant to excite us in the faith. Make us think of God’s Glory and of heaven. Praises and gives thanksgiving. The best way of pleading with God is praising him. We give him praise and Glory not because he needs it, but deserves it!

A true saint never thinks he can speak honorably enough of God.

End with Amen. Amen has always been used to sum up a prayer or request of God. It is a good, warm way to sum up a prayer.

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  Bibliography:

  • Matthew Henry’s Commentary, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody Massachusetts?
  • Spiros Zodhiates Hebrew-Greek Study Bible, World Bible Publishers, Inc., Iowa Falls, Iowa.