In verses Matthew 6:9 – 13, Jesus provides a model for believers to follow as they pray. He is speaking to crowds that have gathered around Him as He sits and preaches. Jesus is sharing that believers are not to pray to draw attention to ourselves or to just say Christian phrases so we sound good. He exhorts us to pray differently. He then shares what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus says, “Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
¹⁰ Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread,
¹² and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.”

Wait just a minute, there is no line 11 in the Lord’s prayer. That is true. In the Scriptures, there are no further lines than what is above. Yet over the years as churches have prayed the Lord’s Prayer, they add to the end of it: “For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever, amen. ” These lines are not in the Bible. So why were they added and where did they come from?

This portion of the prayer is called a doxology, a short statement of praise often added to the end of psalms and hymns. There is a similar practice in the Jewish faith, where certain words are used to end a portion of the worship service. Some opinions are that it was added to the prayer to remind the person praying of God’s glory and eternal authority. Other opinions are that it was added because some people believed that the prayer should not end focused on the evil one, as it does.

I tend to think that Jesus did not need us to add anything to the prayer, He is after all perfect. But, it is a good reminder to us as we pray the Lord’s prayer to acknowledge His glory and eternal nature and power. To remind ourselves that His is the kingdom, not ours or anyone else’s. . . it is all His forever and ever, amen.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for showing us how to pray. Thank You for Your love and death on the cross. Help us to focus on Your glory and advancing Your kingdom. Help us to place You first in everything so that we may reflect Your love to everyone we meet. In Jesus name we pray, amen.

In verses Matthew 6:9 – 13, Jesus provides a model for believers to follow as they pray. He is speaking to crowds that have gathered around Him as He sits and preaches. Jesus is sharing that believers are not to pray to draw attention to ourselves or to just say Christian phrases so we sound good. He exhorts us to pray differently. He then shares what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus says, “Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
¹⁰ Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread,
¹² and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.”

The tenth and last line of the Lord’s prayer is, “but deliver us from evil.” There is evil all around us, every day. Sometimes evil is easy to identify, sometimes is it more subtle. There are believers who do not pay attention to the fact that we have an enemy and he has an army. The sole goal of that army is to steal, kill and destroy. John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I (Jesus) came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Once you profess your belief in Jesus as the Son of God, it does not mean that the enemy will be less active in your life or leave you alone altogether. It is the opposite many times.

If you are working for the Lord serving others by giving or praying, the enemy does not want you to advance the Kingdom of God. He hates God and wants to stop you from joining in the work of Jesus. The enemy does not have to try to hurt those people who do not believe in Jesus, the enemy already owns them. They are his to destroy and use however. That is why believers must fight for those who do not know Jesus as their Savior. We must go to war for their souls or they may die before they know Jesus. We are not promised tomorrow or even the next hour. 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, “. . .now is the time of God’s favor, today is the day of salvation.”

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for showing us how to pray. Thank You for taking constant care of us and protecting us from evil. Help us to reflect Your love to everyone we meet. In Jesus name we pray, amen.

In verses Matthew 6:9 – 13, Jesus provides a model for believers to follow as they pray. He is speaking to crowds that have gathered around Him as He sits and preaches. Jesus is sharing that believers are not to pray to draw attention to ourselves or to just say Christian phrases so we sound good. He exhorts us to pray differently. He then shares what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus says, “Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
¹⁰ Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread,
¹² and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.”

The eighth line is “as we also have forgiven our debtors.” This is a very deep part of the Lord’s prayer that should not be prayed lightly. In the prior line we are asking for God to forgive us of our sins and then we pray this – as we have forgiven our debtors. Notice that the sentence here is past tense, we are to forgive those that have sinned against us before we ask God for forgiveness. The reason for that is unforgiveness is a sin. So if we have not forgiven our debtors, those who have sinned against us, we are asking God for forgiveness while still sinning. Matthew 6:14 -15 says, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Please do not miss this.

Why does forgiving others matter to God? He loves them just as He loves you. He died for them, just as He died for you. His precious Son, Jesus, shed His blood for them, just as He did for you. If they believe in Jesus, their sins are washed away, it is the same for you. It matters to God that you forgive others because He forgave you.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for showing us how to pray. Thank You for the promise we have of Your forgiveness if we confess our sins. Help us to forgive those who have sinned agsinst us. Give us the strength to see them as sinful, broken people in need of love and forgiveness as You see them. Help us to place You first in everything so that we may reflect Your love to everyone we meet. In Jesus name we pray, amen.

In verses Matthew 6:9 – 13, Jesus provides a model for believers to follow as they pray. He is speaking to crowds that have gathered around Him as He sits and preaches. Jesus is sharing that believers are not to pray to draw attention to ourselves or to just say Christian phrases so we sound good. He exhorts us to pray differently. He then shares what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus says, “Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
¹⁰ Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread,
¹² and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.”

The seventh line, “and forgive us our debts,,” is our confession to the Lord that we are sinners and our debts (or sins) are many. God promises to forgive us, 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Why does asking God for forgiveness matter? If we believe in Jesus as the Son of God who died for our sins, then we are going to heaven. And we are humans, so we are going to keep sinning every day that we are still here on earth. God knows we love Jesus even when we sin, so why do we have to ask for His forgiveness?

There are many verses in the Bible about what happens if confess our sins. James 5:16 says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” How do we become righteous so our prayers are powerful and effective? We confess our sins, we ask God for forgiveness and He purifies us from all unrighteousness. We are healed through the process of asking for forgiveness. That means asking God for forgiveness when we sin, because all sin is a direct attack on God. If we sin against someone, we should ask for their forgiveness. In both cases, we will be healed from the burdens of guilt and shame that we carry when we sin because we have obeyed Scriptures.

Proverbs 28:13 says, “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” When we ask for forgiveness, we find healing and mercy and God cleanses us with the precious blood of Jesus so we are made righteous and our prayers are powerful and effective once again. If your prayers feel ineffective, reflect on whether there is unconfessed sin in your life. Reflect on whether you need to ask God and/or someone to forgive you of your debts. Freedom, mercy and forgiveness are waiting.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for showing us how to pray. Thank You for the promise we have of Your forgiveness if we confess our sins. Help us to see the places in our lives where we need to ask for forgiveness and where we need strength to turn from sin so our debts do not keep growing. Help us to place You first in everything so that we may reflect Your love to everyone we meet. In Jesus name we pray, amen.