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 fourth line, “your will be done” is a commitment to God that we want Him to rule in our lives. No matter what that means, whether we like what He is doing or not. This portion of the prayer is about our complete surrender to God’s will, in all things. This means that we are giving Him control over everyone and everything in our life, which He already has. But this is about our hearts and reminding us that we are not in control of anything. The scary part of this commitment is that God is not always going to do what we want Him to do. Things do not always turn out the way we think they should. It is during these times that we must cling to His promise in Romans 8:28 that He works all things together for the good of those who love Him. The promise is “all” things, not some, not the ones that feel nice when they are happening, but all things. No matter what happens to us, God will use it for good.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for showing us how to pray. Help us to step aside and give You control of our lives, no matter what that may mean. May our lives 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 second line, “. . .hallowed be your name” prompts our minds to focus on the fact that while God is our Dad, He is to be approached with respect and awe. This line is a reminder that as we pray, we stand in the presence of a Holy God, so we must not have unconfessed sin or be living in disobedience. We approach God through the righteousness and holiness of Jesus, standing on our belief that He died on the cross for our sins.

We are entering the holy presence of the same God Who causes all-consuming fire to fall on wickedness (Genesis 19:24) and the earth to swallow up those who are disobedient (Numbers 16:32). This is the same God Who flooded the earth due to man’s sin (Genesis 6:17) and yet cares about every single bird (Matthew 6:26). God is all-knowing and all-powerful as He reigns from His heavenly throne room. If ever we feel our hearts are too casual with approaching the Almighty God, let Revelation chapter 4 remind us.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for showing us how to pray. May we always remember You are a Holy God sitting on Your throne with flashes of lightning, and rumblings of thunder. You shine like jasper and carnelian, and around Your throne is a rainbow and twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. Before Your throne are the seven torches of fire and a sea of glass, like crystal. Help us to approach You with awe as the Holy God You are. May we reflect Your holiness to a hurting world. In Jesus name we pray, amen.

In verses Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus shares a model for believers to follow as they pray. He is speaking to crowds that have gathered around Him as He sits and preaches. His disciples are sitting there as well. Jesus is sharing that believers are not to pray to draw attention to ourselves or to just say Christian phrases so we look 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 first line, “Our Father in heaven” causes us to put God first, before anything we may request of Him. Jesus starts off the prayer in a way that reminds us we are to be focused on worshipping God as our Father, putting Him first in all that we do. Calling God our Father is an acknowledgement of the relationship between the Almighty Creator and His creation. Our belief in Jesus as the Son of God is the way we get to the Father. He is our Father, our Dad and loves us more than we can possibly understand. Yet, He is in heaven and we are on earth. God is all-knowing and all-powerful as He reigns from His heavenly throne room. Through this line in the prayer, we are reminded that we do not know everything. Our trust must be in our heavenly Father.

Let’s pray. Father in heaven, thank You for showing us how to pray, may we always put You first. In Jesus name we pray, amen.