Jesus' disciples, seeing Him pray often and effectually, and seeing the power of prayer in His life because of the intimate relationship He had with His Father, asked Him to teach them to pray.

Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." So He said to them, "When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one." Luke 11:2-4 NKJV.

"In this manner, therefore, pray: 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 forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." Matthew. 6:9-13 NKJV.

"In this manner, therefore, pray"

Matthew's account indicates that Jesus meant what follows as a model for prayer, rather than something merely to memorize and routinely recite. Let us analyze this "model" prayer to see how we may apply it today.

"Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name"

How we address God is of primary importance. Because He has bestowed such love on us "that we should be called children of God" (1 John 3:1), we should respond by calling Him "Father" (Galatians 4:6) and praise His high and holy name (Psalm 111:9), by expressing the reverence which is due Him. This will help us to be mindful of the gravity, as well as the privilege, of prayer.

"Your kingdom come"

The apostles were to pray for the kingdom to be established, as God had promised through such prophets as Daniel, Micah and Isaiah. It is important that we also express hope in the fulfillment of the promises of God. Of course, His kingdom has long been in existence (see Mark 9:1; Colossians 1:13), but we might pray, "May the borders of your kingdom be extended."

"Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven"

We should also express the desire for our lives and the lives of others to be conformed to God's will. Since God "desires all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:1-4), we should pray to this end.

"Give us this day our daily bread"

Rather than worry about what we eat, drink, wear, etc., we should recognize our total daily dependence upon God, remembering that

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning (James 1:17).

If you "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness," you shall have the things you need (Matt. 6:33). This involves "casting all your care upon Him, for he cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7).

"And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors"

If we would seek forgiveness of our own sins against God, we must forgive the sins of others against us. And we will do this if we want to obey the second great commandment—"You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39-40).

"And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one"

We are to follow God wherever He may lead, and we are to "count it all joy when [we] fall into various trials" (James 1:2). But we are permitted to ask Him to keep these to a minimum. Of course, God "will not allow [us] to be tempted beyond what [we] are able; but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that [we] may be able to bear it" (1 Cor. 10:13). We should, however, pray for the wisdom to recognize "the way of escape" when trials come (James 1:2-5).

"For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever"

We must ever remember that the kingdom belongs not to us but to God. We can not add to or take from the things concerning it. We should also keep in mind that He alone has the power to command and enforce obedience. And we should continuously give Him the glory that He alone deserves for the good that is accomplished through our efforts and those of others, for "without Him we could do nothing."

"Amen"

The word, "Amen," meaning "So be it," occurs 22 times in the Old Testament and 50 times in the New (KJV). Interestingly, it does not appear in any of the prayers that are recorded in the book of Acts. Thus, it cannot be considered wrong to omit it.

By Bob Myham