Written by Paul Lane
The Word
11 Now Jesus[Greek He] was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say:
“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread,[Or our bread for tomorrow]
4 and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”Luke 11:1-4
9 Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.[ Or Let your name be kept holy, or Let your name be treated with reverence]
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,[Or Let your kingdom come, let your will be done]
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,[ Or our bread for tomorrow]
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.[ Or the evil one; some manuscripts add For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen]Matthew 6:9-13
7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 8 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” 9 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? 10 Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” 12 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
Job 1:7-12
Reflection
It is interesting that Luke’s recording of the Lord’s prayer is shorter than the version in Matthew, which is probably why Matthew’s version is more well known. But why would Luke shorten it, given that Matthew would have been a firsthand witness to the speech, and Matthew’s gospel was probably already in circulation? This is a good question for research, later.
But if you look at the two versions side by side, you can see that Luke doesn’t leave anything out. First, they both start with addressing God as Father. Second, there is a declaration that God’s name is holy. Third is a request that God’s kingdom come. Fourth is a request for bread. Fifth is the request for the forgiveness of sins. Sixth is the acknowledgement that our forgiveness is contingent on our hearts releasing others of their sins. Seventh is a request that God not lead us into the difficult path of temptation. One could say that it is a seven-segment prayer, or that Jesus is taking His disciples through seven phases of a conversation with God.
In the first phase, the conversation is set right when we recognize the relationship we have with God. He does not intend to be our taskmaster nor our buddy. He is our Father, who has plans for us, and intends for us to be a certain way. So, the focus is not on you, yourself. The focus is on God and the relationship you have with Him.
For the second phase, the focus on God is taken to the next level, in recognizing that you are dealing with a holy and elevated being. Thoughts of manipulation and superiority should be falling away now. You are on earth and God is in heaven. He is in the better state, so anything that might come from Him will be much better than what you might bring.
In the third phase, you are to come in alignment with God’s will, or plan. Note that this alignment is called for before you start asking for anything yourself. So, we are to use God’s kingdom as a measuring rod for anything we might be asking for. If you are looking to ask for something that is not in agreement with God’s kingdom, do not ask. Throw it out. It will do you no good.
Now that we get to phase four, it is interesting to note that it is the very middle of the structure. Also, this is the part where we ask for what we want. Looking at the foot note, it says, Or “our bread for tomorrow.” Growing up, I always thought of it as the bread for today, leading me to think that this was a prayer for the morning. But having the reference to “tomorrow” makes me wonder if this might be an evening prayer. Either way, the prayer works any time of day.
For phase five I am wondering if it should be swapped with phase four. Should we be asking for things before we ask for forgiveness. Did Jesus make a mistake here? Perhaps not. Is God willing to feed us before we are willing to confess our sins? Well, He is our loving Father. I don’t think I ever sent my kids to bed without supper because they didn’t confess to something. But I can’t say that I would rule it out if I was really angry. So, I have to think that God’s way is better than my vengeance.
And in phase six, we can see that God’s way is better. Here Jesus links our request to be forgiven to our willingness to forgive others. This is how it works in God’s kingdom, which is consistent with us asking for God’s kingdom to come in phase three.
And finally, in phase seven it is a calling out for God’s kingdom in our lives. When I come to this portion of the prayer, I always think of Job. Scholars debate whether he was a real person or just a character for this lesson. I hope he is real, because I would love to meet him in heaven and tell him thank you for his endurance, his example, and grace to his friends and family. Because of his story, I have a clear direction for what I don’t want. But also, if I were to go through such trials, I would know that God’s love and grace are sufficient for me.
Application
Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts (Zechariah 4:6). This is the wonder and power of prayer. Many scholars and bible teachers point to the Lord’s prayer as a form that Jesus was giving to His disciples. So, it is great to pray this prayer exactly as it is. But one can also construct prayers according to these forms. I hope that you can see in this prayer that Jesus is not only teaching you words to say, but how to build a life with the Lord and discover the wonderful life of God as your father.
Prayer
Form of the Lord’s Prayer
- Call out to God as your Father
- Declare His name Holy
- Ask for your life to be ordered according to His kingdom
- Ask for what you need
- Ask for forgiveness
- Acknowledge the forgiveness of others (be specific)
- Ask for God’s leadership
City Life Starter 
Leave a Reply