LUKE 11:1-6 & MATTHEW 6:9-13
Luke 11:1-6 "And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?"
Matthew 6:9-13
"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.'"
Welcome to the 40 Day Prayer Commitment! Embarking on this spiritual journey is sure to be revolutionary, especially if you do not currently have a consistent or scripture-based prayer life. Please feel free to reach out to us at promisebiblestudy@gmail.com at any point throughout this season of prayer with any questions, concerns, praise reports and testimonies that may arise. We are a community in Christ and welcome your engagement.
In the scripture passages above, we are told that one of the disciples approached Jesus after he finished praying, wanting to know Christ's way of doing so. What has become known as the Lord's Prayer was laid out by the Lord Himself!
There is a danger that Christians may have to overcome when approaching this prayer, which is the rote-ness of it; it has been said so many times in church (often in solemn monotone corporate droning) that this divine dialog may have lost its inherent power.
If we read it again, this time with fresh eyes, and with a heart awakened to its significance, we will take note of the "layout" of the prayer. Jesus was not offering us the Lord's Prayer as the only prayer to be spoken to God verbatim, but rather was presenting us with the "formula" for how to articulate a prayer; in other words, how to incorporate all the key components when speaking with the Lord. His disciple's query was not on WHAT to pray, but rather HOW to pray.
That being said, the way Jesus speaks the prayer is indeed the most succinct, simplified version of the formula, but it is the bare bones that, though sufficient enough, can be built upon as needed.
Here is the Official Way to Pray, as laid out by Christ:
1) Addressing - "Our Father (who art in Heaven)"
State clearly to Whom you are offering the prayer, establishing the relationship.
2) Glorification - "Hallowed by Thy Name"
Above all else, His name is to be glorified, praised and worshipped. Before we address anything else in prayer, give God the glory first and foremost, above any earthly matter. (Psalm 83:18 "That they may know that You alone, whose name is the LORD, Are the Most High over all the earth.") In fact, if you are turning to God out of concern or need, you may find that the problem which brought you to your knees now brings you into deeper faith, and may actually be resolved in your heart/bring you great peace by simply giving Him the glory in all circumstances (In a full-circle fit, the final verse in the 40 Day Prayer touches on this, which you can read about HERE).
3) Commitment/Offering of the Self - "Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven"
When I was younger, I used to think this line meant that we were asking for Jesus return to earth to establish the New Kingdom...which doesn't make sense when you realize that Jesus himself was speaking it WHILE he's on earth! Rather, what it means is that while YOU are on earth, you will do what you can for the Kingdom. You will be the example of and point in the direction to Heaven. You are offering yourself as a servant in His Kingdom, committing to doing his Will. This is an important step in the prayer formula because it is demonstrating that you are willing to give to God even before you ask that He gives something to you.
4) Petitioning - "Give us this day our daily bread"
This harkens back to the Israelites in the wilderness being given their daily rations of manna. God always gave them just enough, that they were always sustained, that their daily needs were always met. Notice how Christ says THIS day our DAILY bread, not simply GIVE US. He specifies a certain allowance within a certain timeframe. This establishes two crucial elements when petitioning the Lord: a) ask for only what you need in the given moment to get to the next moment, which leads to, b) learn to rely on God every day for every need. As a crude example, we could petition God for millions of dollars, which would cover our needs for our entire lifetime. But would we run the risk of thinking we don't need God in our lives anymore? Just as the Israelites were forbidden to store up or hoard extra manna (if they did, it turned to stinking rot), we should be satisfied and content in the meeting of our needs day by day, trusting that God will always provide.
Exodus 16: 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will cause bread to rain from heaven for you; the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, so that I may test them [to determine] whether or not they will walk [obediently] in My instruction (law)" AMP
5) Confession - "Forgive us our Debts, as we have forgiven our debtors"
Next we are to ask for forgiveness. Confess your sins. Here you can be more specific about what in your life needs to be forgiven. The second part of the phrase is not to be overlooked: if we are to expect God to wipe out our debt, we too must clear those who are indebted to us. This may be literal or figurative debt, depending on circumstance and the conviction laid upon your heart.
Confession and asking for forgiveness is important to note here, coming from the mouth of Christ, who soon will be dying for the sake of our debts and forgiveness. He knows the future that lies in wait for him and the reason he's doing it, however, even our redeemer impresses upon us the need to ASK for forgiveness and actively confess, not just assume that it's a given. It's also important to note that, though Christ did die and pay for all sin, it is NOT, in fact, a given that the transgression is removed from us if our lives do not reflect such mercy. Christ states this starkly in his parable about the man who forgives his servant a major debt, but then that very same servant does not forgive another fellow. The servant's debt is restored and he is punished for not forgiving his brother when he himself was forgiven (Matthew 18:23-35).
6) Protection - "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil"
Daily we should be asking for spiritual protection. If we are walking in the Light of Christ, we certainly illuminate a darkened path in positive ways...but like a porch light on a summer night, we also attract all the bugs and critters who come a-swarming! If there is something specific in your life that needs protection, pray over it/him/her. But in general, we can ask the Holy Spirit to ensure that we are equipped with the Full Armor of God every day (read about spiritual protection HERE and in Day 33 of the Prayer Commitment).
As you go through this 40 Day Prayer Commitment, keep in mind the Lord's Prayer as a guideline. We have laid out 40 verses/passages to be prayed specifically. Yet see how Jesus' formula herein weaves throughout the passages, and enhances your communication with the Lord, as you go. Prayer is effective; Christ Himself demonstrates how and why.
Learn about the 40 Day Prayer Commitment