Unchanging Prayer for a Changing World



THE LORD’S PRAYER
Matthew 6 : 9 -13


The Lord’s Prayer is a universal PRAYER taught by our Lord Jesus Christ.

It was carefully conceived by Jesus with certain precise ends.
  
He taught this prayer to his disciples in such a way that it would pass through ages, without suffering alterations. 

The Lord’s Prayer is the same forever and ever, as it fits in all situations and circumstances.

It helps us to outline an accurate path towards God. 

The opening words “Our Father,” defines the relationship between God and the person praying. 

Our God is our Father on whom our whole existence depends.

God the Father, whose glory is our inheritance, whom we may freely approach, like children approach their father!
 
When we address God as our Father, it affirms that all men and women in this world are our brothers and sisters, who belong to the same family. 

"We are truly members of just one body." Therefore the Lord’s Prayer is considered as a universal prayer.

The phrase “who art in heaven” indicates that God exists supremely in heaven, which is His throne. 

God dwells in heaven and at the same time when we call upon Him, He comes to us in our difficult times. 

God is described as boundless, incomprehensible, free, sovereign, eternal, omnipotent, and transcendent.

This means that God, who is high, above all is also the Father of Jesus Christ, in whom he loves the entire world.

Six Petitions in the Lord’s Prayer

There are six petitions in the Lord’s Prayer and they are divided into two parts. The first 3 Petitions are about God and the last 3 petitions are about human beings and their experience.

God
  • Hallowed be your name – Exaltation of God’s name high
  • Your kingdom come - Anticipation of God’s reign on earth
  • Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven - Realization of God’s will in our lives
Humans
  • Give us this day our daily bread- Empowering experience
  • Forgive us our sins as we forgive -Transforming experience
  • Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil - Liberating experience
Even though Jesus instructs people to focus on the glory of God, using the first three petitions, the final three petitions demonstrate that human needs are also important. 

The doxology: For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever and ever do not belong to the original text of the Gospel; it is generally agreed that they are an addition, or an extension, introduced for the liturgical use of the Lord's Prayer. 
 
The Lord’s Prayer is the means by which the church celebrates what has been accomplished already in Christ and strains forward for what lies ahead.   

The method of this prayer teaches us to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteous, and then to hope that other things shall be added. Amen

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