Mt. 6:6-13 “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy close, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”The disciples walked with Jesus, talked with Jesus, traveled, ate, and ministered with Jesus. They saw everything first hand. Think about it, every miracle, every person raised from the dead, they saw it all. They could have easily asked Jesus to teach him the tricks of the trade (just a figure of speech), but no, they asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us how to pray”. Maybe it was because they witnessed Jesus pulling aside to pray many times. I guess they finally got it….whatever happens in solitude will be seen in public in the form of power and grace.
So Jesus pulls them aside and he models the prayer of Mt. 6:6-13. I say model because He never intended for it to be a repetition only (v. 7). It was a pattern that they needed to learn when they talked to the father:
1. “Our Father which art in Heaven” – just like you do when you send a letter, you need to address it.
2. “Hollowed be thy name” this is worship and this comes first before asking for anything.
3. “Thy Kingdom come” – we acknowledge that He is Lord and His Kingdom is established in our hearts, our thoughts, and every area of our lives.
4. “Thy Will be done” – the will of God is everything for the Christian. There is danger, lack, confusion, discouragement when we find ourselves out of God’s Will.
5. “Give us this day our daily bread” – God is our provision, not man. He is our source. Bread represents nourishment that makes us strong and healthy. We cannot fight our battles if we are weak and have malnutrition.
6. “Forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors” – this is the hardest part of the prayer for many that have been hurt by others. We will never truly be set free without forgiveness.
7. “And lead us not into temptation” – God will always make a way out for us if we keep our minds on him…..He will give us perfect peace.
8. “But deliver us from evil” – Our God is the great deliverer. Trust is a key factor in our walk with the Lord that is why it is included in this prayer.
9. “For Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever” – and we seal our prayer with praise and thanksgiving.
