The Lord's Prayer

This can be and should be a transformable Prayer.

Luke 11:1 NIV

1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

Matthew 6:9–13 NIV

9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘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 today 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 the evil one.’

Seven results to expect.

You will be a worshiper - Holy is His name

You will live better - Your kingdom come

You will have direction - Your will be done.

You will receive answers - On Earth as in Heaven.

You will feel clean - Forgiveness.

You will have victory -Lead us not into temptation.

You will have protection - Deliver us from evil.

The God of heaven is a Father.

There are two families in the world. There is the family of God, in which His children call Him Father. Then there is the family of the world—children who cannot call God their Father. The children of the world cannot effectively pray the Lord’s Prayer until they come to the Father by Jesus.

Three Essentials About God from the Lord’s Prayer

1. The God of heaven is a Father

Romans 8:15 NIV

15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

2. The Father allows immediate access to Himself

John 14:6 NIV

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

3. I can have an intimate relationship with the Father

John 17:25–26 NIV

25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

When you begin your prayer, “Our Father,” you begin praying in an intimate relationship with God—that of a father and a child. God is not an angry judge waiting to punish you, nor is He aloof and ignoring you, nor is He too busy to hear you. God is not some far-off deity in heaven; He is your Father who can be approached on an intimate basis.Prayer should be like a child jumping on a father’s lap to say, “I love you.

Jesus could have told us, “When you pray, say ‘My Lord.’ ” That would have shown His sovereignty over us. Jesus, however, wanted us to know something more than God’s control of our lives.

Jesus could have told us, “When you pray, say ‘Dear Master.’ ” In Jesus’ day, that term meant “teacher,” and this would have shown God’s guidance. Jesus, however, wanted to show more than the way the Master directs and guides our lives.

Jesus could have told us, “When you pray, say ‘My Shepherd.’ ” That would have shown His care over us. Jesus, however, wanted to show that God offers us greater protection than a shepherd’s care for his animals.

Jesus could have told us, “When you pray, say ‘Hail, King!’ ” That would have shown God’s rule over us. Jesus, however, wanted to show a better way for us to relate to God.

Instead of these terms, Jesus chose to use one that speaks of a more intimate relationship with God. Jesus told us to call God, “Our Father.”

Some people think the Lord’s Prayer has the plural pronouns our, us and we because it should be prayed in a group, as congregations today pray corporately the Lord’s Prayer.

All these views are interesting, but notice who is teaching the disciples how to pray: it is Jesus. He taught us to pray, “Our Father.”

Those who heard what Jesus said realized He was inviting them to join Him in prayer. He meant for us to pray with Him.

Jesus invites us to pray with Him; “Our Father.”

Jesus wants you to pray from a place of intimacy with in the Father.

Seven Petitions

1. His name is Holy.

When you worship God, He will come to you.

God has three primary names in the Old Testament.

God’s first name is Elohim (i.e., God the Mighty Creator). By using this name we say, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).

God’s second name is Yahweh, which means, “The Lord who is the covenant-keeping One.”

Then God has a third name, Adonai, which means “Master” or “Lord.” As our Master, God is the one who rules our lives. So there are three primary names for God, but only one God: “The Lord our God is one Lord” (Deut. 6:4).

To pray with the heart, we need to examine the meaning of the word “hallowed.” It comes from the Greek word hagios, which is also the word for “holy.” When you pray “Hallowed be Thy name,” you are saying, “Let Your name be holy on earth as it is holy in heaven.”

A related verb, hagiadzo, means “to make holy” or “to separate.” This means that God is separate from anything on earth that is worldly, profane or sinful. God is holy. Our prayer should be like the angels who cry, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isa. 6:3).

Therefore, when you pray “Hallowed be Thy name,” you are setting God apart in your thinking and feeling. You are treating Him with all the respect that is due His character.

When you hallow the name of God, you are giving Him the honor He deserves. Worship is giving to God the worhship that is due Him.

When Jewish scholars copied the Scriptures, they selected a new pen with which to write God’s name so they would not dishonor God by writing His name with a pen that had been used to write other words. After using the new pen to write God’s name, they broke it so it could never be used again.

When you pray “Hallowed be Thy name,” you are placing God on the throne of your heart.

When you begin your prayers “Hallowed be Thy name,” you are not rushing into God’s presence to demand something, nor are you concerned about your sins, or about your ability to pray. You come into His presence recognizing who God is and what He can do for you.

Isaiah 6:3 NIV

3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

Exodus 34:5–6 NIV

5 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,

When you pray, therefore, remember that God’s glory is greater than your problems … greater than your needs … greater than your fears … greater than anything you want to do for Him. Begin your prayers with “Hallowed be Thy name” because the most important thing in prayer is that God’s name be magnified and exalted.

What does God get out of your prayers? When we begin praying, we become God conscious. Ask yourself, What does God need from me?

When we exalt God in our praise we are acknowledging him over all of our issues and circumstances thus inviting him to be Lord over all and us surrendering it all to Him.

If you value who he his with all your heart, your heart will be separated, devoted to Him alone.

When His name is set apart in your heart, it sets you apart for Him.

2. Your Kingdom Come.

You are inviting God to rule in your heart.

How God Rules in Heaven

1.Right purpose

2.Right motive

3.Right timing

4.Right decisions

5.Right sensitivity

6.Right respect

7.Right according to His standards

The rule of God on earth is called the kingdom of God. Not everyone is a member of God’s kingdom. A person must join the Kingdom and pledge allegiance to the King. People enter the Kingdom when they are born again.

John 3:3 NIV

3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

John 1:12 NIV

12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

When you pray “Thy kingdom come,” you are asking for something that is not yet here to come into existence. You are asking for God’s kingdom to manifest itself through your life.

The children of the Father are here in the enemy’s territory, where the kingdom, which is in heaven, is not yet fully manifested - Andrew Murray

People pray for the Kingdom to come for many reasons. Some, when facing a painful death by cancer, pray, “Thy kingdom come.” They can’t take any more pain. They want a quick and painless death.

Some face pressures at the job. They are miserable … not enough money … not enough time … not enough energy to get them through the day. They pray “Thy kingdom come” because they want God’s peace and happiness.

Some are frustrated and defeated. They have gone through bankruptcy … they have gone through more than one divorce … their kids have not turned out right … they have failed everyone. They pray “Thy kingdom come” because they want a second start—they want a “born-again” opportunity to try all over again. They wonder if God is the One who will give them that second chance.

Some are addicts … they are helpless slaves to drugs or alcohol … they are sexual addicts. These are the people that can’t say no to a habit and they can’t say yes to God. Like Paul, they weep, “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do” (Rom. 7:19). They pray “Thy kingdom come,” wanting God to enter their lives to give them the ability to do right.

Then there are some who want God’s rule in their lives. They have never been in jail and they are not addicts to anything. They do not have a deadly disease, nor is there an emergency in their lives. They pray “Thy kingdom come” because they love God and want the principles of Jesus to rule in their lives. They have not been disobedient; they just want to love God more.

3. Your Will Be done

When you pray “Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven,” you confess that there is a great difference between the two places. I’m praying for it to manifest here In earth as it is in heaven.

God Has A Plan For Your Life

Three Essential Facts About God’s Will

1. God has a plan for your personal life

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

First, the will of God could mean His overall plan for your life, like a blueprint an architect follows in constructing a building. So you are praying, “Thy long-range blueprint for my life be done.” You are asking God to build your life as He might construct a building using His plans.

Second, praying “Thy will be done” means you trust the decision making ability of God. You are asking God to guide your decisions by His decision-making ability.

2. Following God’s plan is good for you

Romans 12:2 NIV

2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

God wants you to do His will because it is good … good for you … good for the family … good for God. When a parent wants a child to come home from a date by midnight, that decision was not made to hurt the child. It is good for the child to have “limits” and learn to obey them. It builds character that will help the child later in life. Limits on a child also help parents sleep better and relieves them of worry. When a young person comes home on time, it is good for the whole family. If one is late, it breaks up family harmony and family plans.

3. You can find and do God’s will now

Before you become a Christian, you sit on the throne of your life. Like a king, you ruled your life and pleased yourself.

When we make that prayer daily, it is a conscious decision to let Christ direct our lives. Each day we say yes. This means that the Christian life is one big YES at the beginning, followed by a smaller yes every day.

You don’t pray to bend God’s will. Prayer bends your will to His.

Four Petitions About God’s Plan for Your Life

1.Help me find Thy plan

2.Help me understand Thy plan

3.Help me submit to Thy plan

4.Help me accomplish Thy plan

Psalm 119:18 NIV

18 Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.

Matthew 6:33 NIV

33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

In Earth As It Is In Heaven

You are praying for heaven to manifest in you and on earth.

As the will is done, the kingdom of heaven comes into the heart.

Why did Jesus add this semi-conclusion, On earth as it is in heaven? Not to show us how far short we come in our prayer. You can look around and see that God is not always glorified on this earth. The semi-conclusion shows you how much you need to ask. It is there to stretch your prayers … to stretch your faith … to stretch your expectations. The semi-conclusion challenges you to pray so things on earth will be as they are in heaven.

We ask for God to be glorified on sinful earth as He is worshiped in the perfection of heaven.

We ask for God’s principles to rule the stubborn earth as they do under His reign in heaven.

We also ask for God’s perfect will to be done on this imperfect earth as it is done in heaven.

1.Thy name be hallowed—worship

2.Thy kingdom come—guidance

3.Thy will be done—yieldedness -

Semi-conclusion:

On earth as it is in heaven.

Wrapping Up the “Thy” Section

Because the Lord’s Prayer is in perfect symmetry, it has seven petitions that are divided into two sections, and a “semi-conclusion” between. There are three petitions in the first section, and four in the second, with the fourth petition serving as a “hinge.”

The first three petitions are called the “Thy” petitions because they center on God’s glory.

The last four petitions are called the “Us” petitions.

At the end of the first three “Thy” petitions, you will find a semi-conclusion that wraps up the first section. The conclusion sums up what has been said to this point, but it is not the final summary nor the last conclusion. Because it comes in the middle of the Lord’s Prayer, it is called a “semi-conclusion.” It gives you an opportunity to wrap up your thoughts before you go on.

Once these are all settled in your life you are ready to face the horizontal challenges of life.