This, then, is how you should pray …
Summary: In this meditation, we look at the second part of the Lord’s Prayer. Where the first part reminds us to acknowledge God, the second part focuses on our needs.
When Jesus teaches us how to pray, he begins by affirming God’s sovereignty.
God is our Father. All of us!
God is in heaven, in a realm invisible to our eyes, but very real. This spiritual realm is divided into two parts: being with God (heaven) and being apart from God (Luke 16: 19-31).
We are to honor God’s name as a way of honoring our God.
We desire his kingdom to come, his will to be done, here on earth. Just as it is in heaven.
In the second part of the prayer, we address our needs. This is where things get a little complicated. “Needs” and “wants” are very different, and yet we humans often combine the two into one thing. Jesus knows the difference. In the second half of the Lord’s Prayer, he teaches us to pray for what we need. His list includes:
- Daily bread
- Forgiveness
- Direction (being led)
- A request to avoid temptation (aka — testing)
- Deliverance from the evil one (some translations say “from evil”)
What I find interesting about this list of “needs” is how oblivious I can be to them on any given day. Instead of being aware of my need for bread, I worry we might be out of my favorite jam.
When it comes to my need for forgiveness, I am almost completely blind. It is so easy to focus on the things people do that irritate me. I can list all the worst offenses I have endured at the hands of family, neighbors, bosses, coworkers, politicians… you name it. My common refrain is, “How could they do this to me?!”
Rarely do I think of needing God’s forgiveness. I am aware of my need, of course. Every Christian is at some level. But day by day, hour by hour, my need for forgiveness is not that high on my list. It should be, but sadly, it is not. I need the reminder, and Jesus knows that.
The text in verse 13 (NIV) says, “And lead us not into temptation…” As I have meditated on this phrase, I see it two different ways. First, and most obvious, is the natural reading of the statement, meaning, “Please don’t lead us into temptation.” The second reading has to do with being led.
(Please keep in mind that God does not tempt us! [See James 1:13] “Temptation” is one of the many words we find that have multiple meanings. The way it is used in the Lord’s Prayer refers to testing, similar to the trial that Job went through.)
In both cases, avoiding a trial or a test and my need to be led, I take these things for granted. I’m being honest here. I don’t like to admit this.
When we get to the last part of the prayer, “deliver us from the evil one,” here again, I tend to be oblivious to my need.
There are a million things to worry about each day and a million more things I might “want” to see happen. These are the things that normally fill my mind. But Jesus sees my need, and yours, too. He gives us this simple little prayer, and with only fifty-three words, he reminds us who is in charge and what our real needs are.
Application: Ask Jesus to walk with you through the Lord’s Prayer.
Food for Thought: Why did Jesus limit this prayer to the five “needs” listed? Should the list be expanded? If so, what would you add?
I think Jesus was giving us a model prayer by which we address those things that cover a wide range of true needs from God’s perspective. We can certainly add prayer regarding other items. Jesus Himself did this in His “High Priestly Prayer” in John 17. There He also prayed for our protection from the evil one (we must really need that), but He also prayed for unity and sanctification. So can we. Paul asked for prayer for courage to speak the gospel boldly (Ephesians 6). So did the church in Acts 4. In Acts 12, we see believers making requests for Peter when he was imprisoned. Since prayer involves communication with our Heavenly Father, the child can bring many concerns, joys, thanksgiving, etc. to their Heavenly Father.
Rich,
I certainly agree that we are encouraged to bring all kinds of requests to God. Scripture encourages that as we see in 1 John 5:14 and Ephesians 6:18. I guess what fascinates me about the Lord’s Prayer is that when the disciples asked how to pray, Jesus gave them a specific answer.
Why did Jesus limit this prayer to the five “needs” listed? Should the list be expanded? If so, what would you add?
We are taught in Philippians 4:6, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. We are taught to speak with our Father about everything on our hearts.
Today, Jesus is teaching us an eternal, spiritual truth, which will supply the power to worship as He instructed the Samaritan woman.
John 4:24, Jesus teaches the Samaritan woman, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
To do this I believe Jesus could be us teaching us, we must be daily,
1.) Spiritually fed for strength,
2.) Spiritually cleansed with forgiveness of our sinful nature,
3.) Spiritual sensitive and obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit,
4.) Spiritually empowered to avoid temptation,
5.) Spiritually delivered from the evil one.
With me these are moment by moment prayers, but I do pray I will one day be spiritually strong enough to last all day.
Ron,
Thank you for drawing us into the spiritual parallel for these prayer requests. That is a very important insight!
Right Jeff!
Our spirits must be given priority over our flesh as we progressively give ourselves to Jesus, and allow Him to be seen in our lives as the Holy Spirit ministers to the world through us. I believe He is the power in all men and women we see in the Bible doing God’s will.
I think if a person were to earnestly pray for, accept/receive, and recognize the Lord hand in providing for these needs, there would be few barriers in a person’s and God’s relationship. Together, having these five needs met enables you to come before God and have a real dialog with Him. I don’t mean ultimately, I mean each time you pray for God to provide for these five, you can humble yourself and have an open heart.
Colossians 4:2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;
Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Chris,
You have touched on something important here — removing the barriers between ourselves and God. God has done his part by releasing his claim to judging our sin because of the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus. Our part is to take down our barriers. This prayer is laser focused on doing that.