Our Lord Teaches Us
Our Lord Teaches Us
How presumptuous this seems for me to consider myself an authority on prayer!  There are many who
consider themselves authorities and will tell you how to pray for all it's worth, how to open the doors of
Heaven, how to get what you pray for!  But I will seek the truth, and knowing He is the source of all truth,
I will trust the instructions of our Lord Himself.  Therefore, I am not writing to presume to be an expert on
prayer, but rather I am merely writing my reflections on what our Lord said about it.

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.
Luke 11:1

What follows is what has become known as "The Lord's Prayer".  It's not actually the prayer of our Lord;
you'll find that in John, chapter 17, where we are shown the actual words of Jesus's prayer to the Father.
 This is the "model prayer" in which Jesus tells us in His own words how to pray:

And he said unto them, When ye pray, say,
Luke 11:2

Our Father...
Luke 11:2

Father - What is our perception of the perfect father?  He is our provider, our protector, and he is close
to us.  He is teacher, counsellor, disciplinarian.  He is loving, wise, faithful, generous, and always
available to us.  He loves unconditionally and would give his life for his child.

"Our" Father - not "MY" Father, although He is my Father, I recognize He is not my personal genie there
for my personal bidding, to make right all my wrongs in the way I see fit.  He is the Father of many who
love and seek the will of their Father in Heaven, and we are told He works ALL things together for us all:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called
according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28

...which art in heaven,
Luke 11:2

He is in Heaven and I am here on earth.  He sees things from a much higher and greater perspective
than I ever can!  His ways are higher than my ways, but we have His assurance He is working things for
our good, and we can put our trust in Him because He is in Heaven, and we are but here on earth.  We
can't begin to think as He can or to know what He knows; how can we possibly know what is best for us?

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than
your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:9

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give
you an expected end.
Jeremiah 29:11

He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great.
Psalm 115:13

And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them,
because they trust in Him.
Psalm 37:40

Hallowed be thy name.
Luke 11:2

Hallowed - made holy, set apart from common, sanctified, consecrated, sacred, exalted, reverenced as
holy.  His very name is all of these things.  His very name is to be praised and exalted.  Although the
covering of the blood of Jesus has allowed us access to the Father, we need to remember what an
awesome thing that is!  The King of the universe, the Creator of the universe, the One who holds our
very lives and the earth upon which we tread, the Holy, Holy, Holy God of Heaven and earth, and we can
be in His presence!  Imagine the God of the Old Testament, so holy that no one could live in His
presence, yet He so loved us that He made a way so that we could come before Him.

And He said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
Exodus 33:20

And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
Exodus 20:19

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16

Not only can we come before Him, but we can come boldly!

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
Hebrews 10:19

Boldness is not arrogance.  Our Lord teaches us to reverence our Father.  It is bold just to come into His
presence, but He says we can do it!  How wonderful this is; how wonderful that He has given us life and
provided a way to Him!

I feel like part of praising and honoring our Father in Heaven is thanksgiving.  Many scriptures point to
thanksgiving as a part of prayer, and although our Lord doesn't instruct us specifically in this model
prayer to thank the Father for his blessings, I think it is a logical part of praise.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known unto God.
Philippians 4:6

Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
Colossians 4:2

Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be
unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
Revelation 7:12

Thy kingdom come.
Matthew 6:10

We recognize and look forward to a day when the Kingdom of God comes.  If only we could grasp that
this world is not our home, that we are only passing through, then the things of this world would not be
so important.

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10

We should pray that God's will be done, not our own.  Once again, if we could truly grasp that the perfect
Lord has a perfect will, that is way beyond what we can even comprehend, we could let go and let God,
as the saying goes.  I think this is closely related to the phrase and explanatory paragraph preceding
this.  We must also recognize that this world is not our home, and our personal comfort and pleasures on
this world is not what is most important.  People often question, and atheists love to ridicule and
condemn because of this, that God would allow bad things to happen to good people.  It's amusing to
think that we mere people believe that we know what is really "good"!  If this is not our home, and we
face trouble, pain, and persecution here, and our loving and merciful Father calls us home early to be in
eternal paradise with Him, is that a bad thing?

The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering
that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.
Isaiah 57:1

It looks to me that sometimes in His mercy, God may take a loved one home.  This life contains much
pain; we should be rejoicing that our loved one is spared and is now in an eternal paradise.  Once again,
we have to realize that our personal comfort and happiness on this earth is not of the greatest
importance.  The most important thing to God is where our soul will spend eternity.  Why, He even
speaks of maiming ourselves if it saves our soul!

And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy
members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Matthew 5:30

If our Father would suggest that we maim ourselves in order to have eternal life, could that same God
not, in His mercy, maim us to save us?  This is a hot button in my family.  Many believe that nothing evil
comes from God, only good.  "Evil comes from Satan, and God allows it to happen."  I can agree with that!
 But what is evil?  What we see as evil in our puny little human minds that don't like pain and discomfort
is not likely the same as the way God sees it.  As a matter of fact, I am sure it isn't!

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than
your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:9

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called
according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28

God sees a much bigger picture than we do, and He is working all things together.  He sees things in a
way we can't!  Not only does He see things in a larger perspective in the here and now, people affected
around us that we may never know, but also He sees things that may be affected in the future.  
Oftentimes people are brought to their knees when they are at the lowest points in their lives.  If those
bad things, loss of loved ones or terrible accidents that maim, cause a person to come to God and be
eternally saved, then are those really bad things?  Many times we are told in the Old Testament about
the Israelites, and how when God sent plagues, still they did not turn from their wicked ways.  He was
trying to get them to turn to Him and eternal life!  He was not sending plagues to torture and punish.  He
was sending them to save!  When we fully realize that everything He does is for good, then we will truly
want His will on earth.  His will is always about the MOST good!

If we accept Him at His Word, that He doesn't want any to perish, then we can trust in His perfect Will.

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward,
not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove
what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:2

My husband could give quite a testimony, and we'll soon tell it here.  He thanks God for the accident that
blinded him, crippled him, and weakened his heart, because he knows that if left on his stubborn path,
he would have perished eternally.  He trusts in the Father's perfect will and we all can.

 Give us this day our daily bread.
Matthew 6:11

How amazing that the God of the universe wants me to come to Him with my petty needs!  Our heavenly
Father knows we need bread (food).  He knows all of our needs.

Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
Matthew 6:8

And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of
these things.
Luke 12:29-30

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19

Bread denotes a need, not a want.  God supplies our needs, but not necessarily all our wants.

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
James 4:3

But if we want the things of God, according to His will, I believe we can come boldly to ask Him.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall
be given him.
James 1:5

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
John 15:7

We need the Living Bread, the Bread of Life, daily in our lives.

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that
believeth on me shall never thirst.
John 6:35

I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and
the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
John 6:51

And forgive us our debts,
Matthew 6:12

We ask Him to forgive our sins and He is faithful to forgive them.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9

...as we forgive our debtors.
Matthew 6:12

Ah, but here comes the catch!  Jesus even reiterated this point at the end of the Lord's Prayer.

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matthew 6:14-15

Jesus illustrated His point in the following parable:

Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that
he had, and that payment be made.
The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'
Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.
But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid
hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'
So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you
all.'
And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.
So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their
master all that had been done.
Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt
because you begged me.
Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'
And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.
So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his
trespasses.
Matthew 18:23-35

And lead us not into temptation,
Matthew 6:13

Perhaps more accurately, this reads "Lead us away from temptation" as God does not tempt us:

Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He
Himself tempt anyone.
But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
James 1:13-14

In addition, the Greek word that is translated "temptation" in this verse, is the same word that is
translated as "trial" in other scriptures.  Although God doesn't tempt us, we know He allows trials as He
did with Job and Peter.

And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person."
So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
Job 1:12

And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.
But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your
brethren."
Luke 21:31-32

but deliver us from evil:
Matthew 6:13

We ask our Father to not allow trials, but deliver us from evil, or the evil one.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Matthew 6:13

For this is our Father's kingdom and all power and glory are His forever!  We once again recognize His
greatness and give Him honor and close our prayer.

This was our Lord's model for our prayer, but He says many more things about praying.

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the
synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have
their reward.
Matthew 6:5

But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for
their much speaking.
Matthew 6:7

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Matthew 26:41

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye
shall have them.
Mark 11:24

Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
Luke 6:28

Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord
of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.
Luke 10:2

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all
men,
for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and
reverence.
1 Timothy 2:1-2

Pray without ceasing.
1 Thessalonians 5:17

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent
prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
James 5:16

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
Psalm 122:6
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