The Lord's Prayer

The Lord's Prayer

this is something i literally just thought of

Our Father in Heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil,
for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

when Jesus told the disciples the prayer he then followed with:
"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."


So what is the actual meaning behind this prayer and it's significance?
Is it just a prayer of forgiveness of sins? or is there more to it?
 
It is everything that is included in the prayer. and the prayer is not just asking for forgiveness.

Matthew 6
8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this manner, therefore, 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 this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Note that Jesus says that in the manner we should pray. I do not believe He was establishing a verbatim set standard for everyone to go and repetitiously repeat as some kind of chant. But He was giving a guideline as to what to include in prayer.

Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.


This is not a request nor is it about seeking forgiveness. it is a statement. We are saying to God that we believe He is Holy That His name is Holy. It is an acknowledgment that God is Perfect made to God.

10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.


This is both a statement of submission to God and also a statement of desire and hope for His kingdom to come.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

This is now entering into a request. We are asking God to sustain us in this life.

12 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.


This is asking For His forgiveness But it also has a sting in the tail because it also leads us to the knowledge that we must also forgive others there wrongs against us.

13 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.


This is both asking God not to give us over to deception but to protect us from the great deceiver satan and his deceptions in this time of the end there is never a more important time to ask God for this protection. Also in asking God for this we are acknowledging His power to do this thing for us. It is both a request and a statement of faith in the power of God to do it.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

This is a statement of praise. One is acknowledging that God is rightfully The Ruler of all existence and also all glory and praise is justifiably directed towards Him not only now but forever.

But again i believe that a good prayer should include all these elements. I believe Jesus game it as guidance, not as a set in rock mantra that would lose its meaning due to endless verbatim repetition.


All Praise The Ancient Of Days

All Praise The Ancient Of Days
 
Thanks for the explanation. I get it now.

I realized that I didnt really understand it fully while I was watching a commercial for that "Prayer Cross" that has the Lord's Prayer in its center when held up to the light
 
Yes, I agree that it is a wonderful forgivness prayer, but I also believe that it helps us with the acknowledgment that the Lord knows what we need, so there is no real need in praying and asking for the basics.
Give us today our daily bread.
Man needs much more throughout a day to live besides that of food, like air and water, but the Lord knows and provides this to all of us without us asking for it daily..

Praise His Name!
there is so much to this prayer, it is one of my fav.

Praise GOD!

I think it is also a summary prayer, or an example prayer like by starting it with an acknowledgment that GOD is the almighty we pray to,

your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven

This moves to how we should pray in the will of the Father and not in our wants.
 
We must note that this is a prayer of unity. OUR Father - OUR Bread - OUR sins. It starts with the Worship of God. Worshipping him not for what he has done, but for who he is. It goes on to the Work of God - acknowledging his sovereignty, for whatever we are praying for it has to do with the expansion of his Kingdom, and then to the Will of God - all of our prayer being "if it be your will" - so we acknowledge that God knows just what he is doing - a very real expression of our faith.
 
I love this forum. I've heard that prayer all my life and never really took the time to break down the meaning like this.

Great stuff. Thanks.
 
This prayer of Jesus.. is one of the first prayers my mother taught me when I was a little girl. And it stuck. There is so much meaning in these wonderful words that even now in my older years I can ponder those words each time anew.

My favorite line is "Thy kingdom come." which gives me such hope not only for the kingdom to come but the 'kingdom within' which has come as we believe and turn to Christ. :amen:
 
I read this in my Prayer Devotional Bible and wanted to share it please.

Thomas Aquinas believed that everything we need to know is found in three documents: The Apostles' Creed tells us what to believe: the Ten Commandments tells us what to do and the Lord's Prayer tells us how to pray.

The Lord's Prayer is like a compass. It points to our true north. God's heart, and when we know that, we can discern east, west and south. in other words, when we are clear on God's priorities, all other concerns fall into their proper place. The Lord's Prayer purifies our longings and desires, and gives them proper expression. Every area of our lives can be hung on the pegs of its petitions.

That God's name be hallowed, revered, held in awe and adored. The beginning of wisdom, after all, is the fear of the Lord (see Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 1:7).

That God's kingdom come, that he sovereignly bring about the glorious day when the earth will be as full of the knowledge of him as the waters that cover the sea ((Isaiah 11:9), that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord see (Philippians 2:10-11).

That God's will be our food and drink as we work and wait for his kingdom (see John 4:34).

That God gave us what we need in the meantime: our bread, our neccesities, whatever we need to persevere (see Mathhew 6:25-34).

That God forgive our sins. Isn't it lovely that jesus teaches us to wait before we talk to God about our sins--to speak first to God about God before we speak to God about us?

That we be protected from every evil as we struggle in this spiritual warfare for God's rule on earth (see Ephesians 6:10-12).

Pray these petitions frequently. the variations are endless.
 
My favorite line is "Thy kingdom come." which gives me such hope not only for the kingdom to come but the 'kingdom within' which has come as we believe and turn to Christ. :amen:

Yes :) The Kingdom to Come and the Kingdom that has come to us, The Holy Spirit.


All Praise The Ancient Of Days
 
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