THE LORD’S PRAYER:  A HALLOWED FATHER
Matthew 6:9

One of the most important aspects in our walk with Christ is our prayer life.  I would almost guarantee that if Christ Jesus were suddenly to appear to us right now, and ask us what we would desire most to help us live more like Him, most of us would respond, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

Prayer is our time to acknowledge God’s sovereignty; to see the display of His glory; and to yield to His will.  In his classic book on prayer titled The Power of Prayer, R.A. Torrey wrote:  We should never utter one syllable of prayer, either in public or in private, until we are definitely conscious that we have come into the presence of God and are actually praying to him.

What then is the purpose of this prayer, found in the middle of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, which we know as the Lord’s Prayer?  Jesus did not give this prayer to be memorized.  It is not a child’s prayer.  It is not a church’s prayer.  It is a prayer only a follower of Jesus could pray.  It is a model or pattern for our praying.  Andrew Murray wrote:  It is a form of prayer that becomes the model and inspiration for all other prayer, and yet always draws us back to itself as the deepest utterance of our souls before God.

Friends, we are to begin a study that will encompass the next several weeks.  Our subject is a portion of Scripture that is very familiar to each of us.  We have recited it at weddings and funerals.  We have prayed it during church services and seminars and conferences.  Sadly, many of us have never really stopped to consider what we are praying when we say The Lord’s Prayer. 

But, before we examine what Jesus taught us, let us notice what Jesus did not teach about prayer.  In The Lord’s Prayer, Jesus did not teach us about the posture of prayer.  Why?  Because any posture will do.  A person can pray standing or bowing down; lifting hands or lifting eyes toward heaven; sitting or kneeling.  Secondly, Jesus did not teach about the place of prayer.  Why?  Because we are to pray everywhere.  A person can pray in a battle or on a bed; in a home or in a garden; on a housetop or in a prison; on a mountain top or by a river.  Thirdly, Jesus did not teach us about the time of prayer.  Why?  Because we are to pray at all times.  We can pray early in the morning or late in the day; before mealtime or afterwards; before going to bed or upon rising from bed.  Friends, prayer is to be a total way of life.  So, then we need to understand how to pray.  And that is what Jesus teaches us in The Lord’s Prayer.

In our next study, we shall consider what it means to have a Father who is in heaven.  Plan to join with me for this time of study.

Father, Yes, we agree with the disciples in their request of Jesus.  Lord, teach us also how to pray.  Father, in the coming days, as we study this great example of prayer given to us by the Lord Jesus, open the eyes of our heart so that we might learn what true prayer is all about.  We pray this in Christ’s name.  Amen.

 

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