The Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) Charisse Compton, June 9, 2021

The North Church Women

“Teach us to pray, Lord,” the disciples asked after observing Jesus in close communion with his Father. In response, Jesus offered the Lord’s Prayer as a template. Like a skeleton giving structure to a body, this simple, six-petition template forms the framework for the muscles, tissues, and flesh of our own prayers.

I like to think of the template as the triple A’s of prayer. We first address God as “our Father in Heaven,” fully aware of both the privilege and cost of doing so. We then agree with the goodness of God’s purposes in this world, asking him to hallow his name, bring his kingdom and accomplish his will. Based on God’s will, which we have labored in prayer to align our own hearts with, we then ask God to meet our every need, to continue forgiving our sins, and to nurture in us a forgiving heart. We close our prayer time by asking our Father to keep us from anything that does not hallow his name and to protect us from the predations of the Evil One. With unwavering faith, we request all these things, knowing God intends to grant them.

Ignoring this template results in prayers with broken bones and deformed bodies. For instance, if we consistently prioritize our “needs and greeds” in prayer, it could be that our hearts are not in agreement with God’s will, and our requests stem instead from sinful lusts and desires. If we habitually forget to repent of our sins, we may be startled to find a vengeful and self-righteous spirit taking root in our hearts. If in pride or foolishness we continually fail to ask God’s protection from temptation, we may be surprised to find how easily sin derails us. If our hearts do not beat as one with God’s in his desire to build his kingdom, we could be sidelined in His cause and miss out on the great joy of being used to advance the gospel.

If however, we follow the template, we have confidence that God will grant our requests. He is already hallowing his name. His kingdom is on the march. More and more people are doing his will. He has promised to provide our material needs. He has promised to forgive our sins. He has promised he will not tempt us or allow us to be tempted beyond our ability. He is doing and will continue to do all these things through the prayers of his people. In our Father’s mysterious and wise economy, he takes our prayers and turns them into the tools of his trade. So pray as Jesus instructed because God powerfully works when we do!