Matthew 6:9-10

DAY 43

Date: 3-16-25

The LORD’S PRAYER, part 2

* Everything with an asterisk and is italicized and purple is my own added words and thoughts and are not part of the actual verse or quote. 

Pray

Read scripture: Matthew 6:9-10

(NIV 1984)
“This, then, is how you should pray:
“ ‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.

The Lord’s Prayer is a “model” or a “pattern for how to pray.” It is not meant to be exactly “what” you recite verbatim.

While it is ok to pray it as it is, It is not what our Lord. He meant it to be an EXAMPLE for us to follow. It is not meant to be an exact template that we are to mindlessly and repeatedly recite verbatim. Matthew 6:7 says we are to avoid “babbling like pagan.” That means that we are to vain repetitions, as the King says. When we pray this prayer, we are to focus on each section as we move through it, and reverentially elaborating and personalizing each section as the Holy Spirit moves us.

Jesus says in vs 9 that this is “how you should pray,” not, what to pray. 

A.W.  Pink says in book “The Beatitudes and The Lord’s Prayer,” on pg 74, 
” We are to pray with reverence, humility, seriousness, confidence in God, concern for His glory, love to mankind, submission, moderation in temporal things, earnestness about spiritual things.”

In the Lord’s Prayer, there are two main sections.

The first section focuses on God. This first section in comprised of verses 9 and 10.
The second section focuses on us and Our Needs and is comprised of verses 11-13.
The last section, verses 14-15 is not actually a part of the Lord’s prayer, but a concluding comment on it.

Each of the two sections, the God Section, and the Our Needs Section, each have 3 subsections, or components.

The God Section’s three subsections are:
1. Verse 9: Focus. Who are we directing our prayer to? The focus is on the FATHER (OUR FATHER, hallowed be your Name)
2. Verse 10a: Submission to His Rule or Reign. (YOUR Kingdom Come- submitting to God’s rule and reign in your life, as well as praying for His second coming)
3. Verse 10b: Submission to His Will. (YOUR Will be Done – it’s ALL about HIS will, not our will)

The Our Needs Section’s three subsections are:
1. Verse 11: Requests.  (Give us TODAY our DAILY bread)
2. Verse 12: Relationships.  (Forgive us our debts or trespasses – our sins – AS we forgive others. Our need for healthy hearts, souls and relationships. We can’t receive it without giving in in return. “Freely you have received, freely give.” Matt 10:8
3. Verses 13a: Direction and Protection. (Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, or the evil one)

Briefly, the six subsections are: 

1. Focus 
2. Reign
3. Will 
4. Requests 
5. Relationships.
6. Direction and Protection

This is not the only way to pray, Sometimes we need to throw up an emergency prayer for “help!” But in most of our everyday private prayers, this is the perfect pattern, or model to follow. After all, it was given to us by our very perfect Lord.

Q:
Before we dive into this most perfect prayer, I have a QUESTION: What does it mean to pray in “Jesus’ name?”

A:
To pray according to God’s will. To pray according to God;s plans and purposes. To pray in such a way that your will lines up with His will; your desires and requests line up with His. 

God is not a genie in a bottle obligated to fulfill our every wish and desire. 

Psalm 37:4 says, 

“Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

This means that as we align our hearts and desires up with God’s, as we make His Will our will, and His desires our desires,  He will give us the desires of our heart. 

Ok, let’s dive into it.

Let’s look at each verse, and, using the Inductive Bible Study Method, see what this looks like first us. 

1. Section 1: TheGOD SECTION: FOCUS ON GOD!
   1. 6:9. To me, this verse verse is the most important. They are all important, but if we don’t get this first verse right, the rest falls away. Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name.
      1. First, we need to bring into focus just exactly who we are praying to. We are praying to OUR FATHER in heaven. It is significant that Jesus suggests that we address Him, not as “Almighty God,” even though that would be proper and correct, or that we address Him as “O’ Lord, God Most High” or “King of the Universe,” or “King of Glory.” All of those would be correct and proper in their place. But Jesus suggests – Jesus tells us – to address our Creator, as OUR FATHER. To focus on God as “OUR FATHER” is very personal. It suggest more than just a relationship. It tells us that we are family.” And that we are His children. He is not just God. He is OUR Gid. And He is not just our God, He is OUR FATHER. He is our Heavenly Father, who knows us better than anyone, and loves us better than anyone. Additionally, Jesus says “OUR Father,” not “my Father. He is the Father of us all, of all believers everywhere. We believers are a community. We are ALL connected. We are NOT just a bunch of individual Christians. We all, together, are “ONE BODY.” And we need to have this “community mindset. Unlike our western culture today, this “community mindset” was a very real, and central aspect to first century Judaism and, subsequently, Christianity. We all stand together. One for all, and all for one. Forever.
      2. HALLOWED be your name. Praise God! Worship Him. Adore Him. Worship His Holy and Righteous Name. Recognize Him for who He is; great and mighty and worthy. Praise His name REVERENTIALLY and with complete RESPECT. In first century Judaism and early Christianity, names were way more important than they are to us today in our western culture. Names had meaning and spoke to who a person was. The name Jesus, for example means, “Jehovah saves,” or “God saves.” The name Immanuel, another of Jesus’ many names, means “God with us.” Both are very meaningful to us and highly significant to who Jesus is. Likewise, we need to reverently respect God’s Holy and Righteous Name. Our book says, “The verb hallowed means “to sanctify, make holy.” Some synonyms for hallowed are: REVERED, HONORED, RESPECTED, HIGHLY VENERATED, HIGHLY ESTEEMED, HELD IN THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE REGARDS. This is how we are to always think of  God, and the humble attitude in which we should address Him. Our Father, in Heaven. 
   2. 6:10a. YOUR KINGDOM COME. Submit to God’s reign or rule in your life. Knowing that He is a Good Father, that He is a wise and loving and all knowing God, we should, for our benefit, submit to His gracious Sovereignty in our lives because He truly knows what is best for us. Desire God’s work and presence and guidance in your life. Ask God to reign in your life and your heart, and of all those around you. Not only should we pray for His reign to increase in your own life in the here and now, we should also pray for the advancement of His Kingdom in the whole of this lost and fallen and hurting world. In addition to praying for the spread of His Kingdom in the here and now, we should also pray for His future Kingdom to come as soon as possible! He has promised to come back again, in power, and to finally conquer all evil. We need to pray for Him to come back soon! Come, Lord Jesus, come!
   3. 6:10b. YOUR WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Submit to Him. Submit to His rule. SUBMIT to His Word. SUBMIT to His Son. Submit to His will. Ask God to change your will into His will. Ask God to make His Will and plan and purpose the will and desire of your life. Ask Him to help us to just simply obey Him. Unquestioningly, just as the angles in Heaven do.

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QUOTES:

In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart. ◆ JOHN BUNYAN

That is but poor prayer which is only one of words. ◆ JOHN BUNYAN

The best prayers have often more groans than words. ◆ JOHN BUNYAN 

Prayer requires more of the heart than of the tongue. ◆ ADAM CLARKE

Prayers not felt by us are seldom heard by God. ◆ PHILIP HENRY

Self-examination is the high road to prayer. ◆ D. MARTYN LLOYD-JONES

Do not reckon you have prayed until you have pleaded, for pleading is the very marrow of prayer. ◆ C. H. SPURGEON

He who prays without fervency does not pray at all. ◆ C. H. SPURGEON 

I know of no better thermometer to your spiritual temperature than this, the measure of the intensity of your prayer. ◆ C. H. SPURGEON

The habit of prayer is good, but the spirit of prayer is better. ◆ C. H. SPURGEON

God the Father understands prayers which are sighed rather than said, because he searches our hearts and can read our thoughts. ◆ JOHN R. W. STOTT

Prayer is not so much submitting our needs to God but submitting ourselves to Him. ◆ JOHN BLANCHARD

Intercession is standing in other people’s shoes and representing them before God. ◆ ANON.

Between the humble and contrite heart and the majesty of heaven there are no barriers. The only password is prayer. ◆ H. BALLOU (*see Ps 51:17)

Prayer is the language of a man burdened with a sense of need. ◆ E. M. BOUNDS

Prayer is weakness leaning on omnipotence. ◆ W. S. BOWDEN

Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the soul to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Spirit, for such things as God has promised. ◆ JOHN BUNYAN

True prayer is the attitude and resultant expression of one who has come to know God as Father. ◆ HERBERT M. CARSON 

As air is the breath of life, so prayer is the breath of faith. ◆ PAUL YONGGI CHO

He who wants anything from God must approach Him with empty hands. ◆ ROBERT CUNNINGHAM

Prayer is exhaling the spirit of man and inhaling the spirit of God. ◆ EDWIN KEITH

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Notes:

* Everything with an asterisk and is italicized and purple is my own added words and thoughts and are not part of the actual verse or quote.