Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As He finished, one of His disciples came to Him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Jesus said,”This is how you should pray:”Father, may Your name be kept holy. May Your Kingdom come soon. Give us each day the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation. “
Luke 11:1-4
Now we come to a classic passage which we all know as the Lord’s prayer. I imagine this will take us a while to work through. Partly because it is central to our faith and practice, and so warrants pulling apart in detail. But also because we have to look at it in its setting, and in this case, compare it with the version of the Lord’s Prayer we find in Matthew.
Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven, may Your name be kept holy. May Your Kingdom come soon. May Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]Matthew 6:9-13
There’s much fruitful work ahead of us. Don’t forget to do all the things you know to do from past Bible Gems, and for those of you who have had the privilege of doing Deeper Bible, apply those principles too. What is interesting in this case is that although you can see there is a parallel passage in Matthew, you will not find these two sections put together in a harmony of the Gospels.
Now I wonder why that is?
Ok, that’s enough from me for today. It’s your turn to look at the Lord’s Prayer for yourself and see what you make of it.
What wings are to a bird, and sails to a ship, prayer is to the soul.
Corrie Ten Boom
Prayer does not just fit us for the greater work. Prayer is the greater work.
J. Oswald Chambers
Prayer is more than a wish; it is the voice of faith directed to God.
Billy Graham
Pray: Don’t give God instructions; just report for duty.
Anon