Burunche’s Blog

Matthew 6:9-14 “So then, this 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. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours.”

Many of us are quite familiar with this prayer, commonly called “The Lord’s Prayer.” But to properly understand how revolutionary this prayer really is, we must remember the experiences of Jesus’ audience. Many of those listening are used to hearing formula-style prayers chanted. What makes this prayer different from those prayers?

1. “Our Father in heaven” -Even though the Mosaic law has been teaching that God is a Father to the fatherless, few people likely regard God in this fashion. Jesus’ society is a patriarchal one in which fathers control everything about families, including food, clothing, shelter, etc. Fathers also are expected to protect their children because they love them, another novel concept. The idea of the God of heaven fulfilling all these roles is amazing.
2. “hallowed be Your name.” One lovely translation says, “May the glory of Your name be the center on which our lives turn.” We should honor God’s name, not using it casually as a meaningless exclamation. (“OMG!”)
3. “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” God has given us free will, so we can refuse to do God’s will or even openly rebel against it; however, if we want the very best for ourselves, we should passionately desire God’s will to be accomplished in our lives.
4. “Give us this day our daily bread.” No matter how independent we think we are, God is the ultimate Provider. When we ask God for daily bread, we are also demonstrating our trust that as God has provided today, He will also provide tomorrow.
5. “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” OUCH! This is where this prayer stops being lovely and sympathetic and becomes demanding. We want God to forgive us, no matter how badly we have messed up. But are we willing to offer others the same degree of mercy we desire for ourselves? Jesus has already explained that God sends rain and sunshine on all people, whether or not they are just. Why does Jesus insist on this verse as part of this prayer? If we refuse to forgive others, we are blocking God from forgiving us. When we harbor bitterness in our hearts, we are blocking God’s blessings.
6. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’” God does not tempt anyone; we are the ones who seek out temptation. What we need is God’s protection from ourselves so that we will not fall prey to Satan.
7. “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours.” Once more, Jesus is emphasizing one of the major laws of the kingdom of God: the measure you give out is the measure you will receive. Give forgiveness and receive forgiveness. Refuse to forgive and you block God’s forgiveness to you.

Why is forgiveness such a deal-breaker? God is the only One who really knows the human heart. When we refuse to forgive, we are asserting that we know more about the individual who has wronged us than God does and that we are more qualified to judge that individual than God is. A well-known Bible teacher tells the story of one man who came to one of his conferences and sat in the front row. But this man kept falling asleep, irritating the teacher no end. When the conference was over, the man and his wife came up to the teacher, complimenting him extensively. The wife explained that this teacher was her husband’s favorite Bible teacher and that seeing him in person was her husband’s lifelong dream. She further explained that her husband was dying with cancer and that some of the medicines made him drowsy, causing him to nod off, even though he didn’t want to. The Bible teacher had to go repent before the Lord for misjudging this man.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to live the Lord’s Prayer and not just mouth it. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.  

This entry was posted on June 27, 2024 at 12:01 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.