Our Father

The Lord’s Prayer always seemed too simple for some reason. We evangelicals need more colorful prayers I suppose. More familiar catch phrases make us more comfortable, and of course we can not read or recite a prayer, it must be “original”. What really bothered me more than anything was I felt that I didn’t fully understand the Lords Prayer. I felt there must be more to it. I asked the Lord to give me a clearer understanding. This is how it went.

Mat 6:9 Therefore pray in this way: Our Father, who is in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

You are a most Holy God, there is none more righteous or fair or just. Reveal to me, most Holy God more of your Holiness. Help me understand more completely Your goodness and Your unsurpassed greatness. I desire to worship You. Show me how to more fully worship and adore You. Show me how to more adequately proclaim you greatness.

Mat 6:10 Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.

Lord make your Word alive and effective within the earth. Cause every nation and leader and every individual to walk by Your Kingdom principals. Help us all to know and understand what You would have us do and say each day, and give us the power by Your Holy Spirit to speak and act according to Your principals and laws and precepts. All in Heaven follow Your commands and act according to Your will, I pray that all on the earth would do likewise.

Mat 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread;

Teach me to rely on you each day for my smallest and greatest needs. Help me to resist peer pressure and culture. Help me to understand what my needs are and resist greed. Help me to know the joy of your sufficiency. Help me to trust that you will always provide. Help me to be thankful for what you give. Help me to always recognize your generous hand in every provision.

Mat 6:12 and forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors.

Your forgiveness is overwhelmingly complete, and generous. I am awed and humbled by Your forgiveness toward me. Help me to understand the magnitude of Your forgiveness. Enable me to forgive others in the same way You forgive me. Help me to be always forgiving. Help me to never take offense. Help me to always show love, whatever the circumstance.

Mat 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil.

Temptations are always before me. I have no power within myself to resist them. Your power is my only hope. I know reliance on You is my only escape. Protect me from the temptations and evils in this world. Help me to recognize them and avoid them and rely on You. Give me the strength to resist. Please forgive me when I do not.

For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

I acknowledge Your kingdom and Your power, and Your glory. I understand that it is from everlasting to everlasting. Thank you for revealing this wonderful truth. It gets me through each day. It brings great joy and hope. Help me to show this truth to others and walk in the knowledge and understanding that Your kingdom truly exists and its power and glory is never ending.

I may have seen something like this before. I apologize profusely to the first person who may have seen the possibility and recorded it (if they exist) and I claim no originality. There are so many thoughts and amplifications that could be made, never ending perhaps. But isn’t it just like God to give a brief outline of something so powerful and let us fill in the blanks as He gives us understanding.

Understanding the Lord’s Prayer is important, I think. The verses that follow it sound too much like a warning to be ignored. We must need to understand and accept how great and forgiving God is and how weak and needy we are before we can adequately forgive others.

Mat 6:14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you;

Mat 6:15 but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

by BigHugeThing