THE LORD’S PRAYER Matthew 6 A MODEL PRAYER By Becky Kew Available at (ACKNOWLEDGMENT GIVEN TO WILLIAM MCDONALD, BIBLE COMMENTARY.)

WHAT IS PRAYER? Prayer is simply talking to God in your normal language. But what about the following questions…?

IF GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING WHY PRAY AT ALL? BY PRAYER WE ACKNOWLEDGE OUR NEED AND DEPENDENCE UPON HIM.

Does God do whatever I want him to? GOD DOES THINGS IN ANSWER TO PRAYER THAT HE WOULD NOT HAVE DONE OTHERWISE.

WHO CAN PRAY? Anyone can pray to God. There is one God and He is the God of all creation! People who have come to know God in a personal way through Jesus Christ as Savior, have a special relationship with God. He is their FATHER! He is even interested in what little people have to say!

He is waiting for people to turn to Him.

What is the Lord’s prayer? In the Bible we will see that the Lord Jesus never prayed the Lord’s prayer himself. It was given to the disciples in Matthew 6 as a model in which they could pattern their prayers.

THIS PRAYER IS FOR BELIEVERS, (LIKE THE DISCIPLES WERE) PEOPLE WHO HAVE PUT THEIR FAITH IN THE LORD FOR:

OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN. Can you say “Father” to God? Only if you are one of his children. We are born into his family through the New Birth (John 3)

HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME. Prayer should always be done with utmost respect to God. His name should be honored by how we pray. Honoring God is called worship.

YOUR KINGDOM COME. We should pray for the advancement of God's cause, putting His interests first. Specifically, we should pray for the day when our Savior-God, the Lord Jesus Christ, will set up His kingdom on earth and reign in righteousness.

YOUR WILL BE DONE. we acknowledge that God knows what is best and that we surrender our will to His. It also expresses a longing to see His will acknowledged throughout the world.

ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN Are people obeying His will here? Are you?

GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD. After putting God's interests first, we are permitted to present our own needs. This petition acknowledges our dependence on God for daily food, both spiritual and physical.

AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBT AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTERS Forgiveness is necessary if fellowship with our Father is to be maintained. If believers are unwilling to forgive those who wrong them, how can they expect to be in fellowship with their Father who has freely forgiven them for their wrongdoings?

AND DO NOT LEAD US INTO TEMPTATION This petition expresses a healthy distrust of one's own ability to resist temptations or to stand up under trial. It acknowledges complete dependence on the Lord for preservation.

BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL. This is the prayer of all who desperately desire to be kept from sin by the power of God. It is the heart's cry for daily salvation from the power of sin and Satan in one's life.

FOR YOURS IS THE KINGDOM such a doxology is the perfect ending to the prayer

FOR EVER AND EVER AMEN.