Community & Discipleship
A Christian's Prayer (Matt 6:7~15)
Jesus teaches us to pray to our loving Father, to seek his name, kingdom, and will first, to depend on him daily, to forgive others as we have been forgiven, and to ask him to keep us from temptation and evil, so that our lives become channels of his blessing.
Come to God as the Father who loves you (vv. 9)
The Lord's Prayer begins with 'Our Father,' and in the Old Testament God is rarely called Father. In the New Testament, however, God's people can call him Father because of Jesus Christ, who gave his blood to take our place and adopt us as God's children. Some of us come to God with fear because of our earthly fathers, but a child of a loving father runs to him without fear. God gave his one and only Son to purchase us, and he invites us to come boldly and talk with him as a loving Father.
Pray first for God's name, kingdom, and will (vv. 9-10)
Jesus teaches us to begin with God's name, his kingdom, and his will on earth as it is in heaven. Our prayers often center on health, tests, and jobs, and we easily forget these greater things. Worship, the coming of God's kingdom, and obedience to his will should be part of our prayers, for ourselves, our families, our workplaces, and the nations. When we pray for God's kingdom to come, he lets us take part in what he is doing. A man and his small group who prayed together asking 'What do you want us to do?' later saw five families move to northeast China to serve.
Depend on God for our daily bread (vv. 11)
'Give us this day our daily bread' refers to the manna God gave his people every day. God reminds us to come to him daily, not once a month, because he wants to give more than food. He wants to give himself, to go with us into every conversation, every task, and every deal. Daily bread is not only about provision but about daily dependence on God, who promises to be with us and to help us.
Forgive others as we have been forgiven (vv. 12, 14-15)
Jesus says, 'Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors,' and adds that if we do not forgive others, our Father will not forgive our trespasses. Think of a friend who keeps forgetting to repay the lunch money you paid for him. We have been forgiven a far greater debt by God, who paid for our sins at great cost. Those who have received grace must learn to let go of small offenses and pray that God will make them more forgiving, more gracious, and more generous to others.
Ask God to keep us from ourselves and from evil (vv. 13)
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. We need to come to God and ask him to search our hearts for any wicked way in us. We cannot trust ourselves, because our sharp tongues, proud attitudes, and wandering hearts can lead us away from what God has for us. So we ask God to keep us near to him, to cleanse us, and to help us not to compromise, knowing both our own weakness and what the enemy is trying to do.
Apply to Life
- Let us come to God as our loving Father, talking with him boldly and honestly.
- Let us pray first for God's name, kingdom, and will, and bring our families, workplaces, and nations before him.
- Let us depend on God daily, asking him for what we need today and walking with him in every task.
- Let us forgive others as we have been forgiven, and pray for God to make us more gracious.
- Let us regularly ask God to search our hearts and keep us from temptation and evil.
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