THE LORD'S PRAYER, OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN (9 OF 20)
by Tim Melton
Scripture: Matthew 6:9
This content is part of a series.
The Lord's Prayer, Our Father in Heaven (9 of 20)
Series: Sermon on the Mount
Tim Melton
Matthew 6:9
Throughout scripture and church history we can see how God responded in remarkable ways when His people prayed. People were healed. Marriages were saved. Addiction was broken. Sins were forgiven. Relationships were reconciled. Spiritual awakenings swept across nations. These stories are inspiring, but how do we pray in such a way that God hears? How does prayer work?
For our answer we must turn to Jesus. He alone has seen prayer from the perspective of both heaven and earth.
In Matthew 6:9-13 Jesus presented what has come to be known as the Lord's Prayer.
''Pray then like this: ''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 evil.''
The first phrase, ''Pray then like this,'' when translated, does not mean ''Pray this word for word,'' but ''follow this model of prayer.'' Yes, it is fine to pray this prayer word for word at times, but Jesus is giving us this prayer as an example of how to pray.
Jesus' prayer begins with ''our Father.'' To understand the significance of these two words we first must understand the cultural context of Jesus' day. In Jesus' day most people believed that God was very distant and unknowable. Among the Greeks there were two dominant beliefs concerning the gods. One was held by those known as the Stoics. They believed that the gods did not have the ability to feel any emotion. This came from the idea that if the gods could feel emotion then they could be hurt, and surely the gods cannot be hurt so they must be emotionless, apathetic and indifferent.
The second dominant belief concerning the gods was held by a group known as the Epicureans. They believed that the gods were most characterized by perfec ...
Series: Sermon on the Mount
Tim Melton
Matthew 6:9
Throughout scripture and church history we can see how God responded in remarkable ways when His people prayed. People were healed. Marriages were saved. Addiction was broken. Sins were forgiven. Relationships were reconciled. Spiritual awakenings swept across nations. These stories are inspiring, but how do we pray in such a way that God hears? How does prayer work?
For our answer we must turn to Jesus. He alone has seen prayer from the perspective of both heaven and earth.
In Matthew 6:9-13 Jesus presented what has come to be known as the Lord's Prayer.
''Pray then like this: ''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 evil.''
The first phrase, ''Pray then like this,'' when translated, does not mean ''Pray this word for word,'' but ''follow this model of prayer.'' Yes, it is fine to pray this prayer word for word at times, but Jesus is giving us this prayer as an example of how to pray.
Jesus' prayer begins with ''our Father.'' To understand the significance of these two words we first must understand the cultural context of Jesus' day. In Jesus' day most people believed that God was very distant and unknowable. Among the Greeks there were two dominant beliefs concerning the gods. One was held by those known as the Stoics. They believed that the gods did not have the ability to feel any emotion. This came from the idea that if the gods could feel emotion then they could be hurt, and surely the gods cannot be hurt so they must be emotionless, apathetic and indifferent.
The second dominant belief concerning the gods was held by a group known as the Epicureans. They believed that the gods were most characterized by perfec ...
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