Read Matthew 6 here (text coming …) or at Bible Gateway.
Mat 6:1-34 Chiastic Structure Teaching Tool:
The Lord’s Prayer is the prayer Yeshua gave to His disciples (that’s you and me!) to teach them how to pray. These twelve lines are not just a mantra to repeat, but outline a pattern of instruction in prayer to follow.
Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed is Your name.
Let Your kingdom come.
Let Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from evil;
For Yours is the kingdom,
And the power,
And the glory, for ever. Amen.
Our Father;
We acknowledge the Father/ child relationship we have with God. If you are a parent yourself, you have a tiny inkling of how much love the Father has for His children. Because the prayer begins, “Our Father,” and not “My Father,” already we are reminded that we are brothers with our fellow believers. It is SO much harder to come before the throne of grace and complain about so and so when before we even open our mouth, we are reminded that we are joint heirs before the Father with so and so!
Who is in heaven;
He is the Creator and King of the universe. He is the Potter, I am the clay. Whatever I am facing, it is not outside of His influence or control. Worship is a natural result.
Hallowed is Your name;
We have reminded ourselves of His love, and then His wisdom and power, and then His holiness.
Let Your kingdom come;
Kingdoms are ruled by kings, who have the right and responsibility to give commands and be obeyed. Let me acknowledge your Kingship over my life, my household, my community; my nation, the world.
Let Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven;
Let me obey Your will expressed by Your word today from my heart, and let my witness also inspire my household and my community to do likewise.
Give us this day our daily bread;
What are today’s material needs? Lay them before the throne instead of worrying about them.
Forgive us our trespasses;
Daily we confess our sin before the Father, repent of them, and receive forgiveness for them.
As we forgive those who trespass against us;
Just as the Father forgives us, we forgive whatever anyone else has done against us. Forgiveness does not mean someone who has hurt us or done evil against us is given unfettered access to our hearts and lives again. It means, we release the offense and pain, and free ourselves from its bonds.
Do not lead us into temptation;
We learned that God Himself does not tempt anyone to sin. But guard us today, Father, from those situations which might ensnare us.
But deliver us from evil;
Put Your hedge of protection about us, so that any scheme or trap or assignment of the enemy against us and ours comes to naught today.
For Yours is the kingdom;
Father, You have the authority to answer this prayer.
Yours is the power;
You have the ability to answer this prayer.
Yours is the glory, for ever;
And You will receive the accolades for the answer to this prayer.
“Amen” is transliterated from a Hebrew word that means, “So be it.”
Do you see what this does? Yeshua is giving us a key to the kingdom. This daily appointment with God puts our hearts and minds in the proper position to humble ourselves before God and receive His blessings over our lives and families. And, God is pleased by our obedience, even in little things like praying the Lord’s Prayer just because Yeshua said it was a good idea. Blessings follow obedience, not because God is a respecter of persons, but because He is not, and what He respects is His Word.
If there are questions, these are good resources:
Matthew 6, An explanation of the structure – Christine Miller
A Prayer to Our Father – Nehemiah Gordon and Keith Johnson
The Prayer of Jesus – Hank Hanegraaff
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