My Reflection on the Lord's Prayer

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While the "Our Father" is not something to be repeatedly said but it's definitely a model for prayer. Jesus gave everyone an example of how one should pray and not what to pray. Since today is Father's Day I think of the special relationship that I have with God the Father. I was once a child of Satan but I have been adopted into the family of God. 
John 1:13-14 
But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

This is the wonderful promise that God the Father adopts those who receives His Son Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. This is the wonderful promise of adoption. Unsaved people start off as children of the Devil (John 8:44) but this wonderful adoption is how people become the children of God. There is no such doctrine in the Bible that we are all God's children. Christians have that right to call God their Heavenly Father.
Matthew 6:9-13 
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Luke 11:2-4 
And He said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

The priority of the Lord's prayer starts with the Our Father. God is the Father of every Christian and He is a loving Father who will not suffer to see His children live wrong. Instead, He chastises them whenever they sin (Hebrews 12:5-7). He is the one who trims the vines because He knows that the Christians can endure His loving pruning (John 15:1-8). The Our Father addresses God as the Father who will provide what is needed for Christians do so as He says.

Which art in Heaven means to acknowledge the Kingdom is not of this world. The Kingdom is of Heaven where He reigns. Since it's God's Kingdom then that will must be done. This is acknowledging God's sovereignty and sticking close to His will. This is to do His will on Earth as it is in Heaven. This is a call to God to aid the Christian to live righteously and soberly to declare the coming Kingdom of God.

Asking for daily bread is acknowledging God for your needs. This doesn't mean that a person could just pray and do nothing. Instead, it's asking for God's provision for His will to be done. This is doing one's work in God's will while acknowledge God's provision and grace of for the Christian life. This bread refers to both physical and spiritual needs. This is to acknowledge Deuteronomy 8:4 which says that man shall not live by bread alone but by the every Word of God. We acknowledge the need for both physical and spiritual bread in the daily life of the believer.

This is also the call to spread Christian kindness. Forgiveness is something that comes by the grace of God. It's something not deserved. This is acknowledging one's sins before God in continual repentance. This is also asking for God to forgive those who sin against Christians. Although Christians may suffer from moments from unforgiveness but it can't be the characteristic of one who is in Christ to never forgive. There's the struggle to pray for one's enemies which is later emphasized in the Sermon on the Mount. Sin must be hated but Christians are called to love sinners enough to tell them the truth and pray for them.

Temptation is something Christians can't avoid so they need God's strength. This is asking God to lead them away from temptation and deliver them from sin. This is the call to asking God's grace to live a righteous and holy life. You can't be saved and still remain as wicked as before (1 Corinthians 6:11, Ephesians 2:10, Titus 2:11-14). If you claim to be saved but still live like before then you haven't been saved to start with.

What can also be seen in Matthew's version is, "For thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory." It all sums up to acknowledging God's sovereignty in one's life. This is to seek God's kingdom first above all others (Matthew 6:33). 

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