The Lord's Prayer

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on 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, forever. Amen.
(Matthew 6:9-13)

Meditation

This is the example of how Jesus said we should pray. We should first acknowledge who we are praying to – our Father in heaven. Then we should give him the praise and honor he is due. We cannot honor (hallow) his name in prayer and then take his name in vain in our everyday conversations. Ultimately, God’s kingdom will reign here on earth as it does in heaven. That day gets closer with every passing moment. God’s will is supreme, so we must bend to his will for our lives. When we all submit ourselves to his will, earth will be like heaven. Only after we’ve given praise and honor to the Father should we then ask for his provision for our lives.
He will supply our needs (daily bread) when we ask in humility. We shouldn’t abuse the Father with petty requests for wealth and possessions. He is our bread. If we consume his Word, he will provide us with everything we need to live. Some may not see that as supernatural, but he does give us the talents to sustain ourselves. Forgiveness should always be a part of our prayers. Of course, we should ask for forgiveness of the sins we commit every day. We must also, offer forgiveness for the sins others have done to us. If we do not forgive others for what they’ve done to us, the Father will not forgive us for what we’ve done to him.
We all face daily temptations. If we ask God to give us the strength to avoid them, he will be faithful to strengthen us, but he does not remove the temptation. We will fail every time if we try to resist the lures this world offers using our own strength and will power. Relying on Jesus is our only hope. Especially when evil is such a part of this world. Evil is there at every turn we make. God will protect us if we place our trust in him. Even if something evil happens to us that takes our physical lives, God will protect our souls and bring us into his kingdom. It’s there where the glory of his power and majesty shines brightly forever! Hallelujah!





Prayer Time

Father God, we thank you for this prayer. We are thankful that Jesus taught us how to pray. He didn’t mean for this prayer to be the only prayer some people ever say. He just wanted us to know how and what we should say. It’s sometimes hard for us, Lord, to speak to you since we can’t see you. Sometimes we’re simply afraid to speak to the all-powerful creator of the universe. Most of the time, we don’t know what to say. Forgive us when those things happen, and we don’t say anything to you. We know there is no excuse for not speaking to the one who loves us more than anyone here on earth. When we don’t know what to say about something that is very important to us, let the Holy Spirit groan for us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!

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