Published 4/15/20
Read Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV)
"This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today 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 the evil one.' "
Reflect
In what ways is the Lord's Prayer a perfect prayer? What do you learn from these special words? What is Jesus telling us to focus on?
Christ has given us the perfect prayer. His words in Matthew 6:9-13--known as the Lord's Prayer--offer us a revelation of how we should pray because it mirrors God's will for His people. It says it all for how Christians should live, and it provides the Jesus-breathed basics of what He thought we should focus on. When prayed diligently, with thoughtful reverence, it clears out the mistakes of yesterday and the worries of tomorrow, and gets our mind off of the problems, cares, worries, inadequacies, and failures of the day. As we take to heart these powerful words, the Lord transforms our desires, molding them more into what He'd rather they be--desiring the Great Commandment: Loving God and loving others.
We should never misuse this remarkable prayer by praying it with the wrong motives or mechanically repeating the words. In other words, praying from your head and not your heart. We must pray these words from our heart, our mind, and with our whole being.
Pray
Lord, Jesus, You have shown us how to live through this amazing passage. Teach me, strengthen me, and show me how to live out this prayer. Amen.
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