The Lord's Prayer
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
5 When you pray, don't be like those show-offs who love to stand up and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners. They do this just to look good. I can assure you that they already have their reward. 6 When you pray, go into a room alone and close the door. Pray to your Father in private. He knows what is done in private and will reward you. 7 When you pray, don't talk on and on as people do who don't know God. They think God likes to hear long prayers. 8 Don't be like them. Your Father knows what you need even before you ask. 9 You should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, help us to honor your name. 10 Come and set up your kingdom, so that everyone on earth will obey you, as you are obeyed in heaven. 11 Give us our food for today. 12 Forgive us for doing wrong, as we forgive others. 13 Keep us from being tempted and protect us from evil. 14 If you forgive others for the wrongs they do to you, your Father in heaven will forgive you. 15 But if you don't forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Matthew 6:5-15
Memory Verse
Luke 11:9-10
9 So I tell you to ask and you will receive, search and you will find, knock and the door will be opened for you. 10 Everyone who asks will receive, everyone who searches will find, and the door will be opened for everyone who knocks.
Jesus taught his disciples how to pray. Let’s look at what Jesus taught them:
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. Matthew 6:9b-13, NIV
The book of Matthew records many of the things Jesus taught his disciples, including about who God is and how we can be missionaries. See how the Lord’s Prayer does that too? It first talks about honoring God, who is the Creator of all things (including us!), and then asks for help from God for the things we need to do our missionary work on earth.
Jesus discouraged the disciples from using extra words in their prayers in order to get everyone to pay attention to them. He wanted them to focus on God. It is perfectly okay to lead others in prayer in a public place, but we need to remember we’re talking to God and that we’re not putting on a show when we pray.
Let’s give our attention to God first and then make our requests. It’s one way we honor God through our prayers.
Prayer
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. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.Related Resources
Gwen Veltema Klemm
Since graduating from Calvin University, Gwen Veltema Klemm has traveled the US and worked as a newspaper reporter, a technical writer for manufacturing and IT, and won a creative writing contest in 2019. She currently lives in Holland, Michigan warming her bones because winter is coming.