Most individuals know or have heard the Lord’s Prayer that Jesus taught his disciples in the Gospel of St. Matthew 6:9-13.


Our Father 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, for ever.

Amen

The beginning of the prayer acknowledges the place of the heavenly Father, which is in heaven. The pronoun “our” is used to acknowledge that we are one of his children and as believers we are all in his family. God is a father to all of us and to the fatherless can fill the void and create a new father/child relationship that is spiritual and pure.


The second part of line one, seeks to show how we are to honor the heavenly Father. Webster’s New World Dictionary notes that the word “hallow” means “to make or regard as holy.” We are to appear before
our heavenly Father with honor and giving him praise thanking him for the great sacrifice that was made for each of us.


The next two phrases “thy kingdom come, thy will be done” convey that Christians are responsible to walk in the way God has instructed us to so that the world may see God working in the daily life of the Christian. Through our Christian walk, we are the shining light spreading the gospel, to save this lost and dying world.


The phrase “Give us this day our daily bread declares that we as Christians acknowledge our dependence on our heavenly Father for our spiritual and physical needs. Our heavenly Father is the source of everything!


The last portion speaks about the concepts of forgiveness and temptation. A person has to forgive so that he may be forgiven by God. None of us are perfect in all our actions or thoughts so we need to look to God as we walk this life for forgiveness therefore we must remember to be forgiving.


If we consistently and diligently follow our heavenly Father, by strengthening our relationship with prayer and meditation on his word, the father will lead us, protect and guide us away from evil.


Remember to pray this prayer daily, memorize it and bind it in your heart to stay connected to your power and protection each and every day.

God’s Blessings!