Denny answers:
Jesus gave the Lord's Prayer as a model of how to pray.
The disciples wanted to know how God wanted them to pray, so Jesus gave them a good example. Today, we call that prayer the Lord's Prayer, because the Lord Jesus prayed it. The Lord's Prayer shows us how to pray, but we don't have to recite its exact words. We can use our own words, remembering the different parts that Jesus wants us to include. Let's read the Lord's Prayer to find the different parts.
"So when you pray, you should pray like this:
'Our Father in heaven,
may your name always be kept holy.
May your kingdom come
and what you want be done,
here on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us the food we need for each day.
Forgive us for our sins,
just as we have forgiven those who sinned against us.
And do not cause us to be tempted,
but save us from the Evil One' "
(Matthew 6:9-13, NCV).
The Lord's Prayer reminds us that we should focus on praising and respecting God for His perfection (holiness). Our choices and attitudes should tell people, "I love and honor the one, great God." We should ask for God's rule over us and for His plans to happen. The next part of the prayer asks, "Give us the food we need for each day." God provides for our needs, like food and clothes, as we rely on Him every day.
We should forgive people who have hurt us because God offers forgiveness of our sins through Jesus. Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment for all who trust Him. The last part of the Lord's Prayer tells us to pray for God to give us strength to obey, even when tempted to sin. By following this model prayer in our own words, we will learn to honor God in our prayers.
Bible Truth
- Jesus said, "I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it" (John 14:13-14).
- "Brothers and sisters, I beg you to help me in my work by praying to God for me. Do this because of our Lord Jesus and the love that the Holy Spirit gives us" (Romans 15:30, NCV).
- "Also, the Spirit helps us with our weakness. We do not know how to pray as we should. But the Spirit himself speaks to God for us, even begs God for us with deep feelings that words cannot explain" (Romans 8:26, NCV).
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