Lord, Teach Us to Pray (Part 1)

Dear brothers and sisters,

“Lord, Teach Us to Pray”

I. In today’s Gospel, our Lord Jesus teaches us about prayer by giving us the Lord’s Prayer and with two parables about prayer. The Lord’s Prayer can be found twice in the Bible: in Matthew chapter 6, and here in Luke chapter 11. We are more familiar with Matthew’s version. Jesus gave the Lord’s Prayer as a model prayer at two different times– and it’s interesting to note how Jesus presents his prayer. In Matthew he says, “This then is how you should pray, ‘Our Father in heaven . . ..” In Luke he says, “When you pray, say, ‘Father, hallowed be your name.” The Lord’s Prayer is both a model or an outline for our prayers, and a prayer that we can pray.

A. First, he teaches us to call God “Our Father.” I suppose he could have taught us to pray, calling on God as “Our King in heaven.” But he chose to teach us to call God “Our Father.” In Romans, St. Paul tells us that we have received a spirit of sonship from our God– and this is why we can call God “Father.” We have received forgiveness from our God through the blood of Jesus. Without Jesus, without his forgiveness, without his blood shed for us, God is not Father, but Heavenly King and Judge. We pray our prayers “in Jesus’ name,” or “through Jesus Christ our Lord.” God hears us because of Jesus. With Jesus, God is “Father” and “Friend.”

B. Then we pray, “Hallowed be thy name.” “Hallowed” is a word we don’t use everyday, except in this prayer. God’s name is holy by itself. Nothing can make it more holy. But we bear his name. As people who call ourselves “Christian” and “children of God,” we bear his name, and we can bring dishonor to his name by the way we live. In this line of the prayer, we ask that God would work in us, so that we would glorify God’s name by the way we live. As Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

C. Next, we pray that God’s kingdom would come. Now, God is God. He rules over all things, whether we ask him to or not. But this line is a prayer about his kingdom in our hearts and souls. God is king over all– but not all people listen to his word, or follow where he leads. People want to be their own little bosses, judging for themselves what is right for them, rather than hearing what God says is right and what is wrong. “Rule in our hearts,” we pray. “Lead us.” “Teach us.” “Open our ears and minds, and move our hands to do what you command.”

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