The Lord's Prayer

Every Christian, and many non-Christians throughout the world are familiar with the Lord's Prayer. Have you ever looked beyond the words to see what Jesus was teaching us? Let's look at this line by line.

"Our Father, who art in heaven"

Jesus said "Our Father" the important word here is "Our". The word our, of course, is the possessive form of we. "We", in turn, is defined by American Heritage as a pronoun "used to indicate the speaker or writer along with another or others as the subject" So Jesus was putting us on a level equal with him as a child of God. In Romans 8:16 this is confirmed. "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God."

"Hallowed be thy name"

Hallowed means "set apart as holy or respected or honored greatly; revered." We are to affirm that God's name is honored and revered. This is as much a statement of faith as it is an affirmation.

"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven"

This is an affirmation that God's will of perfection for us, His children, be manifested on earth. How do we insure this? We must work to maintain contact with the "Still, small voice" that is God (1Kings 19:12) in order to know what God's will is for us. Then, and only then, can each of us live "on earth as it is in heaven"

"Give us this day our daily bread"

This is affirming that God has given us the subsistence we need this day. Notice the key words "this day". We are not to worry about tomorrow, or next week, or next year. All we need this day is provided by God.

"And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors"

We must always remember God forgives us in the same manor we show forgiveness. In Luke 6: 37 Jesus tells us "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven." Forgive others fully, and you will be fully forgiven. To forgive is to give something good in return for evil given. When someone wrongs you, the best thing to do is send them a blessing, or an affirmation of God's love for them. Release your anger, frustration, or hurt feelings to God.

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