A note on the Scripture in this study: every verse is printed WHOLE. The words set in ordinary type are the ones this lesson leans on and emphasizes . . . the words in italics are the rest of the verse, printed so that nothing is ever handed to you as a fragment with the remainder missing.
Of all the things those men COULD have asked Him for – look at what they DID ask for.
They had watched Him still a storm... They had watched Him feed five thousand men out of a boy's lunch… They had watched Him open blind eyes – and raise the dead . . . and not ONE TIME does the record say – they asked Him to teach them to preach – or to teach them to heal – or to teach them how to do ANY of these things.
Luke 11:1 — “And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased (when the prayer ended) one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”
Lord, TEACH US to pray. They asked for the one thing they had seen Him do more than anything else . . . and the one thing they knew they could not do.
And notice when they asked it. As he was praying – when he ceased… They waited for Him to finish – and then they asked . . . something about watching that Man pray made every one of them KNOW that they had never “really” done it.
So He taught them . . . and what He gave them is the most familiar passage in the Bible as well as one of the passages that is the least used of all…
FIRST — WHAT HE SAID NOT TO DO
Before He gives THE PATTERN – He clears two things out of the road.
Matthew 6:5 — “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”
They have their reward. That is a terrible sentence when you think about it… They wanted to be heard by men – and they WERE – which means that they got exactly what they were after – and that was ONLY thing they did get.
Matthew 6:7 — “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”
Prayer is NOT about much speaking – it is NOT about performing… So He has ruled out praying to be admired – and He has ruled out praying by the gallon (long prayers) – and between those two – He has cut out most of what passes for public praying.
And THEN He says something that ought to stop the question before we ever ask it…
Matthew 6:8 — “Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.”
He knows before we ask . . . so the asking was never about informing God . . . and we already settled in Part Two what it IS about… He appointed it (prayer is by God’s design)...
A PATTERN, NOT A SCRIPT
Now He says, after this manner therefore pray ye. After this manner . . . not in these words – but in this shape.
There is a difference between a recipe and a photograph of a cake . . . a photograph shows you one cake . . . a recipe lets you make a thousand of them – and none of them have to LOOK the same.
When Jesus showed them the MODEL prayer – He handed them a recipe… And I am not against saying the words – I have said them and I will say them again – but a man who only ever says the words – has framed the photograph – and has never turned on the oven.
WALKING IT THROUGH
Our Father which art in heaven
Matthew 6:9 — “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.”
We find two things in four words – and they pull in opposite directions on purpose.
Father – refers to nearness . . . like a child walking into a room without knocking... Which art in heaven – refers to 1) distance and 2) majesty – and the fact that He is not one of us.
Get either one WITHOUT the other and our prayers go wrong… One way would be “All Father and no heaven”- which would mean we get too familiar and start treating God like a friend we can kid around with . . . “all heaven and no Father” – would mean that we get formal – and cold – and quit coming to God in prayer at all.
And then we see hallowed be thy name – which is the first request in the prayer – and it is not a request about us at all... Before a single word is said about bread or debts or anything we need – the first thing asked for – is that His NAME be held holy.
This order is not an accident . . . but most of OUR praying starts with the GIVE US bread…
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done
Matthew 6:10 — “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”
This is STILL not about us… This is the second request – and this request is that God's rule and God's will would run down here – the same way that it ALREADY runs up there.
And as it is in heaven is “the standard” ... In heaven – nothing argues . . . there is no delay – no negotiating – no half-obedience . . . that is what we are asking for down here – starting – I would think – in the man who was doing the praying.
Part Seven of this series – is going to take up that phrase all by itself – because thy will be done is the most misunderstood sentence in this prayer . . . most people think it is what you say – when you have given up – but it turns out – that this is the exact opposite of what it really means...
Give us this day our daily bread
Matthew 6:11 — “Give us this day our daily bread.”
Now finally – we get to a request that is about US – And look at how SMALL the request is.
Not give us this year's bread . . . not give us a barn full... BUT This day . . . daily . . . and it is bread – not cake… He taught us to ask for enough – today.
That is manna… God fed a nation for forty years and never ONCE let them stock up for later – gather today – and come back tomorrow… God was not being stingy – He was keeping them coming.
And notice it is our and us – not my and me… Every pronoun in this prayer is plural . . . there is not a single I in it… A man cannot pray this prayer honestly – and stay wrapped up in HIMSELF...
And forgive us our debts
Matthew 6:12 — “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
Bread – and then pardon… Body – and then soul . . . and the Lord hangs a hard little hinge on it – as we forgive our debtors – and then – out of the whole prayer – that is the one line that He goes back and explains:
Matthew 6:14 — “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:”
Matthew 6:15 — “But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
He did not go back and explain the bread – BUT He did go back and explain this… Which tells me – it is the piece He knew we would try to skip.
And this is not about a man losing his salvation . . . this is about a man's line to God – the same kinked hose we looked at in Part One – and the one we will see later in Part Eight – that is taken up whole . . . and how a man who is carrying a grudge is trying to draw on a mercy he will not pass along.
And lead us not into temptation
Matthew 6:13 — “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.”
Forgiveness looks backward . . . BUT this one looks forward – it is saying – Clean up what I have done – and then keep me out of the next one.
And it ends where it started – thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory. The model prayer - OPENED with His name – CLOSES with His glory… and our needs are in the middle right where they belong.
✍️ AUTHOR'S NOTE
When I compare my personal life with the pattern shown to us in this prayer – the one spot that has cost me the most – is the part about “But if ye forgive not men their trespasses (then) neither will your Father forgive (you of) your trespasses”… This is the part that I have struggled with the most… The greatest sin in my life has ALWAYS been pride – as I viewed myself just a little higher than those around me – and for years – my attitude toward those who had wronged me – was that I would put their name in a “ledger” – I would turn the page – but I refused to tear the page out… I would forgive – but I would not forget… I would be ready to find that old page that contained their debt – and open the ledger up to it again… and then I realized what forgiveness really meant – and I did not want God to keep a ledger on MY sins against Him – so that meant I could not keep a ledger on others sins against me… — C.T.
WHAT THE SHAPE ITSELF TEACHES
Stand back and look at the whole thing at once.
This model prayer is about sixty words . . . a man can say it in only twenty seconds or so . . . and in that little space of time – the Lord put His name – His kingdom – His will – our food – our sin and our safety – in that order – every time.
Now I want us to compare that to the way that MOST OF US actually pray – which is TYPICALLY... here is what I need – here is what I want – amen . . . if our praying were laid beside His pattern – the shape of our prayer would not match the shape of His prayer . . . not because we asked for wrong things – but because we started in the WRONG PLACE and never got around to the first half.
And that is the value of a pattern . . . it does not tell a man what to say . . . it shows him what he has been leaving out.
📖 FROM THE PULPIT
When I showed Haley and Sarah HOW TO DRIVE – I showed them a pattern to follow – when you stop at an intersection – always look both ways before pulling out – when you pass a slow poke – look over your shoulder because someone may already be passing you both… I taught THE PATTERN – which means that when they drove – they did not follow the exact same road that I used to teach them… they chose a different road – a different direction – a different time… but they followed the same pattern that I had taught them… They used the pattern I taught them to build a safe driving habit… likewise we can use the same pattern that Jesus taught us – to build a safe and effective praying habit… — C.T.
BEFORE YOU LEAVE
The disciples asked for lessons on how to pray – and Jesus did not hand them a speech to memorize – but Jesus handed them a shape to build in.
And there is not one hard word in it – No person in this church has to be taught what bread is – what a debt is…, or what a father is… In this model prayer – Jesus gave the DEEPEST thing in the Christian life – in words simple enough for a child carry.
Lord, teach us to pray. That is still the right prayer – and the answer to it is STILL sitting in Matthew 6.
TRY IT THIS WEEK
Do not say the prayer this week. Build with it.
Take the six pieces in order and pray your own words into each one – 1) His name. 2) His kingdom and 3) His will. 4) Today's bread. 5) Today's sin – and 6) anybody you are holding something against . . . and keep me out of it tomorrow.
Do that once a day for a week, and you will find out which piece you have been skipping.
NEXT — Part Six: What "In Jesus' Name" Actually Means. Most of us end every prayer with those words. They are not a password we tack on at the end . . . and understanding them changes everything about how a man comes.
