“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven…'” (Matthew 6:9).
Those of you who are familiar with computers are aware of pull-down menus. When you touch one item with a mouse click, a whole series of possibilities opens up before you. Such is the way it is with 57 Greek words which, translated into English, constitute a prayer we commonly refer to as The Lord’s Prayer. Each phrase in this dynamic prayer opens powerful vistas of spiritual insight and potential.
But before we ponder these words—the background: One year had passed from the time Jesus was baptized by John at Jordan. Luke 11 tells us that in the months the disciples had walked with Jesus, they had often heard him pray. They were deeply impressed by the fact that His prayers were different from those of the Pharisees. When Jesus prayed, His prayers were warm, intimate, and personal; but when the Pharisees prayed, their prayers were cold, stentorian, and impersonal. It was this that prompted them to come to Him with a simple request: “Lord, teach us to pray … ”
Today, we need to re-voice the request of the disciples long ago. By and large, for many of us, prayer has become like the sending of a nightly e-mail to God, or the faxing of our wants and wishes to our Heavenly Father. Prayer is one of the most neglected elements of our relationship with God. And without this, we remain impoverished and isolated from the warmth of His presence. The prayers of Jesus form the backdrop of a relationship with God—one we desperately need today. In public, Jesus’ prayers were short; in private, quite long. Our prayers tend to be the opposite. Rather lengthy when we want to impress people, but very short or none at all in the privacy of our homes or bedrooms.
In response to their simple request, Jesus said, “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory forever!'”
Now let’s begin with that first phrase, “Our Father.” First, notice the possessive pronoun our. At least 75 times Jesus used the term My, often saying, “My Father.” But in praying “our,” Jesus reminds the disciples that God is the Father of all who have come to peace with His Son through the blood of the cross. So, when we pray “our,” we step into the fellowship of the disciples who walked with Jesus. We’re in the spiritual company of the Christians of the early church who met in catacombs. We worship in the spirit and fellowship of brothers and sisters who are forced to meet behind closed doors, all over the world. We are in the company of the redeemed of all ages who have prayed the same prayer just as we do.
Notice too, there is a selflessness in this term: our. It is not I, me, or my … but our Father. Many of our prayers focus on the fulfillment of our selfish natures, instead of searching out the broader path of need for our brothers and sisters around the world. “God bless us four and no more!” One of the greatest undiscovered truths is that the Church of Jesus Christ is a living organism that crosses cultures, oceans, prejudices, languages and all barriers.
How beautiful, how powerful to pray, Our Father.
Resource reading: Matthew 6.
