THE PRAYER JESUS GAVE US

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” —Matthew 6:9–13

In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord’s Prayer is part of Jesus’ general teaching on prayer and faithfulness. When Luke shared this prayer, it was introduced by a request from the disciples: “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).

Coming after His warnings in the Sermon on the Mount about showy religion and long prayers, it is not surprising that the prayer Jesus gave to His disciples was short and practical. It also touched on the core relationships of our human lives—with God, with ourselves, with others, and with the world around us. Presented in this way, all relationships and their necessary restoration are acknowledged by God, are the subject of His care, and are to be entrusted to Him in the act of prayer. Addressing God as our “Father” is a significant opening, reminding us that God is immanent and transcendent. This is a prayer that stretches from heaven to earth, from the coming kingdom to our everyday needs, from protection and forgiveness to relationships restored between ourselves and our neighbors.

While in this sinful world, food is earned “by the sweat of your brow” (Genesis 3:19) but, in Jesus’ prayer, we also acknowledge the creation and provision of God.

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, they were asking Him to teach them what it means to live in the reality of the kingdom of God, even amid the realities of everyday life, as well as in times of unusual threat or pressure.

In all of that, the simple prayer Jesus gave them—and us—is one of trust and restoration. And with praying, our lives will be shaped increasingly in the way of Jesus.