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.
Before the Lord tells us how to pray, He first tells us how not to pray. Those who want their prayers to be heard by others so they may seem super-spiritual are hypocrites. The Lord does not respond to their prayers. The self-glory they receive is their only reward.
Matthew 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Keeping self out of the way gives the Lord access into your life. In Him are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:3. He rewards you with Himself. Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. Genesis 15:1.
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.
When we know who we are and we know our relationship with the Lord, we do not have to be super-descriptive or long-winded; we just talk to the Lord.
Matthew 6:8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him.
Too often Christians pray having it all worked out what God needs to do and how He is to do it. The Lord knows what we need more than what we do. Many times what we would ask for is really not what we need. The safest prayer is to love Him, worship Him, and say, “Lord, Thy will be done!”
Matthew 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.
Notice the plurals in the following verses, “Our Father” in verse 11; “Give us” and “our daily bread” in verse 11; “us our debts”, and “our debtors” in verse 12; “lead us” and “deliver us” in verse 13. This prayer should be prayed with an awareness that you are a member of the Body of Christ.
Our Father: Say, “Our Father” with an awareness of who you are in relationship to Him. If He is our Father, then we are His sons. A son has the same nature as his father. This prayer has to do with sonship.
Hallowed be Thy name: Isn’t the Lord’s name hallowed already? Then why do we need to pray for His name to be hallowed? This is a prayer for His name to be hallowed in us and through us.
Matthew 6:10 Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Thy will be done in earth: We are the earth that His will must be done in.
Thy Kingdom come: The Greek word translated “come” is erchomai, which means “to come or to go or to come and go.” Lord, keep Your Kingdom coming and going in us and through us. It is the same word used in II Thessalonians 1:10. When He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe. He is glorified when He ministers through His saints. Just being a vessel is not enough. He does not receive glory merely being in us, but when He functions through us.
Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
He isn’t talking about natural bread, but the living Word of the “today” realm. A literal interpretation is “our bread for the coming day.” A day speaks of more than a time period. It speaks spiritually of relationship. Lord, give us the living Word that will bring us into the day of Your Lordship, a Word that creates the relationship of the next realm in You.
Matthew 6:12,14 And forgive us
our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
14 For if ye forgive men their
trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
How we relate to others determines how the Lord relates to us. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self. Mark 12: 30-31. How we relate to one another is very important; it determines how God relates to us.
Verse 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.
Deliver us from evil: What evil does He speak of? It is the evil of our flesh nature that opposes the advancement of our relationship with Him.
For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen: Another way of saying this is “Lord, we can’t do this in our own energies or wisdom; it has to be You. You are the only One that can make this prayer a reality in our lives.”
Copyright © 2004 by Henry DuBose