Matthew 6:7-13 (NLT)
7“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! 9 Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. 10 May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today the food we need, 12 and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. 13 And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.
Pastor's Notes:
In this passage of scripture Jesus is teaching us how we should come to God in prayer. He is not necessarily giving us a prayer to recite word for word. Rather he is giving us a template to follow. We can see this in verse 7. Jesus cautions us not to repeat the same words again and again. Also, not to "babble on" or keep saying the same things or asking for the same things over and over again. This type of prayer is not one of faith. He wants us to be confident in God's word when we pray and not in our many words.
Verse 8 reaffirms verse 7 when Jesus says not to be like those that pray in doubt. This is because God already know our needs before we even pray.
Verse 9 begins the template for prayer and the start of the two main principles of an effective prayer. When he says, "may your name be kept holy" he is talking of praise and worship unto God. The beginning of any prayer should always be a time of praise and worship to God. When we come to him in prayer, we are not to begin with our list of things we need God to do. Instead, as Psalm 100:4 tells us, "enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise." By doing this, we are immediately thrust into the presence of the Father.
Verse 10 introduces the second principle, praying for God's heavenly kingdom and will into our earthly situations. We see here that Jesus tells us to ask for God's kingdom to come on earth and that God's will be done in the now as it is now in heaven. By praying God's will and not our own, we can be assured that our prayers will be effective. But how do we know what God's will is for every situation. Read his word. Find out what Jesus said and did and then you see his will for your situation. Then pray his revealed will into your situation.
This principle is reflected in the rest of the Lord's prayer.
Verse 11 we see Jesus telling us to prayer God's heavenly will for our material needs. "Give us today the food we need." In heaven there is no lack, there is no hunger, there is no need of anything. Therefore, Jesus is telling us that God's heavenly will is for our needs to be met. So therefore, when we are praying for our material needs, not our material wants, we should pray with confidence that God will provide.
Verse 12 Jesus is telling us to prayer God's heavenly will for both our spiritual needs and our relational needs. Forgiven of sins is a spiritual need. Jesus encourages us to pray for God's heavenly will to be done in our spiritual lives. Likewise, we are to pray for God's heavenly will in regards to our relationships with others. Forgiving those who have sinned against us deals directly with relationships with others. Therefore, we are to pray for God's heavenly will in our personal relationships.
Verse 13, Jesus shows us that we are to pray God's heavenly will in regards to our relationship with evil. We know that there is no evil in heaven, there is no temptation in heaven. Therefore, Jesus is saying to pray for God's heavenly will be done in us when we are faced with temptation or evil.
So, as we have seen, the 2 principles of entering into prayer with praise and worship and praying God's heavenly will into our earthly situations should affect everything we pray for. If you don't know what his will is, I encourage you to send time in the bible. Read the gospels, see what Jesus did, hear what he said. Read the letters from Paul and the other apostles. See what the Holy Spirit revealed to them about our relationship with Christ. These will reveal to you God's heavenly will in your situation.
Please let us know what this scripture spoke to you. Leave your comments, questions, and insights below. We look forward to hearing from you!
This scripture reminds me how to not to go on and on when I pray because I tend to ramble on but not shut up long enough to listen. I need to praise and thank Him even more for my healing and walking again. He knows what’s going on and how I’m feeling so no need to remind Him. How can I remain patient? I want to walk again and be married and I’m not getting any younger.
Greetings Brother,
I know waiting can be hard. It’s never easy, especially when it feels like we aren’t getting any answers. But the bible does promise us that “he who endures to the end shall be saved.” You have persevered through many trials and I know that the Lord is pleased with you. I know God knows the desires of your heart and I believe when everything has come together, he will give you those desires. I know it is easy to say, stay strong in the Lord. It is another thing to be the one staying strong. While I don’t believe we are saved by or works, it is a gift of grace, but the bible does say that faith without works is dead. So even in the times we don’t see or feel like He is working, that is when we continue to take the steps of faith until we see the answer. I’m not sure if these words have helped, but I pray they have. Please know that we will continue to pray for you and believe that God will give you the desires of your heart.