#20 – Don’t get lost in repetition – July 11, 2024

Luke 11:2-4, “Our Father who art in Heaven…Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the Glory forever, Amen”.

There are two specific prayers from Jesus in the Bible.  One is the actual “Lord’s Prayer” which Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane as He was preparing for the most important event ever to take place; His death to save us.  Then there is the prayer that Jesus gave to His disciples when they said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples”.  We have come to call that “The Lord’s Prayer” but it was a directive to the disciples in answering their request.

Unfortunately, it has become so memorized and recited that we lose the important and true meaning of what Jesus was trying to portray.  In repetition of this prayer, we tend to rush through it so fast that we don’t even understand what this prayer is trying to tell us.

Our Father – we are created by, and for, Him.  Just as we have an earthly father, we have a heavenly Father and He should be addressed as such.  We need to acknowledge that we are aware of WHO He is.

Who art in Heaven – In Old English writings, “art” means “to be” or “to exist”.    Our Father is the Creator…He exists…and He is the only one to worship and praise.  He has always been, His is, and He always will be.

Hallowed be Thy name – This word declares God’s name as sacred; showing reverence to it.  We should recognize God’s name as being worshipped, exalted, honored, and adored.  He is the “Ultimate Holy Power”. It’s a reminder to never pray to the things or people He created; only to the CREATOR.

Thy Kingdom Come – In this statement…”Thy” means yours (God), “Kingdom” means an area controlled by a King, and “Come” means to happen. It simply means that God will be in control forever and whatever happens will be according to His authority.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven – “Will” means desire, or wish, and “done” means completed.  We are telling God that we will obey His desires, or wishes, on earth according to His will…not ours.  He can multi-task much better than we can by taking care of all things on earth and heaven.  Let Him take care of what happens with our tomorrows too.

Give us this day our daily bread – yes, we all need our daily physical food in order for us to grow in strength and health.  The Lord sees that we have all the provisions we need for our earthly survival.  But, in this statement, Jesus is referring to our spiritual “bread”.  The nourishment we can only get from the Holy Scriptures to be spiritually healthy.

And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors – This is not referring to money or items that are loaned or borrowed.  It’s referring to the sins we have committed toward others, and the sins they have committed against us.  One of my commentaries states, “First, we must forgive others for their sins or mistakes.  Then we can ask God to forgive our sins”.  There’s a quote that says, “If you hold on to resentment, you’ll never have contentment”.  Good to think about when we’ve been wronged.

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil – God will never lead us into doing something that is wrong; but the devil will.  We are asking God to keep us away from those temptations and wrong choices that Satan places in our path.  If we find ourselves in the grips of sin and evil, we ask God to rescue us and help us to get back on the right track.

For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever – This final verse is our acknowledgement of God’s Power.  His power means that He has the ability to do as He chooses for the betterment of all concerned.  Glory means to give respect, or praise, and to acknowledge His high honor and magnificence.

Amen – The first mention of Amen in the Bible can be found in Numbers 5:22.  This is a word of Hebrew origin meaning so be it.  Amen is used as an expression of faith in believing our requests will be fulfilled…according to His will and purpose.

Jesus told the disciples HOW to pray; not WHAT to pray.  There is a big difference.  Start your prayers with honor and praise to God, our Heavenly Father.  Then let Him know your requests.  Don’t let the beauty of the scriptures get lost in repetition.  Savor the sweetness of understanding the message that God is telling us in this prayer. 

Memorize verses that you can rely on in times of trouble, pain, sadness, and/or depression; for yourself and for others.  But never repeat them to the point of losing their value.

Nancy Stoppe                     

Stoppe123@comcast.net

Blog – inspirationalinsights6.com  (inspirational insights 6 .com)