THE LORD’S PRAYER
Luke 11:1-14
JESUS OUR ROLE MODEL
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, \”Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.\”
Jesus is our role model for communication with the Father. Throughout His ministry, Jesus
was constantly in prayer with the Father. He prayed openly where His disciples could see
and sometimes, hear His prayers. The Jews prayed three times a day. The disciples saw Jesus
pray in private places and openly.
Most of us learn to pray from our parents or by watching and listening to others. I find no scripture
with the prayer of John the Baptist. Jesus\’ disciples had heard John The Baptist\’s prayer but
wanted Jesus to teach them also. If you want to know how they pray. seek the Lord first.
Jesus prayed more often than the Jewish traditional 3 times a day. He prayed in the morning,
He prayed all night, He prayed before meals, He prayed before and after miracles, He
prayed for the protection of His disciples and He prayed to the Father in troubling times.
Jesus prayed for the Israelites while hanging on the cross.
There is no time or place in our lives that God does not want to hear our prayers.
He is ready to console, instruct and guide at all times.
OBEDIENCE TO THE FATHER
V:2 He said to them, \”When you pray, say:
The word of God is a lamp to the righteousness of God.
Proverbs 6:23
For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light,
and the corrections of discipline are the way to life.
If we ask God for guidance, He will give it in a way we can understand
and it will be profitable for us.
PRAISE AND WORSHIP
Luke 11:2
V:2 Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom comes. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Start your prayer by recognizing God as Father. As a father, it always gives me joy to hear my
children call me father. We should consider the Lord as our Father. He owns us and
we must consider ourselves as His children.
Praise the Lord at all times. We should reverence His name. He is the Holy and we are
sinful. There is a proper way to approach God. We should approach God knowing
who He is.
Elohim The creator
Elohim Chayim The Living God
Abba The Father
Jehovah Jireh The Lord will provide
Jehovah Shalom The Lord is Peace
El Elyon The Most High God
El Kanna The jealous God
El Roi The God Who Sees
Jehovah Ro’i God the Shepherd
Jehovah Nissi The Lord Our Banner
“Your kingdom come, thy will be done as it is in heaven so in earth”
It should be our wish to be at home with God in heaven. This is not our home, we are
just passing through. The salvation of the Lord has been given to us through the atoning
blood of Jesus Christ. He has prepares a room in Heaven for each of us.
It is the will of the Father that we should want in our lives.
What we want in our lives may not be the best for us. Every decision we make
has a consequences, They may be good or bad. We cannot determine the outcome beforehand.
Therefore, before we make a decision, we should ask God to guide us.
Since our goal is heaven, we should want the best version of ourselves on earth.
TRUST
V:3 Give us each day our daily bread.
We must learn to rely on the Lord.
We must be thankful that He provides for us daily.
Be thankful for this day. We should not be anxious for tomorrow. It is not
promised. We have been blessed with today. Take full advantage of what God
is doing now.
Work today. Serve today. Praise today. Be joyful today. Be grateful today.
Do your best today. Think good things today. Bless others today. Love today
Be excited today.
When Moses was leading the Israelites in the desert, God gave them enough Mana for
a day. They could not save anything for the next day. God provided food each day.
That was four thousand years ago. God is still providing today. We can’t eat for tomorrow.
FELLOWSHIP WITH THE LORD
V:4 Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
To have fellowship with the Father we must ask forgiveness and repent.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Because we have been forgiven, we must extend the same mercy to others who have
wronged us.
Forgiveness is for us, not the other person. Forgiveness releases us from the past
Our forgiving others enables God to forgive us.
Matthew 6:15
But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
PROTECTION
V:4 And lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil
We can easily be drawn into sin by what we see, what we hear, and what we do.
The devil is active and busy all the time. He came to steal kill and destroy.
The Bible tells us to watch and pray.
At all times we should have a Word of God to share with someone. We can easily be
caught off guard and say something out of character that might unknowingly
offend someone.
The only way to defeat the devil is with the Word of God.
James 4:7-8
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you.
GOD GIVES US HIS BEST
V:5 Then he said to them, \”Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, \’Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6 because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.\’
7 \”Then the one inside answers, \’Don\’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can\’t get up and give you anything.\’ 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man\’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
To have a friend, you must show yourself friendly. Sometimes to be a friend is inconvenient.
When someone needs you, they may need you now. As in this example, the need happen in
the middle of the night.
Hebrews 4:16
Let us, therefore, come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
We are never a burden to God with our requests. We can come to Him at any time and He is
ready to help. We must come to the Lord as a child without any reservations or doubt.
Matthew 18:4
Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Children never think they are troubling their parents. They ask for what they want and expect
to receive. We are encouraged to come as a child trusting the Lord.
YOUR BLESSINGS DEPEND ON YOUR FAITH
V:9 \”So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
V:11 \”Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts
Your blessings depend on what you do before the Lord. There are three action verbs recommended
by the Lord Jesus; Ask, seek, and knock. They require your God-given energy.
Ask: You must open your mouth with a request. James 1 says to ask in faith, believing you will
receive from the Lord.
Seek: You must go looking for what you want. Go to God in prayer. He has all the resources
you need. The earth is His and the fullness thereof.
Psalms 9:10
Those who know your name will trust in you,
for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.
Knock: Sometimes doors are closed. Some jobs are not posted. You have to go knocking
on doors. Sometimes God closes doors to get us to knock.
Revelation 3:20
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will
come in and eat with him, and he with me.
God is ready to answer our prayers the moment we ask.
We were made for the pleasure of God. The Jesus recommended prayer gives us incite into
what pleases God.
Rev. M. Mitchell
