You have well prayed, for you have sought first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, knowing that all these things shall be added unto you. The very pattern our Lord gave teaches us to set the glory of God and the doing of His will in the forefront. As surely as God's will is the axle of the universe, so in grace let us rest assured that He is King, willing to do as He pleases. It is a blessed thing to bow and say, "Your will be done," for then we perceive that our smarts and sorrows come from a Father's hand, and we may rest in His wise and loving purpose. Yet how foolish it would be to imagine that we can propose and dispose as we list, without ever seeking His consent! I will go, or I will stay, only if it is the will of God. Let your daily breath be a humble submission to His revealed and providential will.
Give us our daily bread. The heavenly Father who gave His own dear Son to put away sin will certainly not deny us common mercies. You have sat at the King's table like Mephibosheth, daily fed by His bounty, and yet how prone we are to murmur. But think of the benefits: preservation from falling into final, vital sin, daily education in the things of God, and ten times as many blessings we know not of. Our daily bread, both spiritual and temporal, comes from His hand alone; let us look to Him for it, not trusting in our own schemes or saying, "We will go, we will trade, and get gain," as if we could both propose and dispose. Instead, let us own that our best profit consists in doing God's will.
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Oh, what a mercy that there is forgiveness with God! I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for My own sake. The guilt of sin is taken away by a divine act, freely and fully, through the ransom found in Christ Jesus. If you have been the chief of sinners, you may have the chief of sinners' forgiveness, for He will not remember your sins against you, not in accusation, not in the distribution of rewards. But mark: pardon comes to those who forgive. Are you holding a grudge? Let it go, for if you have been forgiven much, you ought to love much. Bow the knee, kiss the Son, and find in His wounds a complete absolution.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. This is a daily and common danger, for we are ever going down, down, down, unless the Lord interpose. Yet we have this sweet confidence: He has delivered us from the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son. If He has done this great work of grace, will He not deliver us from all lesser evils? He will not suffer us to go down into the pit of destruction, for He has found a ransom. He has given commandment to save you, and you shall be saved from yourself and from all the attacks of the old sins. Only let Him be your trust. Let us not make provision for the flesh, nor give way in little things to worldliness; but watch against the small approaches of sin, knowing that the broad wall of our security is kept by God. He which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Though He chasten you sorely, it is the rod of a Father, not the sword of an executioner; He has not given you over unto death.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Thus we end where we began, with God's glory. Is your life fully surrendered to this end? Have you kept back a part of the price? That little reserve will bleed away your strength. But if you wholly trust, then go forward: "I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord." Let your heart be fixed to sing and give praise, for the will of the Lord shall be done, and in that we find our peace. Hallelujah, hallelujah!
"Pray then after this manner:
‘Our Father who is in Heaven,
Your Name be Honored!
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