The Lord's Prayer Has Two Main Parts: God's Priorities & Humanity's Needs (Matt 6:9-14)
God's Priorities
Father in Heaven, Your Name be Honored, Your Kingdom Come, Your Will be Done on Earth as in Heaven.
This first part teaches what Jesus teaches more clearly later in the Chapter (Matt 6:33) -- Pray for (Seek) God's Priorities 1st -- prior to seeking Our Needs, "But Seek First God's Kingdom and His Righteousness; Then all these things will be added" (the food, drink and clothing for which the Gentiles [unbelievers] are frantically worrying over, we are taught to pray for and trust The Father's basic goodness to provide -- Matt 6:33).
God has 3 (three) main priorities as taught by Jesus that regard God's Glory on earth and are specifically taught by Jesus to Ask God the Father for Them 1) We ask God The Father's that His Name is actually Honored and Known throughout the Earth as a Holy Father. This is not just a petition but a heart attitude to draw near to God by "entering His gates with thanksgiving, (Psalm 100:4), with confidence in His Fatherly goodness in displaying His mercy to grant former enemies access into the Holy Place itself, in ordaining prayer and promising to answer prayer, in teaching us how He wants to be engaged in prayer -- literally what topics to co-labor with Him for in Prayer.
Remembering His holiness and Power as described in epiphanies of His appearing in the Old and New Testaments, whether in Vision or in actuality, helps one realize what an Outstanding Audience to Whom we are granted access through the blood of Jesus. These scriptures of His majesty and power are found in Exodus 33-34 where Moses sees God pass by in the cleft of the Rock, Daniels several visions in Daniel 7 & Daniel 10, The End of Job, Isaiah 6, Ezekiel 1, and Revelation (Chapters 1 & 4). Remembering His holiness magnifies the mercy we have obtained. Obtaining Peace with God through the satisfaction of Jesus Obedience to Death and carrying that into prayer is the foremost purpose and most reasonable thing to do with this justification. Gaining an introduction to the access to God by being justified by faith is a tremendous solution God wrought for man to be reconciled to Him, a closeness formerly unknown and exceptionally rare on earth, even among the Hebrews, even the High Priest only having access once per year (Rom 5:1-2; Ephesians 2:17-18; Ephesians 3:12; Heb 4:15-16, Heb 9:13-14; Heb 10:19-22).
These scriptures are so powerful as an aid in approaching God in prayer that one should quote them verbatim:
Rom 5:1-2 "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God...."
Eph 2:17-18 "AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; 18for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father."
Eph 3:11-12 "This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him."
Heb 4:15-16 "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
Heb 9:13-14 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
Heb 10:19-22Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way He has opened for us through the curtain (that is, His flesh), 21and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Using THIS ACCESS to pray The Name of God is actually honored Has been elaborated on in two earlier posts, but briefly, mankind has been duped by the father of lies to believe they can't trust God, his original lie in the garden, and that they can be either like God or their own God by disobedience. We should here ask these foundational lies are purified in the Minds of all Believers, that all mistrust in God's Name be purged with truth n the Holy Spirit of Adoption whcih is given to cure his lingering disease of the mind. God defines His Name, Yahweh, as: "The Lord, The Lord God, Gracious and Compassionate, Slow to Anger, Abounding in Love, Forgiving Iniquity, showing mercy to thousands of generations that fear Him but not clearing those who refuse to repent even to several Generations" -- Ex 34:6-7). We pray all "the harsh things ungodly sinners have spoken against him" (Jude 1:15) are taken away from the earth, that faith would arise from the Truth of the Gospel, that sets us free, and The Holiness of God's Name and Reputation, ascribed on all His Works of Creation, from the minute to the macro, and seen by his mercies and judgements, so that mankind is rendered inexcusable (Romans 1), would SHINE forth with the brilliance, cause the whole earth to shudder and tremble as it does in Heaven when God speaks, similar to Thunder on earth.
2) We ask God that Christ's Kingdom and it's Leaders and Citizens would Grow and Be holy, happy and healthy AND for His Kingdom to Come Finally, meaning It asks for Jesus to Come Back to Rule the Earth Correctly (again, detailed in a separate post on The 2nd Petition); And...
3) We ask for His Will to be done on Earth, the only place in the universe it isn't currently being honored by all, other than hell. God's will is done "when men, in denial of themselves and contempt of the world and this earthly life, devote themselves to righteousness and aspire to heaven" (John Calvin, Harmony of the Gospels, Matthew 6). More on the will of God later, but briefly, "This is the confidence we have in Him, that if we ask anything in His will, He hears us (1 John 5:14-15). Since it is clearly God's will that God's Will is done, this is definitely answered by God and should be constantly prayed for and expected by believers -- Your will be done! This gets results!
Our Needs
Give us our daily Bread, Forgive us our debts as We forgive our debtors, Lead us not into temptation, Deliver us from evil.
Then these things are added to us -- I.e. -- Our Human Needs: The Second Part of the Lord's Prayer includes 1) Provision (money, spouses, relationships, jobs, healing and Biblical teaching -- Most prayer requests on any website fit under this one section alone), 2) Forgiveness for Ourselves, Forgiveness of Others (clean consciences, relational harmony, new or renewed relationship with God -- more on this later); 3) Protection from temptation and Deliverance from evil (Protection from Temptation to Sin -- bad habits / addictions & vices) & Deliverance from evil -- The Second Most Popular Prayer Request on Christian Websites is either deliverance and protection for themselves or others -- interceding for their prodigal friends and family members to get right, come back to God, return to their spouses, get off drugs, stop drinking, kick immorality of any and every kind, travel mercies, et cetera -- all are included under "Keep us," plural, not just me, but also my acquaintances, "from sin and Satan -- The Evil One").
In this last petition, Jesus reminds us there is a fallen angel who has an ordered hierarchy exposed most clearly by Daniel Chapter 10, By Jesus' entire earthly ministry of exorcism, and Paul's Explanation of Spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6:10-20 "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but an ordered hierarchy of demons, therefore put on the Armor of God" -- We put on the armor of the One who defeated Him through the incarnation, sinless life and death of Jesus on the Cross for Sin, defeating the wages of sin, death, and he who past tense, had the power of it -- "Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil," Heb 2:14, and gives us the attributes to withstand his assaults through His answering prayers to either exempt us from it or strengthen us to endure it and wisely take the way of escape (1Cor 10:13).
"For Yours is the Kingdom, Power and Glory" though not in all manuscripts, it surely made its way into the Bible and has succeeded throughout the ages of Christianity. It is a perfect reiteration of His earthly great, great, great grandfather, King David's, eulogy, "Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all" (1 Chron 29:11). It is only fitting, if we "enter His gates with thanksgiving and enter His courts with Praise" (Ps 100:4) that we leave the Holy Place we are able to draw near to through having our bodies and sins sprinkled with Jesus blood, intercession and mediation in the same manner. He rules and reigns throughout the universe: this is especially important to remind ourselves who have known life only on this only speck in the universe where satan has limited authority and will be quickly dismantled permanently even as quickly as Jesus "was watching satan fall from heaven as lightning" when the 72 came back after casting out demons and performing miracles in his Name (Luke 10:18). It is good to remind ourselves and fallen angels, out loud preferably, that "All authority in Heaven and Earth is Mine," Jesus, Matt 28:18.
Lastly, Praying in the Name of Jesus is taught by Jesus Himself (John 14:13-14) and equals Jesus asking The Father Himself. Jesus, always had his prayers answered, even "take this cup, nevertheless, let not My will, but Your will be done" since He actually did not His own will but the will of the One who sent Him, proving obedience through the things He suffered (Heb 5:8), so even His prayer in Matt 26:39, Mark 14:26 and Luke 22:42, "nevertheless not My will but Yours be done," was ultimately answered in that the will of God was Done and he was "obedient unto death" (Phil 2:8). We are given the same privilege to pray the same things to God Jesus Himself deemed important, with the same Victorious Holy Spirit which empowered Jesus, sealing all our prayers with the Signet Ring of the a name above All Names, Jesus. Amen.
God's Priorities
Father in Heaven, Your Name be Honored, Your Kingdom Come, Your Will be Done on Earth as in Heaven.
This first part teaches what Jesus teaches more clearly later in the Chapter (Matt 6:33) -- Pray for (Seek) God's Priorities 1st -- prior to seeking Our Needs, "But Seek First God's Kingdom and His Righteousness; Then all these things will be added" (the food, drink and clothing for which the Gentiles [unbelievers] are frantically worrying over, we are taught to pray for and trust The Father's basic goodness to provide -- Matt 6:33).
God has 3 (three) main priorities as taught by Jesus that regard God's Glory on earth and are specifically taught by Jesus to Ask God the Father for Them 1) We ask God The Father's that His Name is actually Honored and Known throughout the Earth as a Holy Father. This is not just a petition but a heart attitude to draw near to God by "entering His gates with thanksgiving, (Psalm 100:4), with confidence in His Fatherly goodness in displaying His mercy to grant former enemies access into the Holy Place itself, in ordaining prayer and promising to answer prayer, in teaching us how He wants to be engaged in prayer -- literally what topics to co-labor with Him for in Prayer.
Remembering His holiness and Power as described in epiphanies of His appearing in the Old and New Testaments, whether in Vision or in actuality, helps one realize what an Outstanding Audience to Whom we are granted access through the blood of Jesus. These scriptures of His majesty and power are found in Exodus 33-34 where Moses sees God pass by in the cleft of the Rock, Daniels several visions in Daniel 7 & Daniel 10, The End of Job, Isaiah 6, Ezekiel 1, and Revelation (Chapters 1 & 4). Remembering His holiness magnifies the mercy we have obtained. Obtaining Peace with God through the satisfaction of Jesus Obedience to Death and carrying that into prayer is the foremost purpose and most reasonable thing to do with this justification. Gaining an introduction to the access to God by being justified by faith is a tremendous solution God wrought for man to be reconciled to Him, a closeness formerly unknown and exceptionally rare on earth, even among the Hebrews, even the High Priest only having access once per year (Rom 5:1-2; Ephesians 2:17-18; Ephesians 3:12; Heb 4:15-16, Heb 9:13-14; Heb 10:19-22).
These scriptures are so powerful as an aid in approaching God in prayer that one should quote them verbatim:
Rom 5:1-2 "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God...."
Eph 2:17-18 "AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; 18for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father."
Eph 3:11-12 "This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him."
Heb 4:15-16 "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
Heb 9:13-14 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
Heb 10:19-22Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way He has opened for us through the curtain (that is, His flesh), 21and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Using THIS ACCESS to pray The Name of God is actually honored Has been elaborated on in two earlier posts, but briefly, mankind has been duped by the father of lies to believe they can't trust God, his original lie in the garden, and that they can be either like God or their own God by disobedience. We should here ask these foundational lies are purified in the Minds of all Believers, that all mistrust in God's Name be purged with truth n the Holy Spirit of Adoption whcih is given to cure his lingering disease of the mind. God defines His Name, Yahweh, as: "The Lord, The Lord God, Gracious and Compassionate, Slow to Anger, Abounding in Love, Forgiving Iniquity, showing mercy to thousands of generations that fear Him but not clearing those who refuse to repent even to several Generations" -- Ex 34:6-7). We pray all "the harsh things ungodly sinners have spoken against him" (Jude 1:15) are taken away from the earth, that faith would arise from the Truth of the Gospel, that sets us free, and The Holiness of God's Name and Reputation, ascribed on all His Works of Creation, from the minute to the macro, and seen by his mercies and judgements, so that mankind is rendered inexcusable (Romans 1), would SHINE forth with the brilliance, cause the whole earth to shudder and tremble as it does in Heaven when God speaks, similar to Thunder on earth.
2) We ask God that Christ's Kingdom and it's Leaders and Citizens would Grow and Be holy, happy and healthy AND for His Kingdom to Come Finally, meaning It asks for Jesus to Come Back to Rule the Earth Correctly (again, detailed in a separate post on The 2nd Petition); And...
3) We ask for His Will to be done on Earth, the only place in the universe it isn't currently being honored by all, other than hell. God's will is done "when men, in denial of themselves and contempt of the world and this earthly life, devote themselves to righteousness and aspire to heaven" (John Calvin, Harmony of the Gospels, Matthew 6). More on the will of God later, but briefly, "This is the confidence we have in Him, that if we ask anything in His will, He hears us (1 John 5:14-15). Since it is clearly God's will that God's Will is done, this is definitely answered by God and should be constantly prayed for and expected by believers -- Your will be done! This gets results!
Our Needs
Give us our daily Bread, Forgive us our debts as We forgive our debtors, Lead us not into temptation, Deliver us from evil.
Then these things are added to us -- I.e. -- Our Human Needs: The Second Part of the Lord's Prayer includes 1) Provision (money, spouses, relationships, jobs, healing and Biblical teaching -- Most prayer requests on any website fit under this one section alone), 2) Forgiveness for Ourselves, Forgiveness of Others (clean consciences, relational harmony, new or renewed relationship with God -- more on this later); 3) Protection from temptation and Deliverance from evil (Protection from Temptation to Sin -- bad habits / addictions & vices) & Deliverance from evil -- The Second Most Popular Prayer Request on Christian Websites is either deliverance and protection for themselves or others -- interceding for their prodigal friends and family members to get right, come back to God, return to their spouses, get off drugs, stop drinking, kick immorality of any and every kind, travel mercies, et cetera -- all are included under "Keep us," plural, not just me, but also my acquaintances, "from sin and Satan -- The Evil One").
In this last petition, Jesus reminds us there is a fallen angel who has an ordered hierarchy exposed most clearly by Daniel Chapter 10, By Jesus' entire earthly ministry of exorcism, and Paul's Explanation of Spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6:10-20 "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but an ordered hierarchy of demons, therefore put on the Armor of God" -- We put on the armor of the One who defeated Him through the incarnation, sinless life and death of Jesus on the Cross for Sin, defeating the wages of sin, death, and he who past tense, had the power of it -- "Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil," Heb 2:14, and gives us the attributes to withstand his assaults through His answering prayers to either exempt us from it or strengthen us to endure it and wisely take the way of escape (1Cor 10:13).
"For Yours is the Kingdom, Power and Glory" though not in all manuscripts, it surely made its way into the Bible and has succeeded throughout the ages of Christianity. It is a perfect reiteration of His earthly great, great, great grandfather, King David's, eulogy, "Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all" (1 Chron 29:11). It is only fitting, if we "enter His gates with thanksgiving and enter His courts with Praise" (Ps 100:4) that we leave the Holy Place we are able to draw near to through having our bodies and sins sprinkled with Jesus blood, intercession and mediation in the same manner. He rules and reigns throughout the universe: this is especially important to remind ourselves who have known life only on this only speck in the universe where satan has limited authority and will be quickly dismantled permanently even as quickly as Jesus "was watching satan fall from heaven as lightning" when the 72 came back after casting out demons and performing miracles in his Name (Luke 10:18). It is good to remind ourselves and fallen angels, out loud preferably, that "All authority in Heaven and Earth is Mine," Jesus, Matt 28:18.
Lastly, Praying in the Name of Jesus is taught by Jesus Himself (John 14:13-14) and equals Jesus asking The Father Himself. Jesus, always had his prayers answered, even "take this cup, nevertheless, let not My will, but Your will be done" since He actually did not His own will but the will of the One who sent Him, proving obedience through the things He suffered (Heb 5:8), so even His prayer in Matt 26:39, Mark 14:26 and Luke 22:42, "nevertheless not My will but Yours be done," was ultimately answered in that the will of God was Done and he was "obedient unto death" (Phil 2:8). We are given the same privilege to pray the same things to God Jesus Himself deemed important, with the same Victorious Holy Spirit which empowered Jesus, sealing all our prayers with the Signet Ring of the a name above All Names, Jesus. Amen.
