The prayer our Lord taught is a perfect model, and it does my soul good to see you so carefully weighing each petition. May the Spirit engrave these things upon your heart, for to pray with understanding is a high privilege and a sure mark of adoption. You do well to begin by thanking the Father for sending the Son, for there is no prayer without that foundation. Christ has shown us the Father, and by His blood we are brought near. Call upon Him as Abba, Father, for that is the cry of the Spirit within you.
When you plead, βHallowed be Your name,β join with all the saints in seeking that the whole earth should worship and glorify Him. It is written, βAll nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord; and shall glorify Your name.β This is no small petition; it is the prayer the Father Himself puts upon our lips: βAsk of Me, and I shall give You the heathen for Your inheritance.β Therefore, pray on boldly, expecting that His name shall be reverenced from the rising of the sun to its going down. Let your life be a sparkling mirror of His holiness, that men may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
As for the kingdom and His will, you join the cry of the whole Church: βYour kingdom come.β That is a double cry. We bid the King return quickly, and we bid sinners come to the King. The Spirit and the Bride say, βCome.β And we echo, βCome, Lord Jesus, come quickly!β But let our lips also call to the wanderers, βCome to Jesus, come and welcome! Whosoever will, let him come.β Pray for the kingdomβs advance, and then be a voice to invite the prodigals home. Remember, the kingdom comes as hearts bow to the scepter of Christ. So let your prayer be practical; as you pray, go forth and compel them to come in.
Daily bread you ask, and well you may, for we are poor dependent creatures. But lift your eyes higher, for Jesus is the true Bread from heaven. Moses gave bread in the wilderness, but it could not satisfy, and they called it light bread. Our Lord says, βI am that bread of lifeβ, the choice, satisfying, delicious Bread for the pilgrimage. Take heed you do not only hear of this Bread and never eat. Many come to sermons and talk of the loaf, yet go away hungry. It is the end of bread to be eaten; Christ is honored when He is received by faith. Come daily to Him, and let your soul feed upon His flesh, which is meat indeed. As you sit at your table and break the earthly loaf, let it preach a thousand sermons to you of Him who sustains your soul.
Forgiveness you seek, and you rightly link it with forgiving others. Here the old nature rises up, for to recompense evil for evil is natural and easy. But it is a method that never succeeds; evil is only increased by evil. The Christian way is to overcome evil with good. Look to the Crucified, who is the chief of those who overcome evil with good. His name is written in blood, and His example is our pattern. If you have been wronged, meet it with mercy. That is the way to be more than conqueror, and it is the mark of a child of the kingdom. So shall you be delivered from the evil one, who stirreth up strife and vengeance. Pray against temptation, but also arm your heart with this holy resolve: by grace I will not be overcome of evil.
And mark this, that the whole prayer is shot through with the spirit of βCome.β Christ cries to you, βCome unto Me.β And you cry to Him, βCome, abide with me.β Let this be your daily dialogue: He says, βCome, you weary, and I will give you rest.β And you answer, βCome, Lord, and reign without a rival in my heart.β The door stands open; His word is, βHim that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.β Come, then, with all your need, your conscious guilt, your daily struggles. Come as a poor sinner, and look anew to the cross. That is the secret of dying daily, to hold loose to this world and cling fast to Christ. Let your prayer be fervent, for effectual prayer avails much. But remember, it is not the mere form, however scriptural, that prevails, but the heartβs cry. A cry is a simple thing; the child cries, and the Father runs. So cry out of the depths, and He will deliver you.
Press on, then, in this holy exercise. Let the kingdom be your passion, the Bread your nourishment, forgiveness your habit, and deliverance your song. And may the Lord make your life a sweet-smelling savor of His name.