A Journey From Worry to Confident Hope: Praying Through the Lord’s Prayer7 Days
We often worry when faced with an uncertain future. In these difficult times, prayer connects us to God and energizes us to navigate anxiety with God. Yet, we often do not know what or how to pray. The Lord’s Prayer anchors us to Jesus’ own petition for provision and protection. In this Bible Plan, these familiar words will encourage you to prayerfully journey from troublesome worry to confident hope.
We often worry when faced with an uncertain future. In these difficult times, prayer connects us to God and energizes us to navigate anxiety with God. Yet, we often do not know what or how to pray. The Lord’s Prayer anchors us to Jesus’ own petition for provision and protection. In this Bible Plan, these familiar words will encourage you to prayerfully journey from troublesome worry to confident hope.
“When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
“Pray then in this way:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not bring us to the time of trial,
but rescue us from the evil one.”
– Matthew 6:7-13; New Revised Standard Version
Day 1: Teach us to pray
We often do not know what to pray or how to pray, especially when times are tough. The Lord’s Prayer is Jesus’ own prayer of hope as well as a prayer of confidence. When the worries of life close in, these well-known words serve as a compass to guide us in truth and teach us to pray with confident expectation.
As Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he was also summing up what his ministry was all about. We see his agenda for the Kingdom of God that has come to earth as in heaven, which serves as an anchor and a pattern for our own lives.
Jesus modeled a very Jewish way of praying that went much deeper than merely reciting certain words or familiar phrases. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we are recalling the events from his life and ministry, and in effect, are declaring that we too want to be part of Jesus’ mission. The focus begins to turn from our worries towards his work in the world. We are reoriented towards his will as the main view on the horizon.
With this Jesus-shaped prayer, we draw near to our Father God, the one who cares, provides, protects, and remains deeply interested in our concerns and his purposes for us and his church. We are assured that God is neither an unapproachable bureaucrat nor a whimsical genie in a bottle. Rather, he is the Creator God—the Father of it all from the beginning—who desires both our love and respect in worship, and who longs to dwell in our midst.
Here is our confident hope: Jesus inaugurated the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. One day ‘thy kingdom come’ will arrive in all of its fullness. The day of the Lord will be when all things in creation are fully and finally put right. But, until that day, we know that evil, sin, and destructive powers are still forces that must be reckoned with in our daily lives. Our worries prompt us to pray for provision, deliverance, and safety in the middle of it all. It all begins with the hopefulness of drawing near to God in prayer as ‘our Father’ and ends with the confidence of his kingdom, power, and glory forever.
We pray the Lord’s Prayer in faith, knowing that we are not helpless. Real and lasting change is possible by the Spirit’s power. We declare that the work that Jesus has begun in our lives and in the world will continue, even when things are gloomy or uncertain. May we find rest and renewal today as we draw closer to our Lord and his prayer.
Question to consider:
On what specific events from Jesus’ life and ministry might you reflect when praying the Lord’s Prayer? How does this help with the things you worry about?
Living it out:
Pray the Lord’s Prayer throughout the day today as the Spirit leads. Make note or journal any new insights.
“Pray then in this way:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not bring us to the time of trial,
but rescue us from the evil one.”
– Matthew 6:7-13; New Revised Standard Version
Day 1: Teach us to pray
We often do not know what to pray or how to pray, especially when times are tough. The Lord’s Prayer is Jesus’ own prayer of hope as well as a prayer of confidence. When the worries of life close in, these well-known words serve as a compass to guide us in truth and teach us to pray with confident expectation.
As Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he was also summing up what his ministry was all about. We see his agenda for the Kingdom of God that has come to earth as in heaven, which serves as an anchor and a pattern for our own lives.
Jesus modeled a very Jewish way of praying that went much deeper than merely reciting certain words or familiar phrases. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we are recalling the events from his life and ministry, and in effect, are declaring that we too want to be part of Jesus’ mission. The focus begins to turn from our worries towards his work in the world. We are reoriented towards his will as the main view on the horizon.
With this Jesus-shaped prayer, we draw near to our Father God, the one who cares, provides, protects, and remains deeply interested in our concerns and his purposes for us and his church. We are assured that God is neither an unapproachable bureaucrat nor a whimsical genie in a bottle. Rather, he is the Creator God—the Father of it all from the beginning—who desires both our love and respect in worship, and who longs to dwell in our midst.
Here is our confident hope: Jesus inaugurated the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. One day ‘thy kingdom come’ will arrive in all of its fullness. The day of the Lord will be when all things in creation are fully and finally put right. But, until that day, we know that evil, sin, and destructive powers are still forces that must be reckoned with in our daily lives. Our worries prompt us to pray for provision, deliverance, and safety in the middle of it all. It all begins with the hopefulness of drawing near to God in prayer as ‘our Father’ and ends with the confidence of his kingdom, power, and glory forever.
We pray the Lord’s Prayer in faith, knowing that we are not helpless. Real and lasting change is possible by the Spirit’s power. We declare that the work that Jesus has begun in our lives and in the world will continue, even when things are gloomy or uncertain. May we find rest and renewal today as we draw closer to our Lord and his prayer.
Question to consider:
On what specific events from Jesus’ life and ministry might you reflect when praying the Lord’s Prayer? How does this help with the things you worry about?
Living it out:
Pray the Lord’s Prayer throughout the day today as the Spirit leads. Make note or journal any new insights.
Day Two: ‘Our Father’
‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name’ might be thought of as a ‘temple prayer’. Throughout Israel’s history, the central symbol of Jewish life and worship was the temple in Jerusalem. In the temple, nothing unclean (nothing to do with sin or death) was permitted. Today, as we approach God as ‘Our Father’ we are reminded of our gracious and royal inheritance through Jesus the King. Because of who he is and what he has done, we may freely enter God’s presence as his fully forgiven and purified followers.
In the Old Testament, the notion of addressing God as father is rare. However, we do find the idea of Israel as God’s son and God’s children (Deuteronomy 14:1, Hosea 11:1). In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches that our prayers ought to be distinguished from a jumble of heaped up words to a faceless and nameless god. Instead, we are personally related to the One true God whom Jesus himself approached as Father. In and through the King, Jesus, the temple-prayers of God’s children may be offered with genuine devotion and trust. We can proclaim our dependence and our confident hope in God our Father, who cares for and watches over us.
‘May your name be honored’ contains a temple-resonance and reminds us that we are addressing the one true King and Creator God. Yet, there is also a familiar intimacy that comes from actually knowing who we are talking to! Indeed, invoking God as our Father is to call upon the name of the one who promised to deliver Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob from all that enslaved them and prevented them from being who they were intended to be.
Just as Jesus was with his disciples teaching them to pray, he continues to teach us through the gift of the Holy Spirit. Those who belong to and follow the King of Kings have now become part of God’s new family. As such, we too pray, ‘Abba, Father’, the way that Jesus prayed. We are encouraged to call upon ‘our Father’ because this is now our prayer. In fact, we are the temple-space in which God comes to dwell by his Spirit in the midst of his people.
The Lord’s Prayer provides a pattern for God’s children to offer genuine praise to the Father. As we bring our petitions, burdens and worries to him, with thanksgiving and hope, we are also praying that our good and faithful Father hears and responds to those who call upon his holy name.
Question to consider:
Reflect on the idea of the Lord’s Prayer as a temple prayer. How does this impact your understanding of praying to ‘our Father’?
Living it out:
In what context might the Lord’s Prayer have a practical impact on your interactions with others in your family, workplace, or community today? What praises or concerns can you bring before God our Father today?
‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name’ might be thought of as a ‘temple prayer’. Throughout Israel’s history, the central symbol of Jewish life and worship was the temple in Jerusalem. In the temple, nothing unclean (nothing to do with sin or death) was permitted. Today, as we approach God as ‘Our Father’ we are reminded of our gracious and royal inheritance through Jesus the King. Because of who he is and what he has done, we may freely enter God’s presence as his fully forgiven and purified followers.
In the Old Testament, the notion of addressing God as father is rare. However, we do find the idea of Israel as God’s son and God’s children (Deuteronomy 14:1, Hosea 11:1). In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches that our prayers ought to be distinguished from a jumble of heaped up words to a faceless and nameless god. Instead, we are personally related to the One true God whom Jesus himself approached as Father. In and through the King, Jesus, the temple-prayers of God’s children may be offered with genuine devotion and trust. We can proclaim our dependence and our confident hope in God our Father, who cares for and watches over us.
‘May your name be honored’ contains a temple-resonance and reminds us that we are addressing the one true King and Creator God. Yet, there is also a familiar intimacy that comes from actually knowing who we are talking to! Indeed, invoking God as our Father is to call upon the name of the one who promised to deliver Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob from all that enslaved them and prevented them from being who they were intended to be.
Just as Jesus was with his disciples teaching them to pray, he continues to teach us through the gift of the Holy Spirit. Those who belong to and follow the King of Kings have now become part of God’s new family. As such, we too pray, ‘Abba, Father’, the way that Jesus prayed. We are encouraged to call upon ‘our Father’ because this is now our prayer. In fact, we are the temple-space in which God comes to dwell by his Spirit in the midst of his people.
The Lord’s Prayer provides a pattern for God’s children to offer genuine praise to the Father. As we bring our petitions, burdens and worries to him, with thanksgiving and hope, we are also praying that our good and faithful Father hears and responds to those who call upon his holy name.
Question to consider:
Reflect on the idea of the Lord’s Prayer as a temple prayer. How does this impact your understanding of praying to ‘our Father’?
Living it out:
In what context might the Lord’s Prayer have a practical impact on your interactions with others in your family, workplace, or community today? What praises or concerns can you bring before God our Father today?
Day Three: May Your Kingdom Come
The Lord’s prayer is a prayer that we might be part of Jesus’ Kingdom-victory movement. As we pray, ‘May your Kingdom come’, we remember that the ultimate victory was won at the cross. Indeed, this is why Jesus’ resurrection happened! The power of death was defeated and could not hold him in the grave. Yet, we continue to pray for kingdom-moments on earth now, as in heaven, wherever sin and death are trying to choke the life out of us, out of those we love, or out of people in God’s world.
Though Jesus is King of the whole world, his authority is regularly challenged by other forces, such as the human will, and by darker forces to which people offer their attention and adoration. These forces can be economic, social, cultural, or a variety of other ‘things that are not God’, which are best described as ‘the idols’.
When we pray for God’s Kingdom to come, we are praying that the forces, the idols, will be driven back by the power and the victory of God’s love. We are praying that the new creation—the age to come—might powerfully rush in so that we experience the victory of ‘kingdom of heaven moments’ in our contemporary context.
Every time we pray this prayer, we are invoking God’s new age. We are affirming that we believe we are already called to be part of God’s whole new world: his Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. The prayer for ‘God’s Kingdom to come’ expresses trust that God will fully and finally defeat the idols and put all things right at last. It is a hopeful prayer for the success of Jesus’ own Kingdom ministry.
In practice, it can be helpful to have a specific reference point as we pray ‘thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as in heaven’. For example, we might pray for politicians, leaders, or world rulers who are susceptible to the abuse of power. Alternatively, we might lift up the needy and the poor, or hospitals and schools and the vast needs in the areas of healing and education. Our keen and prayerful attention can be focused on the marginalized, or those with special needs. As we pray, we come before our Father, asking for his Kingdom to come in all these places through the work of the Spirit in his church at work in the world.
Question to consider:
The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer for victory to be won over forces that oppose God’s rule and his will. In what ways has power and kingship has been redefined around Jesus?
Living it out:
Identify a specific area where brokenness is evident and pray for God’s Kingdom to impact this area today.
The Lord’s prayer is a prayer that we might be part of Jesus’ Kingdom-victory movement. As we pray, ‘May your Kingdom come’, we remember that the ultimate victory was won at the cross. Indeed, this is why Jesus’ resurrection happened! The power of death was defeated and could not hold him in the grave. Yet, we continue to pray for kingdom-moments on earth now, as in heaven, wherever sin and death are trying to choke the life out of us, out of those we love, or out of people in God’s world.
Though Jesus is King of the whole world, his authority is regularly challenged by other forces, such as the human will, and by darker forces to which people offer their attention and adoration. These forces can be economic, social, cultural, or a variety of other ‘things that are not God’, which are best described as ‘the idols’.
When we pray for God’s Kingdom to come, we are praying that the forces, the idols, will be driven back by the power and the victory of God’s love. We are praying that the new creation—the age to come—might powerfully rush in so that we experience the victory of ‘kingdom of heaven moments’ in our contemporary context.
Every time we pray this prayer, we are invoking God’s new age. We are affirming that we believe we are already called to be part of God’s whole new world: his Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. The prayer for ‘God’s Kingdom to come’ expresses trust that God will fully and finally defeat the idols and put all things right at last. It is a hopeful prayer for the success of Jesus’ own Kingdom ministry.
In practice, it can be helpful to have a specific reference point as we pray ‘thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as in heaven’. For example, we might pray for politicians, leaders, or world rulers who are susceptible to the abuse of power. Alternatively, we might lift up the needy and the poor, or hospitals and schools and the vast needs in the areas of healing and education. Our keen and prayerful attention can be focused on the marginalized, or those with special needs. As we pray, we come before our Father, asking for his Kingdom to come in all these places through the work of the Spirit in his church at work in the world.
Question to consider:
The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer for victory to be won over forces that oppose God’s rule and his will. In what ways has power and kingship has been redefined around Jesus?
Living it out:
Identify a specific area where brokenness is evident and pray for God’s Kingdom to impact this area today.
Day Four: Give Us Today the Bread We Need Now
The prayer for daily bread reflects a most basic human need. This elementary staple sits at the heart of the Lord’s Prayer and affirms our shared dependence on the Father for the provision of regular sustenance. For people who do not suffer from hunger or the effects of famine, it can be easy to overlook the primary importance of seeking God for our daily meals. Yet, Jesus teaches us to pray this prayer, not only for those who go hungry in God’s world, but also for ourselves.
For many, what often seems most urgent are the myriad things on our ‘to do’ lists, transporting kids to and from school or sports activities, meeting work goals, or even fighting crucial spiritual battles. However, the facts are, we cannot do any of these things on an empty stomach.
There is a general sense in which the prayer for daily bread is just that: Lord, please give us the bread we need now, for today, and when tomorrow comes, then for tomorrow. For those who are impacted by unjust systems or structures, poverty, unemployment, or lack of access to clean water and daily bread, it is not assumed that ordinary life will automatically include the ordinary food that we all need. In this world of plenty, there are millions of people who starve—many of whom are children.
We must be praying for daily bread for ourselves, and particularly for those who need it and with whom we should share it. This is not a prayer that we just pray once. Rather, the Lord’s Prayer encourages us to continue asking God for the basic things we need, and to continue confessing the ways in which we have messed up. As we listen for the ‘little whisper’ of the Holy Spirit, may we remember the people who are hungry for God, hungry for love, and hungry for bread.
This prayer is also particularly poignant because Jesus as the bread of life is the source of nourishment for his people. Indeed, the Lord’s Supper is one of the ways that this prayer is specifically answered. In the Gospel of Luke—which differs slightly from Matthew’s account—Jesus teaches his disciples to ask the Father to ‘Give us each day our daily bread’ (Luke 11:3; emphasis added). Thus, we might be encouraged to continue a regular pattern of prayer for the bread that we all need for today, each and every day, until he returns again.
Question to consider:
Consider the crucial aspect of ‘our daily bread’. What is the relationship between humanity’s shared dependence on regular meals and Jesus as the bread of life?
Living it out:
Practice giving thanks to God the Father for your daily bread before every meal today. Pray for yourself and also for others in the world who are hungry. Practically share with another in need.
The prayer for daily bread reflects a most basic human need. This elementary staple sits at the heart of the Lord’s Prayer and affirms our shared dependence on the Father for the provision of regular sustenance. For people who do not suffer from hunger or the effects of famine, it can be easy to overlook the primary importance of seeking God for our daily meals. Yet, Jesus teaches us to pray this prayer, not only for those who go hungry in God’s world, but also for ourselves.
For many, what often seems most urgent are the myriad things on our ‘to do’ lists, transporting kids to and from school or sports activities, meeting work goals, or even fighting crucial spiritual battles. However, the facts are, we cannot do any of these things on an empty stomach.
There is a general sense in which the prayer for daily bread is just that: Lord, please give us the bread we need now, for today, and when tomorrow comes, then for tomorrow. For those who are impacted by unjust systems or structures, poverty, unemployment, or lack of access to clean water and daily bread, it is not assumed that ordinary life will automatically include the ordinary food that we all need. In this world of plenty, there are millions of people who starve—many of whom are children.
We must be praying for daily bread for ourselves, and particularly for those who need it and with whom we should share it. This is not a prayer that we just pray once. Rather, the Lord’s Prayer encourages us to continue asking God for the basic things we need, and to continue confessing the ways in which we have messed up. As we listen for the ‘little whisper’ of the Holy Spirit, may we remember the people who are hungry for God, hungry for love, and hungry for bread.
This prayer is also particularly poignant because Jesus as the bread of life is the source of nourishment for his people. Indeed, the Lord’s Supper is one of the ways that this prayer is specifically answered. In the Gospel of Luke—which differs slightly from Matthew’s account—Jesus teaches his disciples to ask the Father to ‘Give us each day our daily bread’ (Luke 11:3; emphasis added). Thus, we might be encouraged to continue a regular pattern of prayer for the bread that we all need for today, each and every day, until he returns again.
Question to consider:
Consider the crucial aspect of ‘our daily bread’. What is the relationship between humanity’s shared dependence on regular meals and Jesus as the bread of life?
Living it out:
Practice giving thanks to God the Father for your daily bread before every meal today. Pray for yourself and also for others in the world who are hungry. Practically share with another in need.
Day Five: Forgive Us the Things We Owe
One of the extraordinary things about Jesus’ ambitions in his public career was his aim to form a new kind of family: a family of forgiveness. This, of course, is rooted in God’s promises in Jeremiah 31, Ezekiel 34-36, and comes through supremely in Isaiah 40-55—the promise of comfort—when God fully and finally deals with the sins and idolatry of his people. At the heart of the Lord’s Prayer is the motivation to share with one another what we have received from God: the daily bread of forgiveness, which nourishes and sustains relationships.
Families in the first century were multi-generational and included servants and others who all shared a common life together. The family unit was the primary source of safety and provision. As such, the family bond was crucial. If debts were owed, they were sorted out. When things went wrong, they needed to be reconciled. However, the idea of interpersonal ‘forgiveness’ was something new.
‘Debts’ and forgiveness go rather closely together. Some translations of the Bible use trespasses rather than debts. However, both words need to be thought through. In Luke 4:19, Jesus declares he has been sent ‘to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor’, which calls to mind the year of Jubilee when debts were wiped off the record. At the heart of the Lord’s Prayer is this idea of relief—as when you are seeking to be released from a debt that is owed.
Yet, it does not stop there. As we pray, ‘Forgive us our trespasses/debts’, we also are praying that we too might celebrate the year of our Lord’s favor. We are praying that we will be empowered to forgive the debts of others, and release those who have cost us something by their offenses. In practice, we need to find ways today to make this a reality in the church, both in our own life and in the life of our community. We might also campaign that debts will be released and relieved wherever possible, for we are Jesus’ new family of forgiveness.
The door that opens as we receive God’s forgiveness enables an openness that swings in the direction of forgiving somebody else. If we insist on locking the door to other people who need our forgiveness (whether of sins or debts or anything else), then we are in effect slamming the door shut against God’s forgiveness and saying, No I don’t want to be a forgiveness person.
Jesus of Nazareth went about proclaiming and extending the ‘forgiveness of sins’ apart from the normal way of sacrifices at the temple. This was quite an extraordinary thing for him to do! Who did Jesus think he was? What was he doing? With Christian hindsight, we see that he was precisely inaugurating the New Covenant of God’s Kingdom on earth as in heaven.
Today, when we are praying for the forgiveness of our sins, we are praying for the blessings of the New Covenant. We pray for reconciliation with God and for possibilities of forgiveness and reconciliation to emerge with one another. These opportunities come to us because of the work and faithfulness of Jesus the King, whose Kingdom is all about forgiveness.
Question to consider:
Jesus is the head of a new kind of family: a family of forgiveness. What is the role between release from debts and trespasses in maintaining unity and holiness in the bond of love and peace?
Living it out:
As you pray for God’s forgiveness today, practice being a ‘forgiveness person’ through whom God’s relief, release, and, gladness will flow out into the life of another.
One of the extraordinary things about Jesus’ ambitions in his public career was his aim to form a new kind of family: a family of forgiveness. This, of course, is rooted in God’s promises in Jeremiah 31, Ezekiel 34-36, and comes through supremely in Isaiah 40-55—the promise of comfort—when God fully and finally deals with the sins and idolatry of his people. At the heart of the Lord’s Prayer is the motivation to share with one another what we have received from God: the daily bread of forgiveness, which nourishes and sustains relationships.
Families in the first century were multi-generational and included servants and others who all shared a common life together. The family unit was the primary source of safety and provision. As such, the family bond was crucial. If debts were owed, they were sorted out. When things went wrong, they needed to be reconciled. However, the idea of interpersonal ‘forgiveness’ was something new.
‘Debts’ and forgiveness go rather closely together. Some translations of the Bible use trespasses rather than debts. However, both words need to be thought through. In Luke 4:19, Jesus declares he has been sent ‘to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor’, which calls to mind the year of Jubilee when debts were wiped off the record. At the heart of the Lord’s Prayer is this idea of relief—as when you are seeking to be released from a debt that is owed.
Yet, it does not stop there. As we pray, ‘Forgive us our trespasses/debts’, we also are praying that we too might celebrate the year of our Lord’s favor. We are praying that we will be empowered to forgive the debts of others, and release those who have cost us something by their offenses. In practice, we need to find ways today to make this a reality in the church, both in our own life and in the life of our community. We might also campaign that debts will be released and relieved wherever possible, for we are Jesus’ new family of forgiveness.
The door that opens as we receive God’s forgiveness enables an openness that swings in the direction of forgiving somebody else. If we insist on locking the door to other people who need our forgiveness (whether of sins or debts or anything else), then we are in effect slamming the door shut against God’s forgiveness and saying, No I don’t want to be a forgiveness person.
Jesus of Nazareth went about proclaiming and extending the ‘forgiveness of sins’ apart from the normal way of sacrifices at the temple. This was quite an extraordinary thing for him to do! Who did Jesus think he was? What was he doing? With Christian hindsight, we see that he was precisely inaugurating the New Covenant of God’s Kingdom on earth as in heaven.
Today, when we are praying for the forgiveness of our sins, we are praying for the blessings of the New Covenant. We pray for reconciliation with God and for possibilities of forgiveness and reconciliation to emerge with one another. These opportunities come to us because of the work and faithfulness of Jesus the King, whose Kingdom is all about forgiveness.
Question to consider:
Jesus is the head of a new kind of family: a family of forgiveness. What is the role between release from debts and trespasses in maintaining unity and holiness in the bond of love and peace?
Living it out:
As you pray for God’s forgiveness today, practice being a ‘forgiveness person’ through whom God’s relief, release, and, gladness will flow out into the life of another.
Day Six: Don’t Bring Us into the Great Trial, But Rescue Us from Evil
Have you ever noticed that often when you are trying to do something positive, suddenly it seems as though everything begins working against you? As we worship and work for the flourishing of God’s Kingdom on earth as in heaven, evil—though defeated—aggressively resists and continues to revolt against God’s rule. This is one reason why we are frequently met with fierce opposition as we seek to do good things in the name of Jesus.
In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus warns Peter, James, and John, ‘Watch and pray so that you may not come into, peirasmos, the testing, the great time of tribulation. He is aware that all the dark powers of evil are converging towards him at this particular moment in history. As a matter of his own vocation, Jesus knows this will mean going to the very heart of that darkness and taking it upon himself, solo.
One of the more immediate meanings of this clause in the Lord’s prayer is that Jesus’ disciples might pray that they will be rescued from that time of great trial. He urges them to remain alert and prayerful for deliverance from evil schemes of the evil one. It is easy to see why this pattern of prayer is crucial for Jesus’ followers today.
The sentiment in the Lord’s Prayer can be either to ‘deliver us from evil’, or from the ‘evil one’. For Jesus and his first followers the difference between the two was not clear-cut, but rather a gray area. Our pattern might be to humbly pray, ‘Don’t let us crack under pressure from evil’, or, ‘Don’t let those dark forces grab hold of us’. Evil is typically cunning and sly rather than flamboyant and obvious, which is why it is vital to remain vigilant in prayer.
In Luke 22:53, Jesus acknowledges his opponents, ‘But, this is your hour when darkness reigns’. The dark powers were closing in on him, and it was his role to defeat them by dying under the weight of the world’s sins. It is the reverberations from this great trial from which Jesus’ followers continue to pray for deliverance.
When we lose sight of evil forces at work in the world, we may become overly confident in our own abilities to control certain situations, or naïvely assume we are strong enough to face any battle. We can also become so distracted by the enjoyment of good things that we overlook the darkness that yet opposes the Light of the world.
The Lord’s Prayer reminds us to seek his Kingdom first and to continue to pray for protection and deliverance until evil is fully and finally extinguished. We remember that God has made a good world and evil has no legitimate place in it. Our prayers about temptation and deliverance from evil must always bring us back with awe and gratitude to the foot of the cross. It is because of what Jesus accomplished there that we now pray with confident hope no matter what we face today.
Question to consider:
If we think we have named evil precisely, then we have assigned it an important place in God’s world, which it should not have. Why is it crucial to pray for protection and deliverance and avoid the extremes of overly fearing or ignoring evil?
Living it out:
Reflect or journal your thoughts on the differences between temptations, trials, and testing. How might the Lord’s Prayer provide comfort and hope in these areas?
Have you ever noticed that often when you are trying to do something positive, suddenly it seems as though everything begins working against you? As we worship and work for the flourishing of God’s Kingdom on earth as in heaven, evil—though defeated—aggressively resists and continues to revolt against God’s rule. This is one reason why we are frequently met with fierce opposition as we seek to do good things in the name of Jesus.
In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus warns Peter, James, and John, ‘Watch and pray so that you may not come into, peirasmos, the testing, the great time of tribulation. He is aware that all the dark powers of evil are converging towards him at this particular moment in history. As a matter of his own vocation, Jesus knows this will mean going to the very heart of that darkness and taking it upon himself, solo.
One of the more immediate meanings of this clause in the Lord’s prayer is that Jesus’ disciples might pray that they will be rescued from that time of great trial. He urges them to remain alert and prayerful for deliverance from evil schemes of the evil one. It is easy to see why this pattern of prayer is crucial for Jesus’ followers today.
The sentiment in the Lord’s Prayer can be either to ‘deliver us from evil’, or from the ‘evil one’. For Jesus and his first followers the difference between the two was not clear-cut, but rather a gray area. Our pattern might be to humbly pray, ‘Don’t let us crack under pressure from evil’, or, ‘Don’t let those dark forces grab hold of us’. Evil is typically cunning and sly rather than flamboyant and obvious, which is why it is vital to remain vigilant in prayer.
In Luke 22:53, Jesus acknowledges his opponents, ‘But, this is your hour when darkness reigns’. The dark powers were closing in on him, and it was his role to defeat them by dying under the weight of the world’s sins. It is the reverberations from this great trial from which Jesus’ followers continue to pray for deliverance.
When we lose sight of evil forces at work in the world, we may become overly confident in our own abilities to control certain situations, or naïvely assume we are strong enough to face any battle. We can also become so distracted by the enjoyment of good things that we overlook the darkness that yet opposes the Light of the world.
The Lord’s Prayer reminds us to seek his Kingdom first and to continue to pray for protection and deliverance until evil is fully and finally extinguished. We remember that God has made a good world and evil has no legitimate place in it. Our prayers about temptation and deliverance from evil must always bring us back with awe and gratitude to the foot of the cross. It is because of what Jesus accomplished there that we now pray with confident hope no matter what we face today.
Question to consider:
If we think we have named evil precisely, then we have assigned it an important place in God’s world, which it should not have. Why is it crucial to pray for protection and deliverance and avoid the extremes of overly fearing or ignoring evil?
Living it out:
Reflect or journal your thoughts on the differences between temptations, trials, and testing. How might the Lord’s Prayer provide comfort and hope in these areas?
Day Seven: The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory
Many people are accustomed to closing the Lord’s Prayer with, ‘For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever’. Yet, these words are not located in either Matthew or Luke’s Gospel. Rather, this phrase can be found in the first-century text known as ‘The Didache’, or ‘The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles’. However, even if the ‘kingdom, and power and glory’ do not go back to Jesus himself, they were seen by many in the early church as a natural way to conclude the prayer. Today, as we prioritize Jesus-shaped visions of power and glory, we are getting to the heart of the Lord’s Prayer for his Kingdom on earth as in heaven, now and forever.
In Jesus’ day, ‘kingdom, power, and glory’ would have made people think of the imperial center of power, Rome, and Caesar ruling in absolute power. What comes to your mind when you hear this phrase?
When the early church prayed for the coming of God’s kingdom, they were praying that God would show himself in power and glory. They were praying that Jesus would be seen and acknowledged as the true Lord of the world over against worldly rulers and human governments, which was (and is) quite counter-cultural!
Prayerfully considering God’s purposes in Christ for the hungry, oppressed, and marginalized in the world is an important way that Jesus’ followers might make his Kingdom their top priority today. When Jesus speaks to his disciples in Mark 10:42-43, he warns them that human rulers bent towards worldly power and glory become arrogant and self-centered. Jesus declared that he and his followers were going to ‘do power’ a different way: the ‘Servant-way’. This is most clearly symbolized by the Son of Man coming to give his life as a ransom for many (v 45).
This redefinition of kingdom, power, and glory is woven into the story of Jesus throughout the Gospels. As we pray, we are invoking his Spirit-filled power to defeat injustice, corruption, and evil in the world. We pray with confident hope as we call upon God’s power to block what is threatening us and his purposes in the world.
As we seek His Kingdom and priorities first, we affirm that we want to be part of power done differently. Thus, as we close the Lord’s Prayer with the familiar words of ‘kingdom, power, and glory’, we are claiming Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords above all else. We are praying for God to be with us, for Christ to rule and to be active in his world, and to bring this prayer into reality on earth as it is in heaven. Like the Psalmist, we come to our Father and ask him to sort out our troubles, to come to our aid, and to let his Kingdom-power come to us both now and forever.
Question to consider:
We should think of praying the Lord’s Prayer as a whole life activity. How is praying for his ‘kingdom, power, and glory’ a way of claiming his victory over the darkness?
Living it out:
Identify where you see worldly powers set against the Kingdom-way in your specific context today. Practice responding with ‘power done a different way’ by resisting a similar response. What does the ‘Servant-way’ look like for you today?
Many people are accustomed to closing the Lord’s Prayer with, ‘For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever’. Yet, these words are not located in either Matthew or Luke’s Gospel. Rather, this phrase can be found in the first-century text known as ‘The Didache’, or ‘The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles’. However, even if the ‘kingdom, and power and glory’ do not go back to Jesus himself, they were seen by many in the early church as a natural way to conclude the prayer. Today, as we prioritize Jesus-shaped visions of power and glory, we are getting to the heart of the Lord’s Prayer for his Kingdom on earth as in heaven, now and forever.
In Jesus’ day, ‘kingdom, power, and glory’ would have made people think of the imperial center of power, Rome, and Caesar ruling in absolute power. What comes to your mind when you hear this phrase?
When the early church prayed for the coming of God’s kingdom, they were praying that God would show himself in power and glory. They were praying that Jesus would be seen and acknowledged as the true Lord of the world over against worldly rulers and human governments, which was (and is) quite counter-cultural!
Prayerfully considering God’s purposes in Christ for the hungry, oppressed, and marginalized in the world is an important way that Jesus’ followers might make his Kingdom their top priority today. When Jesus speaks to his disciples in Mark 10:42-43, he warns them that human rulers bent towards worldly power and glory become arrogant and self-centered. Jesus declared that he and his followers were going to ‘do power’ a different way: the ‘Servant-way’. This is most clearly symbolized by the Son of Man coming to give his life as a ransom for many (v 45).
This redefinition of kingdom, power, and glory is woven into the story of Jesus throughout the Gospels. As we pray, we are invoking his Spirit-filled power to defeat injustice, corruption, and evil in the world. We pray with confident hope as we call upon God’s power to block what is threatening us and his purposes in the world.
As we seek His Kingdom and priorities first, we affirm that we want to be part of power done differently. Thus, as we close the Lord’s Prayer with the familiar words of ‘kingdom, power, and glory’, we are claiming Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords above all else. We are praying for God to be with us, for Christ to rule and to be active in his world, and to bring this prayer into reality on earth as it is in heaven. Like the Psalmist, we come to our Father and ask him to sort out our troubles, to come to our aid, and to let his Kingdom-power come to us both now and forever.
Question to consider:
We should think of praying the Lord’s Prayer as a whole life activity. How is praying for his ‘kingdom, power, and glory’ a way of claiming his victory over the darkness?
Living it out:
Identify where you see worldly powers set against the Kingdom-way in your specific context today. Practice responding with ‘power done a different way’ by resisting a similar response. What does the ‘Servant-way’ look like for you today?