The Lord's Prayer...What are we Praying For?

[Deeje]

So many church goers pray the Lord's Prayer (The Our Father) rountinely in their church service, but how many actually understand what the words mean?

Matthew 6:7-13

7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

9 “Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [ For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’ ] (NASB)

For those who were raised in Protestant churches, the closing words in brackets are not part of the original Prayer, but were added later. Some might be surprised about that.

So....what does the Lord's Prayer mean, and did Jesus actually tell us to repeat that prayer?
What was he telling us to pray for? Is the order of our requests important?

 

[Nakosis]

Being a Gentile, meaningless repetition is what I do.

 

[2ndpillar]

So many church goers pray the Lord's Prayer (The Our Father) rountinely in their church service, but how many actually understand what the words mean?

Matthew 6:7-13

7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

9 “Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [ For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’ ] (NASB)

For those who were raised in Protestant churches, the closing words in brackets are not part of the original Prayer, but were added later. Some might be surprised about that.

So....what does the Lord's Prayer mean, and did Jesus actually tell us to repeat that prayer?
What was he telling us to pray for? Is the order of our requests important?

"Thy will be done, on earth as in heaven", is the first and principle component. The restriction on how one's sins will be forgiven is restricted to as we forgive the sins of others. As for receiving one's daily bread from God, that is restricted to finding "His kingdom", and "His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33-34) which is touched in the principle component.

 

[sealchan]

So many church goers pray the Lord's Prayer (The Our Father) rountinely in their church service, but how many actually understand what the words mean?

Matthew 6:7-13

7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

9 “Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [ For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’ ] (NASB)

For those who were raised in Protestant churches, the closing words in brackets are not part of the original Prayer, but were added later. Some might be surprised about that.

So....what does the Lord's Prayer mean, and did Jesus actually tell us to repeat that prayer?
What was he telling us to pray for? Is the order of our requests important?

That we not stray from the mysterious path that is the Kingdom of Heaven and God's plan for there is no need to pray other than for the strength to continue on the path and not stray out of fear or weakness at what we see along the way.

 

[SalixIncendium]

So many church goers pray the Lord's Prayer (The Our Father) rountinely in their church service, but how many actually understand what the words mean?

Matthew 6:7-13

7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

9 “Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [ For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’ ] (NASB)

For those who were raised in Protestant churches, the closing words in brackets are not part of the original Prayer, but were added later. Some might be surprised about that.

So....what does the Lord's Prayer mean, and did Jesus actually tell us to repeat that prayer?
What was he telling us to pray for? Is the order of our requests important?

Being raised Catholic, I always took it to mean that I was asking God to forgive my sins and to help me to resist temptation that may lead to sin.

 

[Treks]

Hello Deeje

I hope you don't mind non-Christian seeker types such as myself having a go at this.

The order of the prayer seems to be Praise of God (and specifically the Name), reminder of the preeminence of God's Will (as opposed to my will), then Asking for things - needs, forgiveness and protection, specifically.

It reminds me slightly of a YouTube video I watched about a lady who made a 'prayer binder'; she talked about the PRAY approach to prayer: Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield.

 

[Milton Platt]

So many church goers pray the Lord's Prayer (The Our Father) rountinely in their church service, but how many actually understand what the words mean?

Matthew 6:7-13

7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

9 “Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [ For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’ ] (NASB)

For those who were raised in Protestant churches, the closing words in brackets are not part of the original Prayer, but were added later. Some might be surprised about that.

So....what does the Lord's Prayer mean, and did Jesus actually tell us to repeat that prayer?
What was he telling us to pray for? Is the order of our requests important?

It is interesting that Christians pray for god’s will to be done in one prayer, and in another prayer ask him to bend to their will and change the course of events in their favor.

 

[Deeje]

Being a Gentile, meaningless repetition is what I do.

You are a member of a large club.

 

[pearl]

For those who were raised in Protestant churches, the closing words in brackets are not part of the original Prayer, but were added later. Some might be surprised about that.

There are two forms of this prayer found in the Gospels and of the two Luke's is considerably shorter than Matthew's. The form found in the Didache is longer than MT's by a doxology at the end, which you refer to. So the question, which is original? Most believe that it would be difficult to conceive of Luke daring to leave out petitions from a longer form since the prayer is Jesus' own. More likely is the probability that Matthew added the doxology.

 

[Treks]

It is interesting that Christians pray for god’s will to be done in one prayer, and in another prayer ask him to bend to their will and change the course of events in their favor.

Even the Stoics, who were all about God's Will and delineating between what is and is not without our control, included requests in their prayers.

On one hand there is the reminder that everything that happens is by God's will, and the other hand is the natural urge to request that our basic needs be met. Strictly speaking this might present a logic problem, but humans aren't machines.

 

[Milton Platt]

Even the Stoics, who were all about God's Will and delineating between what is and is not without our control, included requests in their prayers.

On one hand there is the reminder that everything that happens is by God's will, and the other hand is the natural urge to request that our basic needs be met. Strictly speaking this might present a logic problem, but humans aren't machines.

True, humans can be irrational. Hence the obvious logical,contradiction.

 

[lostwanderingsoul]

I might could understand saying this prayer one time but when people repeat it 20 or 30 times I think it becomes meaningless repetition. Di they think God is hard of hearing and cannot hear them the first time? What would your best friend think if you called him on the phone and repeated something 20 or 30 times? He would probably think you went crazy and I wonder if God thinks people who repeat the same thing many times are crazy.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

So many church goers pray the Lord's Prayer (The Our Father) rountinely in their church service, but how many actually understand what the words mean?

Matthew 6:7-13

7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

9 “Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [ For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’ ] (NASB)

For those who were raised in Protestant churches, the closing words in brackets are not part of the original Prayer, but were added later. Some might be surprised about that.

So....what does the Lord's Prayer mean, and did Jesus actually tell us to repeat that prayer?
What was he telling us to pray for? Is the order of our requests important?

Probably quite a few. I know I did at the time. Denomination isnt the point in regards to prayer. There was a scripture somewhere that mentioned jesus getting upset at the Jews (?)for arguing which day they should have the sabbaath. Jesus said regardless the day, the point is to worship God in that one day of rest.

Unless ones intention in prayer is not of christ, whether they stand on their head or do the cha cha, I'd assume the point of prayer is jesus.

Edit. Found it
Colossians 2:16-20

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I might could understand saying this prayer one time but when people repeat it 20 or 30 times I think it becomes meaningless repetition. Di they think God is hard of hearing and cannot hear them the first time? What would your best friend think if you called him on the phone and repeated something 20 or 30 times? He would probably think you went crazy and I wonder if God thinks people who repeat the same thing many times are crazy.

Think of meditation when you breathe in and out fifty times. Once is fine but if one is concentrating on bring calm, its ideal (but a choice) to breathe more than once.

So, if one does a slow, repetitive prayer, it's like breathing. Some say "Lord. Lord. Lord. Forgive me."

Some sing the same songs praising the Lord. It really depends. Even just saying thank you lord. Is there an intival a person must have for prayers to be real.? Quarter note? Whole note?

 

[Treks]

True, humans can be irrational. Hence the obvious logical,contradiction.

You say "irrational" and I say "complex". It's unlikely we'll be able to understand each other. Good day to you.

 

[Deeje]

"Thy will be done, on earth as in heaven", is the first and principle component. The restriction on how one's sins will be forgiven is restricted to as we forgive the sins of others. As for receiving one's daily bread from God, that is restricted to finding "His kingdom", and "His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33-34) which is touched in the principle component.

What is the opening statement of Jesus' prayer, and how does the order of the requests reflect their importance? These is not the first of Jesus' requests.

So, what is the "hallowing" or sanctification of God's name? How do we uphold that name if it is not in our vocabulary?

What is his Kingdom...and how does it "come" so that God's will can be "done on earth as it is in heaven"?

 

[Deeje]

That we not stray from the mysterious path that is the Kingdom of Heaven and God's plan for there is no need to pray other than for the strength to continue on the path and not stray out of fear or weakness at what we see along the way.

What is God's Kingdom? Does it have one path leading to it, or many?
And what do you see as "God's plan" for planet Earth and its inhabitants?

For sure we need the help of God's spirit to stay on a cramped and narrow road.....but in what way do you believe that it is cramped and narrow?

 

[Deeje]

Being raised Catholic, I always took it to mean that I was asking God to forgive my sins and to help me to resist temptation that may lead to sin.

That is part of it, but what does it ALL mean? Every part of that prayer is important, so we need to not just parrot it off by rote, but to fully comprehend its meaning.

Have you ever taken it apart word by word to see what Jesus was asking us to pray for and why?

 

[2ndpillar]

What is the opening statement of Jesus' prayer, and how does the order of the requests reflect their importance? These is not the first of Jesus' requests.

So, what is the "hallowing" or sanctification of God's name? How do we uphold that name if it is not in our vocabulary?

What is his Kingdom...and how does it "come" so that God's will can be "done on earth as it is in heaven"?

If God's name is "hollowed", one might think about the 3rd commandment, and not take it in vane. Now if one believes they are "released" from that "Law" (Romans 7:6), then they would be among the "deceived" (Revelation 13:14), and feel that they can take the name of God in vain to their own detriment. As for the kingdom of heaven at hand, it is at hand now, and consist of doing God's will, and retaining His power and Spirit, and requires doing God's will in the here and now. The "kingdom" to come, is a the door (Matthew 24:33). God feeds' and clothes those who have found "His kingdom" at hand, and "His righteousness". Others, those among the walking dead, will need to keep their 9 to 6 job, or marry someone who has an income, or suck on the tit of the beast. If one hasn't learned how to do the will of God, they are in for a hairy ride.

 

[Deeje]

Hello Deeje

I hope you don't mind non-Christian seeker types such as myself having a go at this.

Not at all.

The order of the prayer seems to be Praise of God (and specifically the Name), reminder of the preeminence of God's Will (as opposed to my will), then Asking for things - needs, forgiveness and protection, specifically.

Wow! It takes a non-Christian to see what others have missed? Impressive. You have an eye for detail.

It reminds me slightly of a YouTube video I watched about a lady who made a 'prayer binder'; she talked about the PRAY approach to prayer: Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield.

It is good to remember the words of the Apostle Paul who said...." Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7 NASB)

We can see the various forms of prayer there. "Supplication" is earnest petition perhaps over a perplexing issue or tragic circumstance.
There is "thanksgiving" reminding ourselves that even in our darkest times, there are things to be grateful for.....situations that can be much worse.
There are "requests" which include those that Jesus mentioned in the model prayer. So yes, prayer can take many forms.....none of them however, should come from memory by rote, but from our hearts out of gratitude for what we have, rather than lamenting about what we don't have.

What about God's Kingdom? How does it "come"? It seems as if we are asking that it come to us, rather than us going to the Kingdom.....what do you think?