May 16, 2017
Matthew six, verses 9-15 contain what has come to be known as the Lord’s Prayer. For some, this simple prayer has become the primary prayer they pray. They have it memorized and can recite it easily. But was this Jesus’ intent when He shared this prayer as part of His sermon on the mount? Was He providing us with a prayer to pray or a model to follow? If you look closely, He prefaces the prayer with the following words, “Pray then like this.” It would seem that He is giving us a model or simple outline for proper prayer. And it is important that we understand the context. Jesus has been talking about prayer, fasting and giving. He has been exposing false prophets and those with false professions. Prayer had become a means by which the Jewish people attempted to impress one another. They preferred public prayers and long-winded, wordy and repetitious prayers. But Jesus wanted them to understand the kind of prayers God preferred. And this short, but remarkably rich prayer provides them with a simple outline of the elements that should be a part of each and every prayer we pray.