Jesus was talking with his disciples when one of them asked about prayer. They would see the religious leaders of their time standing in the streets, praying loudly, drawing attention to themselves so to make themselves look better than everyone else. (It was a "see how great I am, see how much I pray, I am so much better than you" attitude)
This was Jesus's answer:
Matthew 6:5-13
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,[a]
but deliver us from the evil one.[b]’
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,[a]
but deliver us from the evil one.[b]’
This prayer doesn't have to be memorized and recited, but it is the format or template God wants us to use. Every prayer should begin with acknowledging God and His Goodness, showing Thankfulness for His Creations and Blessings.
Our Daily Bread is not food, but wisdom, as our body needs food to survive, our souls need God's word to survive. So this line encourages us to read the Bible every day and to spend time with God every day
Next you should ask forgiveness for your sins. And we are reminded, how can God forgive us if we refuse to forgive others? We must forgive those who have hurt us.
And the last lines are requests for protection, against things that tempt us to sin, things that take us away from God, even just a little bit.
When all of that was explained to me, the Lord's Prayer took on such a deeper meaning!!
I hope it will for you as well!!
Beautiful :')
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