“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” Matthew 6:9-13
Everybody thinks of this scripture as a Catholic thing, but this is something Jesus actually said. We are always asking God what should we pray, what should we pray for? Then we read the scripture, “For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:27).
Though we sometimes don’t know the specifics of what we should pray for, Jesus gave us the heart of what our prayers should be for. The disciples asked, what should we pray, and Jesus’ response was the Lord’s prayer.
It’s called the Lord’s prayer because this is what He’s praying for us. This is what He wants for us. This is what He wants the heart of our prayers to look like. This is what He wants us to pray for and yearn for. We’re not talking about repeating the “Our Father” prayer religiously. When Jesus gave us the Lord’s prayer, He gave us more than a prayer. He gave us the foundation of our walk. He gave us the things we should yearn for and burn for. The things we should cry out for.
There are 7 different elements in that prayer that are heart cries in and of itself. This is what the Lord is saying to them: These are the 7 things you should pray for, and these 7 will make your walk complete. Seven is the number of completion. Do you want to walk a clean walk? Do you want to do well like Abel? These are the 7 things your heart should cry out for and these are the 7 things that will even make and keep your heart clean and pure. If you are His disciple, these should be your prayers.
- Thy Kingdom Come:
Seek the kingdom and all its righteousness and all else will be added unto you. Our daily walk is to see His kingdom be established, and for His reign to be present in us and around, and for us to be established in our position in heaven as we are released on earth as ambassadors of the kingdom and to further the kingdom on earth.
- Thy Will Be Done On Earth As It In Heaven:
Paul said to know the will of God at all times. We need to know what the Lord wants us to do, where He wants us to go and where He wants to stay, and what He wants us to say. The will of the Lord is like the wind. It travels in different directions furthering the Kingdom of God, and it’s our job to follow that wind and be taken by that wind. He is the wheel inside the wheel. God is going places. The Spirit of God is hovering all over the earth, and we are following Him and obeying Him.
- Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread:
Just like the children of Israel cried out for manna in the wilderness so shall we. God was the key to their survival, but manna kept them going, kept them fed, and kept them physically strong. Now God gives us spiritual manna, His word daily. He said if any man comes after me, he must eat my flesh and drink my blood, and this is how He will remain in me. His flesh is His word and we eat it every day. Christ is the word. He is building a spiritual foundation in us, a spiritual strong tower in us that we would lean on and grow strong in. The bread will fill our bellies so that out of our bellies will be rivers of living water. The water is the word. His manna is His word, and we shall live by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.
- And Forgive Us Our Debts:
Drink my blood He said to them. Now we have a mediator and propitiation for our sins, for our shortcomings, for our mess-ups. The Bible says to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. It’s when we humble ourselves and confess our sins and ask for forgiveness and receive His forgiveness. It’s when we drink His blood that He washes our debts. It’s when we fall and repent and get back up. He restores, He forgives us, He forgives us our debts.
- As We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us:
The Bible says we must forgive our brother 77 x 7. If we cannot forgive, we cannot be forgiven. For how unrighteous is it for God to forgive you of great debt and you not to forgive your brother of his little debt? We are forgiven and that’s why we should forgive. If God stretched His hand out to us in mercy, why do we have to shorten the Lord’s hand and not let it extend to our brother? His forgiveness for us restored us, and our forgiveness towards our brother restores our brother.
- And Lead Us Not Into Temptation:
The enemy will come at any time to tempt us. Jesus was led into temptation to be tried and tested, and after that, it said that the devil waited for the next opportune time. What's that time going to be for you? Yet the Bible says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). If He is able to lead us into temptation, He can lead us out of temptation and can lead us away from temptation. He is the light unto our feet. He can show us where the snakes are. Will you endure the escaping of the light when you’re in the midst of the dark?
- Deliver Us From Evil:
Many forget that we have a flesh. Paul said he had to put it under and put it to death every day. He had to put to death the deeds of the flesh. We may be born again, but we still have flesh to burn. We still have a mind to renew. We still have old ways that need to change out to God’s ways. There is still a road of deliverance. From carnality and super spirituality. From religion and things that are not of God that call themselves God. Sometimes we are led away by our lusts and desires but God is bigger than the heart and He delivers us from our lusts and desires. This needs to be our cry as the fire continues to bring up impurities and makes us perfect as He is perfect.
All these things need to be our cry, these 7 things are our 7 cries until Jesus comes back. All these things need to be the deep desires of our hearts. These are some of the groanings of the Spirit. We can feel when He groans for us to seek, to forgive, to repent, to cry for His word, to lead us, to deliver us. The Spirits groans within us. He groans for the timing of these things. He nudges us, He convicts us, He hungers inside of us.
These prayers are not just prayers. They are the daily foundations of our walk and cover all areas of our walk. These are the things that keep us hidden in the shadow of the Most High, and these are the things that keep out satan and His Kingdom. Let the Lord’s prayer be your prayer. Let these prayers be your desires and heart cries daily. They must never leave your heart and mind because they will keep us in His flow.
When you don’t know what to pray, these are the things He commanded us to pray. Don’t pray for them religiously, pray for these heavenly things to be done on earth as it is in heaven. In you, as it is in Him. Seek Him and you will find Him. Ask for a piece of bread and He won’t give you a stone. Forgive everybody and He will forgive you. Find the way out in the time of temptation. Seek the deliverer so that you would not be tempted. A dead man cannot be tempted and saved man is saved because of His savior. Let the Lord’s prayer be my prayer and let it be your prayer. For His is the Kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and ever, amen.
By Joe Pinto
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