We are all familiar with the Lord’s Prayer. It is spoken in many religious services across the world. Yet the prayer was never intended to be a prayer spoken in rote and ritual. There is no evidence that the Lord prayed this prayer, nor is there any evidence that the Lord intended the disciples to say this prayer. Several reasons exist for this conclusion. First, the disciples asked the Lord to teach them how to pray and when he responds, he tells them to pray “in this manner.” We will look at each element in several blogs, but it is important that we understand that Jesus was addressing the manner in which we are to pray. It addresses the element of praise and honor to our heavenly Father who has all authority and whose will reigns supreme over the wills of any of his children. Our will should be to see that His will is done. It also acknowledges that we are dependent on him and recognizes that the gifts that maintain our lives are from His hand and the fellowship that we are privileged to experience is, also, dependent on Him who forgives us our sins.
Second, the manner of prayer should also be focused on our neighbors. The gifts from His hand are given to us so that we, in turn, may reciprocate by sharing them with others and thereby be true sons of God (Matthew 5:43-48). The manner of this prayer exhibits respect and honor given to the Father, a dependency on Him for our needs, and petitions for others. The precise words spoken in unison are of little value, but the attitude and priorities of heart is of great value to God.