The Lord's Prayer, from Mom

`The Lord's Prayer, also known as the Our Father is one of the most recognized, loved, memorized and quoted passages of Scripture.  Many of us learned it as children, said it and maybe even still do at bedtime, or as part of a group in our churches.  But sometimes, maybe, we take it for granted in a sense...it becomes just something we say as opposed to something we dig into and think about.  I know my Mom was always drawn to this prayer, she loved studying it and exploring it's depths.  I'll share some of her findings here. 

Matthew 6:9-13 In this manner, therefore, 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 this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

13 And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

vs 9  "Our Father" in heaven meets the paternal need.  All our needs are met by the benevolence (gift, kindness) of a loving Father when we pray.  "Hallowed be Your Name."  God's presence, praise Him.  

Psalm 100:4  Enter His gates with thanksgiving ; go into His courts with praise.  Give thanks to Him and praise His Name.  

Enter His presence through praise and call Him "Father" because of Christ's atoning blood.  

Galatians 4:4-6  But when the right time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.  God sent Him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that He could adopt us as His very own children.  And because we are His children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, prompting us to call our, "Abba, Father."  

Hebrews 10:19-22  And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus.  By His death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.  And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him.  For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.  

Focus on God Himself and worshiping Him.  Meditate on His Name, on His kingdom, His will.  Humbly go into God's presence with praise and thanksgiving.  

vs 10 "Your kingdom come."  God's priorities.  "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  

Declare that His kingdom shall be established in myself, my loved ones, my church and my nation.  I am asking Him to rule my life.  I promise to try to do His will.  Romans 14:17  For the Kingdom of God is not a matter ow what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.  

vs 11 "Give us this day our daily bread."  God's provision.  Jesus, the need meeter, told us to pray daily, asking Him to meet all our needs.  

vs 12  "And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." God's forgiveness.  Daily, set our will to walk in love and forgiveness.  We need God's forgiveness and we need to forgive others.  Seems one is contingent upon the other.  Matthew 6:14-15  If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.  But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.  That should be a little scary to think about if we are one of those who hold grudges and harbor unforgiveness.  

vs 13  "And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one"  Power over Satan.  Put a hedge of protection around myself and my loved ones,  Job 1:9-10  Satan replied to the Lord, "Yes, but Job has good reason to fear Gd.  You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property..."

Psalm 91: 1-4  Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  This I declare about the Lord:  He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust Him.  For He will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.  He will cover you with His feathers.  He will shelter you with His wings.  His faithful promises are your armor and protection.  

Verbally, put on the armor of God.  Ephesians 6:13-18  Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil.  Than after the battle you will still be standing firm.  Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness.  For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.  In addition to all these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.  Put on salvation as your helmet and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.  Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion.  Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.  

vs 14 "For Yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever."  Divine partnership.  Praise God for sharing His kingdom, power and glory with us.  Praise Him for making us part of this.          

2 Corinthians 3:18  So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord.  And the Lord-who is Spirit- makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.

Every time I (this is my Mom speaking) come across an article about something in God' Word, something new in God's Word is reveled as if I've never seen it before.  Today, it's vs 10 where it says in Matthew "Your kingdom come."  Think about it--God has charged believers to pray for Jesus' return to redeem the world and establish a new kingdom.  

It's God's promise.  In Eden sin was unleashed because Adam and Eve yielded to temptation.  God then allowed the consequences of that decision to play out.  Nature became a destructive force, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, etc.  The spirit and will of each person bends away from the Creator.  Satan reigns as lord of this present age.  But God has a redemptive plan to reclaim the earth from "the enemy" and transform it into a kingdom under Christ's reign.  

Romans 8:19-22  For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who His children really are.  Against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse.  But with eager hope the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay.  For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  

So I pray, "Your kingdom come." I implore God to bring forth His eternal kingdom soon.  

From me.

I don't have much to add.  I think the best thing is for all of us to study and meditate on this wonderful prayer ourselves.  There is so much there, so much beneath a quick, surface reading.  Take your time and enjoy!

Lord, I pray also, "Your kingdom come!"  Amen.