"LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY": A PATH TO IMPROVING ONE'S PRAYER LIFE

"LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY": A PATH TO IMPROVING ONE'S PRAYER LIFE

An Exegesis of Matthew 6:9-13

By: Daniel McMillin

Some of my favorite memories with my family have been when we prayed together. Every morning before school, my family would pray together; every meal we shared together, we would pray together, and every night, my brother and I would swap turns and lead prayers together. I can remember when my brother and I were very young and would often recite the same prayer over and over again. But over time, we made certain additions to phrases we liked to use in our prayers. Our prayers began to develop as we built upon what we had prayed over time. Once we became Christians, we were ready to lead prayers, even when we were extremely nervous.

When I moved to Memphis and attended preaching school, I began to make an outline of what I would pray for when I led public prayers in chapel and worship, and I eventually got to a point where I did not have to depend on those notes. It took time to get to the place where I am today, where I can just begin praying at a moment's notice without any notes and speak in a way that honors God.

I want to share a final, personal note on my prayer life before I move forward . Every night, with a few exceptions, I've prayed with my girlfriend, Cheyenne, before going to sleep. Whether it was early on in our relationship, and we could pray together, in person, at Freed-Hardeman, or whether it was on the phone when we were apart, living in different states. Regardless of where we are, we have tried to pray together every day. Cheyenne tries to take credit for us doing this, but I started this trend.

Prayer is a very important part of the Christian life. But it is always something that we could improve upon. I am sure many of us wish that we could improve our prayer life. But if I were to ask you: How would you describe your prayer life? What would you say? How do you pray? How often do you pray? How intimate are your prayers? Do you grow closer and closer to God through your prayer life? How do you view prayer affecting the world around you? Finally, how important is prayer to you?

The best place to look for learning about prayer is to learn how to pray from Jesus Himself. There is no better teacher of prayer than our Lord, who willingly teaches His disciples how to conduct themselves in prayer. In His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7, Jesus chooses to show how not to pray in 6:5-8 and then how to pray 6:9-13. The Lord tells us, “Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask him.” We do not pray to be seen and receive praise, but we pray to honor God and give praise. Our attitude matters when we pray, especially within a corporate context. When we pray, we are not wanting to call attention to ourselves but to God. “By definition prayer is a private communion with God, not a public manifestation of piety.”[1] 

Jesus teaches us to pray by showing us exactly how to pray. The Lord’s “Model Prayer” is, as Charles Quarles wrote, “an example of a brief, humble prayer that expresses proper priorities in its petitions.”[2] Jesus viewed this prayer as a model prayer when He said, “You should pray like this.” But notice that He did not say, “This is what you should pray.” Jesus is providing us with the framework to pray properly; we do not have to use His words exactly. Instead, He is instructing us to pattern our prayer after His own. This example is applicable to the novice who does not know how to pray, as well as the veteran Christian who has been praying for many years. We all can learn from our Lord how to improve the way we pray to our God. Jesus prayed:

Stop for a moment and recognize the weight of these statements. Look at who Jesus says we are addressing in our prayers. We are praying to God! That is breathtaking. We have the honor to speak to the Creator of the universe, and He listens. Maybe the first thing we can do to improve our prayer life is if we are neglecting to understand the weight of prayer, the importance of prayer, or the power of prayer, then we need to recognize who we are speaking to. We are praying to God almighty!

PRAY TO GOD AS OUR PERSONAL DEITY: “OUR FATHER”

Look at how God is described in this opening verse. Jesus begins the prayer, not by saying, “My Father,” like He does in other places, to talk about His relationship with God the Father. However, here, Jesus says, “Our Father,” which is incredible since God is “our Father.” Describing God as our “Father” was rarely, if ever, used in Jewish prayers. But Jesus constantly describes God as our Father throughout the Sermon on the Mount and His ministry; see especially Matthew 11:25; 26:39, 42.

But how and why can we call God “our Father”? We may take this for granted, but it is a big deal to speak of our transcendent God in such a personal manner. As we read our New Testaments, we see that it is through Christ that we are the adopted children of God who are now able to say what most Jews were too afraid to say out of reverence, that God is our “Abba Father” (Gal. 3:4-7). It is the atoning work of Christ that is the basis for our adoption in Christ, of which the Holy Spirit testifies, according to Romans 8:14-17. Now we may proudly declare, “God is our Father!”

“The phrase ‘our Father’ reminds disciples that they are brothers and sisters in a spiritual family under the same Father.”[3] There is this personal relationship we now have with God since we are His children. Jesus encourages us to call God our Father, it is truly an honor. Later, Jesus assures us that God will hear and answer our prayers when He said, “How much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him” (Matt. 7:11). Since He is our Father, He encourages us to go to Him and ask for what we need, and He will graciously grant to us what we require according to His good will. As we pray, we ought to say, with confidence, that God is our holy Father and recognize the privilege of this wonderful, personal relationship we have as His children.

PRAY THAT GOD BE EXALTED: “OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN, HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME”

God the Father is the Creator who dwells “in heaven,” where He is seen on the throne of Majesty as this holy being who reigns with all power according to His glory. His transcendence ought to be evident in our prayers. Even His “name” is “holy” and reverend, which causes us to honor Him as our true God. God’s name is “hallowed” (KJV), that is, sanctified or shown to be holy. In ancient Judaism, God’s name was seen to be holy in light of the end time when His kingdom would be established. “Exalted and hallowed be his…name…and may his kingdom come speedily and soon.”[4] God’s character as hallowed (Is. 5:1; 29:23; Ez. 36:23; 38:23; 39:7, 27; Zech. 14:9). As we pray that God’s name be “hallowed” or sanctified, we are making the request “that God act to ensure that nothing threatens his reputation for holiness.”[5] See especially Ezekiel 36:22-23. Notice how Jesus prays; it is centered on the character of God. Our prayers ought to praise God simply for being who He is. To pray that God’s name be hallowed “is not to pray that God may become holy but that he may be treated as holy (cf. Ex 20:8; Lev 19:2; 1 Pe 1:15) and that his name should not be despised (Mal 1:6) by the thoughts and conduct of those who have been created in his image.”[6]

In the Bible, names have meanings. A name acts as more than a label; it also is closely related to who you are. It describes who you are as a person. Since God’s name is hallowed, it means that He is holy. In Isaiah 6, He is viewed as the tri-holy Creator. When we pray, we ought to describe God. We should talk about who He is and what He has done. Interestingly, our prayer is not that God make us holy, although that may be a good thing that we ought to do that in our prayer lives it is not what Jesus is saying, rather, our prayer is that God make His name holy.  This seems very strange to us as modern readers and “although it is a prayer that God's name be hallowed, and therefore presumably a request that God will hallow his own name, it is nevertheless a prayer which, when answered, means that we will hallow God's name. In other words, Christ’s followers are asking their heavenly Father to act in such a way that they and an increasing number of others will reverence God, glorify him, consider him holy, and acknowledge him.”[7] Our prayers ought to desire God’s glory to be magnified so we may enjoy His glory.

PRAY FOR GOD’S SOVEREIGN REIGN AS THE KING OF THE KINGDOM: “YOUR KINGDOM COME”

Jesus then instructs us to pray that the “kingdom” of God will arrive, that is, the eternal Church. D.A. Carson said, “As God is eternally holy, so he eternally reigns in absolute sovereignty.”[8] (32) We are praying, “Christ is King. May Christ reign as King over His Kingdom. May Christ’s Kingdom be established and consummated in these last days.” This prayer is so beautiful, but it is beautiful because it displays the beauty of God’s sovereignty! “Christians ought not utter this petition lightly or thoughtlessly. Throughout the centuries, followers of Jesus suffering savage persecution have prayed this prayer with meaning and fervor.”[9] May we continue to speak with the same reverence as our brethren have for generations.

Jesus is teaching us to pray for the Church. Now, since the kingdom has arrived, we may offer thanks that the Lord’s prayer was answered. To demonstrate the power of prayer, I want to note that when we often think about the Church’s arrival, we often credit this to solely God’s activity according to His eternal will. However, as we see in the Lord’s prayer, the arrival of the Kingdom is credited not only to God’s good will but to those who, like Christ, prayed that God’s Kingdom would be established. God includes us in His will as we pray in accordance with His holy will. In addition, we may pray that God will complete His kingdom in the final consummation. At Christ’s arrival, we see His inauguration as He establishes His heavenly kingdom on earth, but at His return, we will see His kingdom’s consummation as He takes His citizens to the place He has prepared for them in the city of God.  To pray that the Lord’s kingdom may come is “to ask that God’s saving, royal rule be extended now as people bow in submission to him to cry for the consummation of the kingdom.”[10] May we pray as John ends his Revelation awaiting the return of Christ the King, “Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:2).

PRAY THAT GOD’S WILL IS FULFILLED: “YOUR WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN”

At the core of our prayers, we ought to say, as Jesus not only said on this occasion but also in the Garden, “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Ultimately, God’s will will be accomplished whether we like it or not, whether we will it or not, whether we pray or not. God’s will is going to be achieved on earth since He rules as the holy Father in heaven. “We pray that God's will may ultimately be as fully accomplished on earth as it is now being accomplished in heaven.”[11] Interestingly, it was understood in Judaism that once the kingdom of God was established, God’s will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.[12] 

Here, Jesus is referring to “God's ethical will.”[13] The term “will” here “includes both God's righteous demands and his determination to bring about certain events in salvation history. So for that will to be ‘done’ includes both moral obedience and the bringing to pass of certain events, such as the cross.”[14] We desire that God’s goodness, justice, mercy, and power may be on full display on earth as it is in heaven.

God calls us to follow His will through His Word and so we not only need to pray that God’s will be done but must willingly participate in God’s will through our active obedience to His Word. Jesus teaches us to prioritize God’s will within our prayer life. Though we do not know the will of God, we pray that the will of God be done. We desire that God’s eternal plan may be made complete through Christ. And so, if we pray that God’s will be done, then we had better know it and do it. We had better be prepared for what we ask for because that is huge! We are not asking for whatever we want and just expecting God to act according to how we may feel He should. Instead, we realize that we are privileged to be a part of God’s will, He has included us in His plan. He is using us to make the reality in heaven be present on the earth. As Charles Quarles wrote:

“The disciples of Jesus pray that God’s desires will be fulfilled on earth with the same immediacy and to the same degree. God’s will on earth will be fully and finally accomplished when all human rebellion is crushed, unrepentant sinners are punished, and God’s people enjoy the fulfillment of all God’s promises to them.”[15] 

May our prayers be God-centered rather than self-centered. May we be concerned with God’s will being accomplished and pray that ours be in alignment with His good will. May we pray that God will include us in His will for His glory.

PRAY THAT GOD WILL PROVIDE OUR DAILY PROVISION: “GIVE US TODAY OUR DAILY BREAD”

Jesus also teaches us to not only pray for spiritual things but also the physical, daily things as we pray, “Give us today our daily bread.” This phrase alludes to the manna that God provided for the Israelites in the wilderness wanderings (Ex. 16; Deut. 29:26). Jesus’ prayer reminds us that we need to rely upon God as the source of our daily provisions. Too often, we take God for granted and do not give credit to God for generously giving to us every small and grand blessing in life. We ought to be thankful that God bestows to us mercy and grace, protection and provision, life and love through His Son by the Spirit. God gives us the necessities of life that allow us to wake up every morning and breathe air. He allows us to enjoy life every day as we experience the beauty of His creation on a daily basis. The most basic or fundamental gift of life that is central to all of our physical needs that Jesus tells us to pray about is our “daily bread.” Jesus is showing us that we not only are to pray about food when we pray at the dinner table but are to pray with thanksgiving and with constant petitions for the daily provisions of life.

“In Jesus day, laborers were commonly paid each day for the work they had achieved that day; And the pay was frequently so abysmally low that it was almost impossible to save any of it. Therefore the day's pay purchase the day's food.”[16] When these disciples prayed for their daily meal, they understood the human struggle. This was “an urgent petition to those who lived from hand to mouth.”[17] They understood they needed God because they depended on Him for the daily provisions. One author said, “We must pray for our needs, not our greeds.”[18] We take so much for granted. We can hardly sympathize with the readers concerning the phrase “daily bread” in our country. And so, when we pray to God, we treat Him like a genie rather than as a God! We treat prayer as something that is trivial. We pray for what we want rather than what we need. Or we neglect to pray to God because we have everything we want and see no need to pray. But when things are difficult, and we need God, we then see a need and then pray. Is that how low we view our God? In our prayer life, how do we treat God? Is He our personal genie or almighty God? May we not take our God for granted as He generously gives to us beyond what we deserve.

PRAY THAT GOD WILL FORGIVE US: “FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS, AS WE ALSO HAVE FORGIVEN OUR DEBTORS”

Jesus then prays, “Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.” This statement is fascinating to me. Jesus is teaching us how to pray, and He talks to God the Father and talks about forgiveness. Now, He uses the plural “us” to include everyone in His prayer. Jesus does not need forgiveness, but we do. And so, Jesus teaches us to involve others in our prayers, not to say when we publicly pray, “I” or “my,” but to say “we” and “our.” And so, when we pray in the public assembly we need to be praying for specific things that relate to the Christian community. We do not just lead a prayer in view of our own world but in light of the entire congregation’s world. In addition, Jesus’ demonstration of praying for forgiveness is interesting on another level. We do not pray for forgiveness because we are in constant jeopardy of losing our salvation every time we sin and fail to repent, that idea is void of the doctrine of grace. Rather, Jesus is calling us to look to God to request our forgiveness of sins when we acknowledge our wrongdoing and desire to repent of our sinfulness. Jesus also adds that when we pray for forgiveness, we are practicing the Golden Rule, that is, treating others the way we want to be treated by forgiving them of their debts. In other words, we forgive as we have been forgiven. That is why the Lord says in verses 14-15, “For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses.” Our greatest need is forgiveness. May we thank God for His gift of grace and seek His saving power when we fall short of His glory because He is willing to forgive us.

PRAY THAT GOD SAVE US: “DO NOT BRING US INTO TEMPTATION, BUT DELIVER US FROM THE EVIL ONE”

Finally, Jesus teaches us to pray that God will deliver us from moral trials, as He will “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Earlier, in Matthew 4, Jesus was tempted by the evil one, Satan, in the wilderness. Here, Jesus assumes that temptation is real and is a pressing issue that we will continue to face. He is teaching us that we need to depend on God to save us from the devil so we may not be led astray but maintain our allegiance to God. Jesus’ concluding words show us that we not only need to pray that God may forgive us when we fall short but also that we can just go to God when we mess up so He can clean up our messes. Instead, Jesus’s words show us that we need to pray that God will keep us from falling prey to the devil’s ploys. 

We need God’s protection from the evil one and the evil things that we desire to do. In a way, Jesus is teaching us to pray by making a petition that essentially “asks that God will not do to the disciple what he did do to Jesus (4:1) because the disciple is keenly aware of his own weakness and the likelihood that he will succumb to the temptations that Jesus so powerfully resisted.”[19] Jesus knows that we cannot handle what He could. We cannot go up against Satan and win. Jesus was led to the wilderness by the Spirit, so He might be tempted by the devil and leave victorious as the battle-tested Messiah.  Only the Lord could win that battle. But we are so weak. The Lord was right when He told His disciples, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt. 26:41). We require the Lord’s assistance so He may protect us from temptation, but when we are in the trenches of temptation, we must call upon the Lord to save us from our temptations. We need God to “deliver us” from our temptations. This means we need Jesus to rescue us from a fate we cannot surely escape.[20] 

This final statement is a “profound acknowledgment of the disciple’s present weakness and his complete dependency on God for spiritual victory.”[21] Just as we depend on God to provide us our physical needs, we also approach our Father to petition His assistance for our spiritual needs. Jesus is teaching us that we ought to pray that God “lead us, not into temptation, but away from it, into righteousness, not situations where, far from being tempted, we will be protected and therefore kept righteous.”[22] When was the last time that we prayed that God would rescue us from spiritual danger? When was the last time that we prayed with the understanding of our spiritual warfare? When was the last time that we relied on God in the midst of our trials the way that Jesus prayed?

HOW CAN I IMPROVE MY PRAYER LIFE

Too often, we pray the same things the same way. Our prayer life becomes more like a ritual than a spiritual rite or privilege. I think it may be because we do not think while we pray. We add no weight to the words and feel how heavy they are once they exit our minds and leave our lips. We need to stop and think about what we are saying, and if we are participating, we need to think about what is being said when we are praying. We need to be more intentional about what we say when we pray. The Lord’s prayer offers us a way to be more mindful, more reverent, and more meaningful in our prayer life. My prayer is that we be a people of prayer and that this be a house of prayer as we glorify our holy Father.

WORKS CITED

[1] Grant R. Osborne, Matthew, ZECNT (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2010), 232.

[2] Charles Quarles, Matthew, EBTC (Lexham Academic, 2023), 192.

[3] Quarles, Matthew, 189.

[4] Kaddish

[5]Quarles, Matthew, 189.

[6] Carson 31.

[7] Carson 65.

[8] Carson 32.

[9] Carson 66.

[10] Carson 32.

[11] Carson 32.

[12] Keener 62.

[13] Carson 66.

[14] Carson 32.

[15] Quarles, Matthew, 190.

[16] Carson 67.

[17] Carson 32.

[18] Carson 32.

[19] Quarles, Matthew, 191.

[20] Quarles, Matthew, 191.

[21] Quarles, Matthew, 191.

[22] Carson 70.