7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!
9 Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need,
12 and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.
14 “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.
15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
In these verses, Jesus teaches us to pray with words that come from the heart—honest, and sincere. The prayer many of us call the “Our Father,” also known as the “Lord’s Prayer,” as it was given by Jesus to His disciples, gives us a pattern for prayer.
Jesus begins by calling out to His Father, reflecting an intimate relationship held in deep reverence. In the same way, we are invited to come before God with both closeness and respect.
As we pray, we surrender our own will to God’s will in every part of life—our marriage, family, home, work, business, and daily decisions. We bring Him our needs and struggles, trusting that He will provide what we need each day. We ask for forgiveness of our sins but need to ask ourselves if we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. Not so easy…And yet God does give us a strong warning about this!
Father, we thank You for the guidance from Your prayer. Let it remind us to listen to the words we recite so quickly to ensure that they are deliberate and authentic. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Ann Groomes
anngroomes25@gmail.com
Prayer Concern - For those in the areas of wildfires…
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Living Lord Lutheran Church
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