Matt. 6:9 You then pray in this way: Our Father who is in the heavens, Your name be sanctified.
“Pray in This Way”
Now let us consider the prayer that the Lord taught. This prayer is not the Lord’s own prayer; it is a prayer that the Lord was teaching us. Luke 11 points this out clearly (vv. 1-4). We should learn carefully from this prayer. This prayer can be divided into three sections. Let us consider the prayer section by section.
Three Desires Concerning God
The First Desire: “Your Name Be Sanctified”
“Your name be sanctified!” God has an expectation that we all pray for His name to be sanctified by men. His name is exalted among the angels. But on earth, His name is being used in vain; even the idols use His name. When a man takes the name of God in vain, God does not show His wrath by striking him with thunder. He hides Himself, as if He did not exist. When a man takes His name in vain, He does not do anything to deal with him. Yet He wants His children to pray, “Your name be sanctified.” Brothers and sisters, if you love God and know Him, you will want His name to be sanctified. If anyone takes God’s name in vain, you will feel hurt, your desire will be even stronger, and you will pray even more earnestly: “Your name be sanctified.” One day man will sanctify this name and no longer take this name in vain.
“Your name be sanctified!” This is not only our desire but also our worship to the Father. We should give glory to God. We should begin our prayer with praises. Before we can hope to receive mercy and grace from Him, we should give glory to Him. We should allow Him to gain the fullest praise concerning Himself, and then we should receive grace from Him. Brothers and sisters, we have to remember that the main thing and the ultimate goal in our prayer is for God to gain glory.
The Second Desire: “Your Kingdom Come”
“Your kingdom come!” This is not only a desire of the church, but also a responsibility of the church. The church should bring in God’s kingdom. In order to bring in God’s kingdom, the church has to pay the price to be restricted by heaven and come under heaven’s rule. It has to be the outlet for heaven, and it has to allow heaven’s authority to be expressed on earth…May the church pray like the saints of old, “O Jehovah, bow Your heavens down and descend” (Psa. 144:5). “Oh that You would rend the heavens, that You would come down” (Isa. 64:1). At the same time, we should say to Satan, “Depart from the earth immediately, and go to the eternal fire which God has prepared for you” (cf. Matt. 25:41).
The Third Desire:
“Your Will Be Done, as in Heaven, So Also on Earth”
The prayer here is “Your will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth.” This shows that God’s will is done in heaven, but that it is not fully done on earth. God’s will is like a river, and our prayer is like the channel. If our prayer is big, the accomplishment of our prayer will also be big. If our prayer is limited, the accomplishment of our prayer will also be limited. Whenever God’s children place their will in harmony with God’s will, God’s name will be sanctified, His kingdom will surely come, and His will will indeed be done on earth as in heaven.
Three Things to Pray for Oneself
The First Thing: “Give Us Today Our Daily Bread”
When a true man of God prays continuously for His name, kingdom, and will, the Lord takes care of the man himself. This prayer also shows us that we have to look to God and pray to Him every day. He wants us to exercise our faith day by day. Brothers and sisters, do not worry about tomorrow; sufficient for the day is its own evil (Matt. 6:31-34).
The Second Thing:
“Forgive Us Our Debts, as We Also Have Forgiven Our Debtors”
We have to ask God to forgive our debts as we have forgiven our debtors. If a person is mean toward other brothers and sisters and does not forget their offenses against him, he cannot ask God to forgive his debts. Brothers and sisters, just as our offenses before God must be forgiven, so we also must forgive the offenses of others against us. We must first forgive the debts of others before we can pray boldly to the Father: “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
The Third Thing:
“Do Not Bring Us into Temptation, but Deliver Us from the Evil One”
We must ask the Lord to not bring us into any temptation, not allowing us to encounter anyone that we should not encounter nor to come across anything that we should not come across. This is a protective prayer.
Three Things to Give Praise for
Lastly, the Lord taught us to give praise for three things: “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” This praise tells us that the kingdom belongs to the Father, the power belongs to the Father, and the glory belongs to the Father. Moreover, the prayer that the Lord taught always mentions “we” and “us.” This is the form of address used by the church. This is a prayer that is filled with a sense of the Body. It is a tremendous prayer. I do not know how many saints there are on earth who can pray this prayer. Brothers and sisters, may we consecrate ourselves afresh for this great prayer. Countless saints throughout the ages have become a part of this great prayer. May the Lord be merciful to us that we also may have a share in this great prayer. (The Prayer Ministry of the Church, msg. 2)
