"and it came to pass, that, as (jesus) was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, lord teach us to pray, as john also taught his disciples.
"and he said unto them, when ye pray, say,
the lord's prayer.
"our father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. thy kingdom come. thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. give us day by day our daily bread. and forgive us our sins: for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us. and lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil."
this is the wonderfully simple prayer uttered by the lord himself—a prayer that has guided the faith of christians since first it was spoken. you may have learned it as the disciple matthew has recorded it. matthew's version is just a little different from luke's, which is here given. but luke's version makes two or three points just a little clearer, perhaps, than does matthew's; so, we shall use it for our text in this lesson.
jesus had found god.
according to st. luke, jesus gave this prayer to his disciples in response to the request, "lord, teach us to pray." you have observed, of course, that jesus prayed often. he lived in close communion with the father in heaven. he himself had found god; and he knew that god will answer the prayer of the righteous. he knew, too, that only through the prayer of faith can a man come close to god, and obtain in full the blessings that {92} belong to him as a son of god. therefore, jesus prayed often, and as no other man has prayed.
the prayers of the jews.
but if you will study carefully the prayers of jesus, and compare them with other prayers preserved in the records of the jews, you will find his prayers quite different from those other prayers. the prayers used anciently—and still used—in the jewish service are very beautiful, noble in their faith and devotion. but they were distinctly the prayers of a special people, inspired by the thought that this special people was also a chosen, a select people. the type prayer which jesus gave, on the other hand, while individual is yet universal in its appeal, and in its application; it is concrete and practical, yet it is profoundly spiritual. of course, it was not intended by jesus that all men should repeat this prayer only and no other. he gave it merely as a type, a model. certainly, then, if we wish to know how to frame our own prayers, it will be well to analyze this one.
first, then, you will observe that this prayer possesses the characteristics that distinguish most of jesus's prayers.
the prayer of jesus.
it is brief.
it is direct.
it is sincere.
it is unselfish.
it expresses a simple, unshakable confidence in the goodness of god.
jesus addresses god as father. so should man address god. man should learn to think of god as the father of our spirits, and go to him with the same simple trust and confidence manifested by a little child {93} when it runs with outstretched arms to its earthly father. jesus felt and manifested that perfect unity between father and son.
the lord's prayer analyzed.
"hallowed be thy name." in this phrase, jesus taught that we should recognize the sanctity of the name of jehovah, and at the same time that we should show our reverence and devotion. this is a personal, individual and profound emotion on the part of him who prays sincerely.
then jesus prayed, "thy kingdom come." perhaps you do not fully realize what this petition means when you repeat it in your prayers. what is the use of praying for the kingdom of god to come to earth if we do not help in its establishment? when we utter this petition, then, we virtually promise that we ourselves will do all in our power to help. only then can god's will be done, "as in heaven, so in earth." and the doing of the will of god is, throughout the teachings of jesus, the essential element in the establishment of god's reign.
these petitions, you will notice, are of universal interest. now, jesus asks for that which will meet and satisfy personal needs. "give us day by day our daily bread." but even here, the petition is an expression of implicit confidence in god's power to provide, and in his unlimited love, rather than merely a request for some specific gift. its meaning has been interpreted in these words: "provide for us each day that which thou, in thy fatherly care and wisdom, seeth is needful for us."
the fourth petition is also full of meaning. "forgive us our sins; for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us." jesus emphasized time and again in his ministry the necessity of forgiving others, if we would ourselves be {94} forgiven. only in a spirit of humility and sincere worship can we approach the throne of god.
the last petition has been often misunderstood. "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." certainly the words as they are here recorded do not clearly represent the meaning of jesus. yet, perhaps, even in the days of the apostles some people had failed to understand. for james wrote once, "let no man, who is being tempted, say, 'my temptation is from god,' for god is not to be tempted himself by evil and he tempts no man, but each man is tempted with evil when he is drawn away by his own lusts and enticed." the petition in the lord's prayer is, therefore, a petition for strength to overcome. its meaning is, "deliver us from temptations which we can not withstand." or, as our own prophet has phrased it, "leave us not in temptation, but deliver us from evil."
teach us to pray.
these general points in the type prayer given by jesus, it is well to remember. god is not to be reached by many words. it is the broken spirit and the contrite heart that call down the love of the father. neither will the hollow, selfish prayer please the father of us all. but as we pray, finding our own words in which to express the desires of our hearts, let us remember the characteristics of the prayer that jesus gave.
it is brief.
it is direct.
it is sincere.
it is unselfish.
it expresses a simple, unshakable confidence in the providence of god.
{95} moreover, jesus prayed often. so should we all. only then may we hope to live in the presence of god.
"o thou by whom we come to god,
the life, the truth, the way!
the path of prayer thyself hath trod;
lord, teach us how to pray."
the references
luke 11:1-4.
the questions
1. repeat the lord's prayer.
2. what prompted jesus to utter this prayer?
3. what is the difference between the lord's prayer, and the prayers of the jews in general?
4. what are the characteristics of jesus's prayers?
5. analyze the lord's prayer.
6. what do we learn to guide us in our own prayers?