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In our previous lesson we considered how Jesus jumps into the whole topic of prayer by showing us his concern for our needs, telling us that our Heavenly Father knows our needs even before we ask, even to the extent that He very often provides our needs before we ask. Knowing how to ask is the center and core of the Lord's Prayer, as Jesus teaches us to pray.
We begin our study of the Lord's Prayer by pondering Luke's version first before jumping over to the more popular version in Matthew.
In Luke 11:1, the disciples of Jesus come to Him and demand, "Lord teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." Hearing this request, Jesus replies with an outline on how to pray, which we commonly call, "The Lord's Prayer." However, Jesus never intended for us to mimic his words. But He fully intended us to learn from them. They are an example of how to pray, as well as what to pray.
[Note: The Greek makes it clear that they are not just asking Jesus but rather they are demanding that He teach them. I know that this may well be hard for us to grasp, that these men had a very down to earth relationship to Jesus, a man to man kind of thing, so that it did not trouble them to make demands of Him and not just politely ask.]
Jesus' disciples are asking Him to teach them about prayer. At first, this request seems a bit extraordinary. After all, these men grew up in Jewish households, where they were taught to pray from childhood. Why, therefore, did they make this demand? On one hand, they saw John the Baptist teaching his disciples how to pray. But, more than that, they saw Jesus praying with inconceivable results. The sick were healed, demons and evil spirits were cast out, the dead were raised the hungry were fed, the storm was calmed - all of this and more - as He proclaimed the Kingdom of God with power and authority. No one had ever seen anything like this before. He barely spoke but a word and things began to happen.
Never before had they seen such prayer power. Now their spirits hungered just to have a glimmer into a realm that seemed just beyond their reach. When Holly and I saw signs and wonders at a Katheryn Kuhlman meeting in 1969, we began to hunger - as it were - after righteousness. We didn't much care for that so-called speaking in tongues, but we would do anything to manifest the gift of healing. In the privacy of her room she explained that the two went together, that tongues was just a part of the package. We reached out for the whole package and we have been earnestly seeking ever since.
After a few moments, she reached out and anointed us for ministry as we went down under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. And, we have not been the same since. So, we too, like the disciples, hungered for the pure supernatural milk that we might declare to you the wonderful works of the Kingdom of God. As we enter into this adventure with Jesus, He will train you in how to pray with power and authority in the Lord's prayer.
This prayer was conceived by Jesus to train his disciples in such a way that they too would have the same results. Mountain moving power lies at the very root and core of this prayer.
Bible translators have understood for years that certain passages of Scripture are more sacred in the minds of men than other portions. In reality this is not true. All Scripture is inspired of God. However, in their desire to sell Bibles, many times so-called "new" English versions never tamper with the 23rd Psalm or the Lord's prayer, or a few other common passages. Even though a new translation may be more accurate, they leave the older form in place, so that men's minds are not offended.
Nevertheless, footnotes are often added to show the correct translation, as you may see in your own Bible. A very familiar footnote is the phrase, "For thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory for ever and ever. Amen." Consequently, as we begin this study of the Lord's prayer, I pray that I will not offend or displease you. But rather it is my desire to enhance your understanding of this prayer, and to be very pleasing to our Heavenly Father. I am certain that you will also be challenged to expand your horizons as never before.
The form of the prayer can be seen from the structure of the verbs. At this point, you may be rolling your eyes and wondering if there can be any value in a discussion about verbs. You may have the feeling that such a study is at best boring. Our hope is that we will not bore you but rather show you a deeper, more power filled awareness to your ability to pray with greater confidence. I urge you to bear with me. Most of the verbs in this prayer are in the Greek imperative, command form of the verb. In other words, the prayer is not one of begging or pleading with the Lord to do something. Nor are we commanding God. But rather it is a form of command directed toward establishing a goal or a purpose, which gives glory to the Father. As we progress in this study, this concept will become increasingly clear and more carefully defined.
The intent of the prayer is to give you wisdom and insight to the power and authority which is contained in the spoken word. Its goal is to give you confidence in praying. Jesus tells us, as he begins the prayer, "Therefore, pray in this manner." We are being encouraged to pray in a particular manner or style. The verb, to pray, has the fuller meaning of praying continually. With these two added insights, Jesus is really saying "Therefore, pray continually in this manner or style." Because the verb is in the imperative form, we might even say that Jesus is commanding us to pray continually in this way.
As we go through this study, I urge you to simply consider some of the insights that I am showing you. These insights are meant to enrich your understanding of the prayer. It is not my intent to change your style of praying or to intrude on your comfort zone. My wife and I still continue to pray the prayer as we learned it years ago. However, in recent years, we have begun to pray the prayer in the manner in which Jesus actually taught it to his disciples with a greater sense of power and confidence.
The content of the prayer is governed by Jesus. He lists seven vital components, which are essential to our ability to pray any prayer successfully. Traditionally these seven elements have been referred to as seven petitions. For this study, we turn now to Matthew 6:9-13.
Since each of these components in the Greek is in the realm of a command rather than a petition, I have labeled each element accordingly. In each of the following components, the traditional form of the prayer is listed first, followed by a suggested form based upon the imperative, command form of the Greek.
As you study the prayer, I believe that you will see that the purpose of the prayer is to bring forth the Kingdom of God. Jesus is showing us how to take those things which are above in Heaven and make them tangible realities in your life and in the life of the folks around you. Note also the briefness of the prayer. In four lines, Jesus is able to construct a prayer which takes into account every need known to men that it may be on earth as it is in Heaven. This, in and of itself, was a shock to the average Jew whose prayers very often went on for hours, such as you might see at the "Wailing Wall" in Jerusalem.
Jesus must have shocked his disciples by speaking to God as his Father. This was totally unheard of in the Jewish community. To even speak directly to the Lord would not have been permitted. Calling Him Father was totally incomprehensible. At one point in the life of Jesus, the Jews wanted to kill Him because He dared to refer to God as his Father - thus making Jesus equal to God. In their mind He was guilty of blasphemy. He could have been stoned.
This is an utterly amazing statement when you consider that God, who is the very Creator of the entire universe, has become the God whom you may address in a very familiar fashion as your Abba Father. This is absolutely astonishing. Your mind cannot even begin to grasp the incomprehensible nature of this concept to be able to cling in love to God as your Father. As we struggle to grasp this relationship, Jesus brings us to the first element of the prayer.
Jesus reminds us that the name of God is to be hallowed or consecrated. We have a responsibility to demand respect for the name of God, to see to it that it is hallowed. Of course, we ultimately learn that the name of God is the name that is above every name; it is the name of Jesus. Because the Greek is in the third person of the imperative form of the verb, we might translate this petition as "Our Father in Heaven, let your name be hallowed and consecrated. [on earth as it is in Heaven.]" However, there is a second possibility. We may also translate this component in a slightly stronger fashion, "Our Father in Heaven, we command your name to be hallowed and consecrated. [on earth as it is in Heaven!]"
The traditional translation seems to fall somewhere between these two.
The first three petitions of the prayer are all in the third person of the imperative form of the verb, so that each of them is open to one possibility or the other. Since there is some latitude in what we might do, I have chosen to use the stronger translation, which would be in keeping with the last four petitions of the prayer.
Every time I have studied or taught on this prayer, the Lord has opened my eyes to various aspects of the prayer. As you may have noted above, I have taken the liberty to attach the phrase, [on earth as it is in Heaven!], which normally comes at the end of the 10th verse. The brackets are mine to show that these words are added. This seems only fitting to stress that each of the seven petitions is concerned with manifesting the Kingdom of Heaven.
The implication here is that the Lord wants to show us that through prayer we may manifest the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth. This is in keeping with Col. 3:1, which admonishes us "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." This concept, I believe, pertains not just to one element of the prayer, but to all seven components. As you read each petition, I believe you will see how well this phrase fits in.
[Please note: I have also taken the liberty to add the word "command" throughout the prayer in order to give the English the same stress as is found in the Greek. The Greek leaves no question of the fact that the verb is a command.]
We learn from this petition that we may command the Kingdom of God to come to our family, to our friends, to the folks in our church, to the people where we work, and ultimately to the folks in the market place. At this point in the prayer, I believe you will begin to get a deeper insight to the use of the command form of the verb. When we command the Kingdom of God to come to us, we are in fact inviting the gifts of the Holy Spirit to be manifested in our midst with signs and wonders.
"Thy Kingdom come" now becomes: "We command your Kingdom to come! [on earth as it is in Heaven.]" A second translation might be, "Let your Kingdom come. [on earth as it is in Heaven.]"
An example of how this petition may be used is when someone is sick. When sickness strikes, we may command the Kingdom to come to them with healing, "I command this sickness to be healed in the name of Jesus." For those contending with demonic spirits, we may command demons and evil spirits to be cast out from those affected, thus bringing the Kingdom of God to the affected person. Then, through Kingdom power we may also command prosperity to flow where there is poverty. When the Kingdom of God is present, no evil will befall you. This petition is filled with Kingdom power.
When we were told that our daughter would have seizures for her entire life, we took the Lord at his Word and we commanded the Kingdom of God to come into her life. Day by day, every day, we commanded those seizures to leave in the name of Jesus. Finally, after three years of persistently commanding the Kingdom to come to our daughter, the miracle happened and she was totally healed - confirmed by the very doctor who had given us the original diagnosis. Since that time we have witnessed hundreds of healings, many people set free from demons and evil spirits, and even one little girl raised from the dead. Do we want the Kingdom to come? Yes, we do! Because it sets people free! For freedom, Christ has set us free.
This portion of the prayer is filled with creative power, as we invite the will of God to be established in our midst.
"Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven."
Thy will be done in the Greek is not just the simple word, "to be done," but rather it is a much more complex word having a deeper meaning "to be created" or "to come into existence" or "to be established." This element of the prayer has to do with the very creative power of God, nothing more and nothing less. Jesus used a more complex word because He wanted us to have a deeper, fuller, richer awareness in our praying, and not just a superficial perception. Prayer is to have a creative, divine nature about it.
This verse now becomes, "We command your will to come into existence and to be established! [on earth as it is in Heaven!]" Here again we may use the slightly weaker phrase, "Let your will come into existence and to be established! [on earth as it is in Heaven.]"
Commanding the Kingdom to come, and commanding God's will to be done are both very complementary to one another. Both of them have as their goal the need to bring forth the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth. When the Kingdom comes through our prayers, and when the will of God is accomplished through our prayers, then healing is manifested, demons are cast out, the storms are calmed and the five thousand are fed.
In fact, this fits in with the basic theme established by Jesus in Matthew 6:8b, when He indicates that our Heavenly Father desires to meet all of our needs even before we ask - as we saw in our previous study. The Lord's Prayer is concerned with meeting all of our needs, physical, spiritual, and financial.
At this point we might well recall the words of Jesus when He commands us to "Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all the things [of the Kingdom] will be added to you." I believe that you can now see a simple correlation between these two commands of Jesus.
"On Earth As It Is In Heaven":
This phrase punctuates the desire of the Father to bring forth his Kingdom that it might be manifested here on earth in each of our lives. This concept of bringing Heaven down to earth is repeated two more times in Matthew's Gospel. In the following passages we are overwhelmed by the depth of the implications that what we bind on earth will be bound in Heaven and what we loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven.
Mt. 16:19. "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Mt. 18:18. "Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
This understanding is totally obscure to our finite minds. Nevertheless, Jesus shows us that this idea is central to the prayer. The ramification of this teaching is that the will of God becomes a tangible reality on earth as it is in Heaven, through the process of binding and loosing. Later in our study of asking and commanding we will come once again to the concept of binding and loosing.
This petition deals with fulfilling our daily needs. It is here in the last four petitions that the verb tense changes slightly to a stronger command form as depicted by the use of the second person. No longer is it possible to use the word, let, as in the three previous petitions. It would not be possible to say, "Let our daily bread come."
Not only does the verb tense change, but the kind of bread also changes from today's bread to the bread for tomorrow. Even the footnote in your Bible will admit this alternate reading. But why? I have heard that the phrase, "bread for tomorrow" is an idiom which refers to the Word of God, which is the bread for tomorrow. Still, the translators hesitate to translate the passage correctly. More than likely, their concern is for the sensitivity of folks who would be deeply troubled by such a translation. Or, it may well be that Bibles with a "wrong" version of the prayer would not sell.
However, on a number of different occasions as I meditated on the meaning of this passage, I began to understand that this verse has to do with prosperity. I believe that this verse is far more tangible and reflects the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:8b, "Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." It is this understanding which we sense as we pray:
"Give us this day our daily bread." which now becomes:
"We command the bread for tomorrow to be given and supplied to us today. [on earth as it is in Heaven!]"
To have tomorrow's bread today is certainly a double blessing, a double portion spoken about in other portions of God's Word, such as Isaiah 61:7. "Instead of your shame you shall have a double portion, instead of dishonor you shall rejoice in your lot; therefore in your land you shall possess a double portion; yours shall be everlasting joy." You may have also noted that the word for supply is also imbedded in the word to give. God is our supplier. It is our Abba Father who provides us with an overflowing portion that we cannot contain it. He is the one who gives his children a hundred fold return. Tomorrow's bread for today, an overflowing abundance!
Now, are you beginning to see why I directed your attention to the verbs? It's exciting! Tomorrow's bread today! That's real prayer power! That's mountain moving power! Power to feed the five thousand.
Holly and I might not have fed the five thousand, but we have seen the loaves multiplied! One Wednesday we were having a home meeting with ten folks and all we had was ten of those little pieces of bread, when a dozen other folks just happened to drop in. I was tempted to break those little pieces in half but the inner voice told me no! So, I passed the plate around and when it got back to me, there was as much on the plate as there was when I began. Praise the Lord! Shout Hallelujah! Tomorrow's bread today!
Once again we see that our daily needs are be taken care of in this prayer, as our Abba Father reaches out to make provision for his children. We think nothing of singing the chorus, "Jehovah Jirah, our Provider." So, we should not be surprised when we see that the prayer of prayers has this emphasis. God is our provider and this prayer is aimed at our obtaining that provision.
Forgiveness and repentance are the usual theme for this part of the prayer. But, a deeper study teaches us differently. We are not asking for forgiveness from sin. If the prayer were dealing with the topic of sin, then the Greek word, "harmatia," would be used. This petition has to do with our relationship to the people around us in our lives and our ability to forgive them their debts and trespasses against us. The Greek not only speaks of debts and trespasses, but it also deals with bondage and obligations. Forgiveness also has the connotation of having our debts dismissed. The implications here are stupendous.
"And forgive us our debts [trespasses]." now becomes: "We command our debts, our bondage, our obligations and our trespasses to be forgiven and to be dismissed."
Here again Jesus uses a very complex word, which contains a multifaceted meaning concerned with debts, bondage, obligations, and trespasses. It also shows us that forgiveness is a dismissal of all of these things that we owe to another person. This becomes the Christian's year of jubilee. It coincides with Jesus' admonition to "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
Once again there is mountain moving power implied in this very powerful petition. When we learn to release others from their debts, we are destined to see the overflowing blessing and the hundredfold return.
But there is an obligation needed before the benefits of this petition can be fulfilled, and that is we must be willing to forgive and dismiss the obligations of other people.
"Even as we have forgiven others their debts and trespasses" now becomes:
"Even as we have forgiven and dismissed the debts, the bondage, the obligations and the trespasses of other debtors and those bound under an obligation to us [on earth as it is in Heaven!]"
Admittedly, Luke's version of this passage does ask for forgiveness from sin, only to conclude with the need to forgive men their debts and their trespasses. Still, this is a need, a need for forgiveness in a variety of ways, a need which hinges on our ability to offer forgiveness to others. Their need for forgiveness is in our hands, that the same need might be met in each of us.
"DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU." "Even as we have forgiven others their debts and trespasses."
"Even as we have forgiven others their debts and trespasses" now becomes in the Greek: "Even as we have forgiven, dismissed, delivered, and sent away the debts, the bondage, the obligations and the trespasses of others [on earth as it is in Heaven!]"
Even as Holly and I were doing our final draft of this study, we received a revelation of how this petition is reflected in the words of Paul, when he tells us, "I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of equality your abundance at the present time should supply their want, so that their abundance may supply your want, that there may be equality." 2nd Cor. 9:13-14.
Jesus establishes a very unique principle which goes against all human reason. It is one that is manifested in the principle of giving. Abundance is to be shared as a means of storing up for the future. Giving produces abundance, and releasing others from their obligations creates wealth. Such thinking is absolutely uncanny.
When Holly and I were not paid for four months at our last church, in the flesh we wanted vindication. However, we released the congregation from their obligation and offered it unto the Lord as a part of our tithe. In doing so, we were able to set them free from any bondage, while at the same time storing up treasures in Heaven for ourselves. WOW! Now, we are filled with anticipation of what the Lord has planned for us.
This element of the prayer is more of an affirmation than a command or a petition. It affirms that our Father has never brought us into temptation, or into trials, or even into affliction. These are all possible translations of the Greek.
Traditionally, our appeal is, "And lead us not into temptation." However, the Greek uses the past tense of the verb, so that our appeal now becomes an affirmation. "And You have not led us into trials or into temptations or into afflictions." Just as it is [on earth as it is in Heaven!]
This just is not God's way. In Jeremiah 29:10, the Lord tells us that He has plans for us, plans for prosperity - and get this - NOT FOR EVIL! And we need to acknowledge that! Our Abba Father is so determined to meet our needs that He will even heal our faithlessness as in Hosea 14:4. Again in Isaiah 57:17-19, the Lord acknowledges our iniquity as well as our backsliding. Nevertheless, He is willing to step in and bring healing to us. While we were yet sinners - in spite of our sin - Jesus died for us. Not only that but as we shall see in the next petition, He covers us from the evil one.
Not only has the Lord not brought us into temptation, but it affirms that He has done all that He can to save us. The Greek is rich in meaning showing us that He has done everything to rescue us, to deliver us, and to drag us out of danger from all evil as well as from the evil one, so that we may now declare: "But, we demand to be rescued and delivered and to be dragged away from the evil one." Again we can add the phrase [on earth as it is in Heaven!]
This last element of the Lord's Prayer has ramifications which are so vast we could begin a whole new study at this point. For this is the main focal point of all that Jesus came to do as we read in 1st John 3:8b, "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil." Jesus' reason for coming was to "deliver us from evil."
Once again our needs are being spoken about as we demand to be delivered from the evil one and all that Satan represents: i.e. sickness, demonic bondage, various forms of anxiety, worry and depression, all kinds of fornication and lust, from poverty and pestilence and a whole myriad of various evils including death itself.
Deliverance from the evil one has to do with fellowship and intimacy with Jesus. As James 4:7-8 tells us, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you."
"For thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory for ever and ever. Amen." now becomes, "For yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory into eternity for ever. Amen."
These concluding words are more in the realm of worship and praise than another element or petition directed to our needs. They seem to coincide with other such passages of praise and worship as in the 4th and 5th chapters of Revelation. For Holly and me, the prayer just does not seem complete without them. Other folks have never learned them as a part of the prayer, and for them the prayer ends with the seventh petition. Here it is simply a matter of taste.
You have received a great deal to think about and ponder as you meditate on the various concepts we have opened up for you. I trust that your prayer life has been enhanced through this study - not only for you - but for those around you, as you use these principles to intercede on their behalf. This then concludes this study.
Following are two translations, showing you how you might use the insights manifested in this study.
"The Lord's Prayer - In Two Versions" Translated by Richard Lang
"Our Father in Heaven, we command your name to be hallowed and consecrated. [on earth as it is in Heaven!]" "We command your Kingdom to come! [on earth as it is in Heaven.]" "We command your will to come into existence and to be established! On earth as it is in Heaven!" "We command the bread for tomorrow to be given and supplied to us today. [on earth as it is in Heaven!]" "We command our debts, our bondage, our obligations and our trespasses to be forgiven and dismissed. [on earth as it is in Heaven!]" "Even as we have forgiven, dismissed, delivered, and sent away the debts, the bondage, the obligations and the trespasses of others. [on earth as it is in Heaven!]" "And we affirm that You have not led us into trials, or temptations, or afflictions," "But, we demand to be rescued and delivered and to be dragged away from the evil one. [on earth as it is in Heaven!]" "For yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory into eternity for ever. Amen."
"Our Father in Heaven, let your name be hallowed and consecrated." "Let your Kingdom come." "Let your will come into existence and be established!" "On earth as it is in Heaven." "We demand that the bread for tomorrow be given and supplied to us today." "We demand that our debts, our bondage, our obligations and our trespasses be forgiven and be dismissed." "Even as we have forgiven, dismissed, delivered, and sent away the debts, the bondage, the obligations and the trespasses of others." "And we affirm that You have not led us into trials, or temptations, or afflictions." "But, we demand to be rescued and delivered and to be dragged away from the evil one.""For yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory into eternity for ever. Amen."