Principles of Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer
July 13, 2025
Scripture: Matthew 6:9-13
It was a blistering sweltering day and family and friends were invited for a cookout. When they were about to eat, the host asked her 6-year-old daughter to say grace. The little girl responded, “But mother, I don’t know how or what to say!” The mother responded, “Yes you do, talk to the Lord and say the last prayer you heard me use.” The child bowed her head and hesitantly said, “Oh, Lord, why did I invite all these people on such a hot day?”
In our text today, Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray. In Luke 11:1, we learn that Jesus had just finished praying and one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray. Jesus then teaches as what we know as the Lord’s Prayer.
Please note Jesus is instructing how to pray, not the exact words to pray. He gives us a prayer pattern. It is fine to repeat the Lord’s Prayer if our hearts and minds are engaged. My hope is that we will learn and apply the principles that our Lord teaches here in this model prayer. Let’s look.
Verse 9, This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Jesus encourages us to pray to our Father in heaven. Our Lord teaches us that prayer is like a child talking to his Father in heaven. In the Old Testament, God was called Father only fourteen times. God as Father was always in reference to the nation of Israel. It was never personal. So, no Jew would personally call God, Father. For a Jew to call God, Father, would not be reverent.
Just as the Jews were shocked at Jesus calling God, Father, his disciples were probably shocked at his encouragement for them to call God, Father. Today, I don’t think we consider it a big deal to call God our Father, but in those days, it was a radical new concept.
Now, some people say, “We are all God’s children.” I know what they mean, but it is not Biblically correct. We are all God’s creation, but not all God’s children.
Jesus turned to a group of religious Jews one day and said, you are of your father, the devil (John 8:44). There are children of God and of the devil. What is the difference? The difference is whether you have been born again into the family of God!
How do we become a child of God? John 1:12, 13 states, Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. When one receives, puts their faith in, trust, begins to follow Jesus Christ, we become a child of God as God gives us His Holy Spirit.
Galatians 4:6 says, And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, who calls Abba! Father! Also note Romans 8:15, 16.
I John 3:10 states, This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.
If one is a child of God, there will be a lifestyle change. They begin to have an intimate relationship with their Heavenly Father through the Spirit. You have a wholehearted desire to grow into the character of Jesus! You want to obey Him!
Knowing the Heavenly Father is being assured of His love, His grace and He is always, always working for our good!
Knowing the Heavenly Father also reminds us of His discipline. Every good father disciplines his children, and this is true of God as well. Now, God’s discipline does not just include correction for committed sin but also training in righteousness. Note Hebrews 12:5-11.
Knowing the Heavenly Father reminds us of our security. He is always with us.
In knowing the Heavenly Father, there is an enjoyment in communing, talking/praying with Him. Please realize the foundation for effectual prayer is childlike relationship with the Heavenly Father!
This past week, I was blessed to have Aaron call. He had read my message from last week and noted the line, One thing that I enjoy with my son, Aaron, is good, thoughtful dialogue. I was blessed to have him tell me that he enjoys talking with me. I responded back that hopefully all of us/all believers in Jesus, enjoy talking with our Heavenly Father.
Now please realize that your experiences with your earthly parents can negatively or positively affect your relationship with your Heavenly Father. As I noted this past Father’s Day that parents/grandparents, everyone needs to develop the character of our Heavenly Father. This is critical in dealing with children. None of us will perfectly model God the Father, but we must always aim to do so. Earthly fathers are to be respected at least for their position. How much more should we respect our Heavenly Father?!
Principle 1: Address and know God is your Heavenly Father! Recognize and know His holy and amazing love for you!
After Jesus instructs us to address God as “Our Father, He instructs them to say, hallowed be thy name who art in heaven.
Jesus tells us how much respect we should have for our Heavenly Father. Hallowed means to holy, sacred, or greatly revered and honored. Our prayers to our Heavenly Father should be one of holy reverence and honor, to bring glory to His name. His name represents Who He is.
Who art in heaven indicates that our Father is not limited by earthly restraints. We communicate directly with the everlasting God who controls all things. We do not need to wait or rely on any mediator. God is not limited by human restraints.
So, we are to come into His presence with a holy, reverential awe of His majesty and glory. We consider all the revelation in both nature and Scripture concerning Him and something cries out from deep within, Lord, there is none like you (Psalm 86:8)!
Jesus did this. In John 12:27, 28a states, Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!”
Jesus gives us a glimpse of what it means to pray, Hallowed be your name who art in heaven. It means I have chosen to pursue the glory of the Heavenly Father above all other pursuits. The Father answered those words at the end of verse 28, Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
As we come to our Heavenly Father with reverential awe, we have the promise as James 4:10 states, Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
This is a good psychological principle. Often, we have this narrow, selfish mindset and humbling ourselves and lifting our eyes to a nobler, holy, outlook prompts taking our eyes, our concerns off ourselves and focusing and trusting in Almighty God, the Maker of heaven and earth! Our prayers begin with God because life and meaning begin with God. It prompts us to love Him and love others.
Principle 2: Humble yourself before the LORD! Have the attitude of reverential awe towards Him! Consider the greatness of God Almighty.
As we pray, hallowed be thy name who art in heaven it should prompt us to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10). It is a time to set your heart on His glory. As Psalm 29:1, 2 states, Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
Musician and author Carolyn Arends shares a story in an issue of Christianity Today magazine:
On a recent trip, I had a conversation with a man who learned I was from Vancouver. He had lived there years earlier, and after asking if a particular music shop was still in the city, he told me a story. His wife was a piano major at the University of British Columbia. When they went piano shopping as newlyweds, the saleswoman led them straight to the entry-level models. The man told me, “She had us pegged exactly right. We didn’t have two nickels to rub together. We were going to have to borrow the money to get the cheapest instrument there.” Everything changed, however, when the name of the prospective buyer’s mentor/teacher—a world-renowned master teaching at the university—came up in conversation. The saleswoman was panic-stricken. “Not these pianos!” she exclaimed, herding the couple away from the economy section and into a private showroom of gleaming Steinways. “I’m so sorry,” she kept repeating, horrified at the thought of the teacher finding out she’d shown one of his students an inferior instrument. Try as they might, they couldn’t persuade her to take them back to the pianos they could afford. Once the master’s name came up, only the best would do.
Listen, if we pray as Jesus taught us, our reverence and love for Him will grow. We will begin to exchange our cheap instruments of self-interest for the costly Cross of Christ—the only instrument worthy of our Master’s name.
Please take to heart and never forget just how awesome our Heavenly Father Is.
Verse 10, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
When we pray this, we are asking for His kingdom to come in all its spiritual qualities. We are asking our Heavenly Father to extend His kingdom in quantity by bringing Christ’s salvation to every nation and every person. We are praying for the spread of the gospel and the establishment of the rule and reign of the Father in the hearts of men and women. We are praying for the welfare of the distressed and oppressed. We are praying for physical healing, deliverance, change of hearts, and broken relationships. We are praying for our lives to be filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.
We are also asking for Jesus to return and set up His Kingdom! The Apostle John wrote at the end of Revelation this. He/Jesus who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:20).
Principle 3: Pray for His Kingdom to come as it is in heaven!
Jesus also states that we are to pray, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. God’s will is always done in heaven.
So, when saying this statement, your will be done, it is a commitment, a desire to do His will, not our own self will. I am afraid we often reduce our prayer life to the level of rubbing a lamp to summon our heavenly genie, telling Him our wishes. We want to build our kingdom, have our will done.
Yet, as his child, we want his will to be done. In heaven it all happens God’s way, but the god of this world, the devil, has other plans for this world/this dimension. Scripture says it is God’s will that all would be saved, but this is not Satan’s will or the natural tendency of human beings. There is this rebellious streak within us. This is why Jesus teaches his disciples to pray for God’s will.
Later on in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says in Matthew 7:21, Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Also note Matthew 12:50.
Principle 4: Wholeheartedly desire and pray for His will, not self-will, be done in your life!
Praying, your will be done, is a desire to crucify the self-will and live for the LORD! He is the potter, and we are the clay. If we are going to do His will, then we must crave the pure spiritual milk of His word (I Peter 2:1-3)/study his Word and sit at his feet, so we can know and do His will.
Verse 11, Give us today our daily bread.
We see we are to ask for daily physical needs. To pray give us our daily bread is to show our dependence on God for everything, even to our most basic needs. In Jesus’ day, workers were commonly paid each day at the end of the day. They were used to living one day at a time. And this is the attitude that Jesus wants us to have too. We must trust God for our physical as well as spiritual needs. It is an acknowledgment that we are totally dependent on God for life.
One may think if I plant corn seeds and corn comes up and we live off the land, it is what I did. However, it is a miracle that food comes from those little seeds. It is God who made all this. He is the one who is the Bread of Life.
Deuteronomy 8:3 states, He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Jesus quotes this in rebuking Satan’s temptation.
In John 6 after Jesus feeds five thousand, search for him to get more physical food. John 6:35 states, Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Jesus wanted them to realize not only who He was/is, but also to depend on the LORD! He wants us to recognize that He is the one who provides. If we do, then we will desire Him with all our being. We will want to abide in Him. Then one is truly satisfied.
I am afraid as a nation that we have forgotten that the Lord provides. As you read further on in Deuteronomy 8, it says this in verses 10-18. When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws, and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16 He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
I am afraid so many have forgotten the LORD! I am afraid God’s judgment is coming as Deuteronomy 8:19, 20 states, If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. 20 Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.
Principle 5: Ask for the basic needs that you have. Don’t get greedy. Recognize your dependence upon Him for everything! Don’t forget the One who provides! Be thankful! Hunger for the Bread of Life/Jesus!
Verse 12, Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Each of us needs to be cleansed from the guilt and power of sinfulness, and the defilement of the things of this world. Then I can focus on my eternal, spiritual being. We also need to forgive others. Holding grudges saps us of creative energies to love, lift and serve. By asking God for forgiveness, we are willing to admit our sins, weaknesses, and areas where we have done less than our best. Refusing to forgive others hinders our relationship with God. Our debt to God is far greater than what we could repay.
Principle 6: Ask for forgiveness and forgive others!!!
I will talk more about this next week as we look at Matthew 6:14, 15.
Verse 13, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Each of us tends to fall into temptation. It is part of our sin nature. Without God’s help we will self-destruct through the passions of our sinful nature. We must watch and pray that we enter not into temptation.
Jesus said in Matthew 26:31, as he told his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane before he was arrested, Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Deliver us from evil is a request asking for God’s help in overcoming evil. We are in a spiritual battle against the forces of darkness. Without God’s intervention/His help we are all vulnerable to destruction by the devil, demons, and wicked people. We need his help with the power of His Spirit to overcome our sinful nature. Note Romans 8.
Principle 7: Pray not to fall into temptation! Pray for the Lord’s help to overcome! Put your mind on what the Holy Spirit desires!
The Lord’s Prayer often ends with these words in verse 13, For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
This phrase which appears in the King James was not part of the earliest New Testament manuscripts. It is also not a part of the earliest commentaries. The early church added, For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever. Yet, this doxology certainly does apply. All things are from God. For the Lord, all things exist and were created. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. We look to Christ and His kingdom despite the stormy seas around us. All the means for accomplishing His will are done through His power, His kingdom and His glorious purposes.
Principle 8: To God belongs all the praise, honor, and glory!!!! (Note II Chronicles 29:11)
As we say and reflect on the Lord’s prayer, may we grasp the wonder of being a child of God for He is our Father who is in heaven. May we deeply revere His Name! May we long for his kingdom for He is the ruler. May we delight in doing his will and not ours for this is his desire. May we trust and depend on him for He provides our needs. May we be aware of our deep need for forgiveness and our Lord’s willingness to forgive. May we understand the importance of forgiving others as He calls us to forgive like He does. May we desire deliverance from evil and realize that He is able to deliver. May we rest in Him for He owns the kingdom, has the power, and is worthy of all glory!
William Barclay shares a Roman story which is a good picture of our access to God. He says:
There is an old Roman story which tells how a Roman emperor was enjoying a triumph. He had the privilege, which Rome gave to her great victors, of marching his troops through the streets of Rome, with all his captured trophies and his prisoners in his train. So, the emperor was on the march with his troops. The streets were lined with cheering people. The tall legionaries lined the streets’ edges to keep the people in their places. At one point on the triumphal route, there was a little platform where the empress and her family were sitting to watch the emperor go by in all the pride of his triumph. On the platform with his mother, there was the emperor’s youngest son, a little boy. As the emperor came near, the little boy jumped off the platform, burrowed through the crowd and tried to dodge between the legs of a soldier and run to meet his father’s chariot. The soldier stopped him. He told him, ‘You can’t do that, boy. Don’t you know who that is in the chariot? That’s the emperor. You can’t run out to his chariot.’ And the little boy laughed down. ‘He may be your emperor,’ he said, but he is my father.’ That is exactly the way the Christian feels towards God. The might, and the majesty, and the power are the might, and the majesty, and the power of one whom Jesus taught us to call Our Father.
I encourage you to run to our Heavenly Father! Pursue Him! Draw near to Him! Let’s pray!
