One Prayer…..Seven Petitions
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Have you ever asked someone with a skill you desired to teach you that skill? Maybe you wanted to learn how to play the piano. Maybe you wanted to learn how to be a better cook. Perhaps you wanted to learn how to play pickleball. The Apostles wanted Jesus to teach them how to pray. Find out what they learned in today’s message.
In Luke 11:1 we read, “He was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” At that time Jesus taught them how to pray. Not only did Jesus teach them, but He also taught us how to pray.
The Lord’s Prayer is perhaps the most well-known prayer. The question we must ask ourselves is this, “Do I merely know the words, or do I truly know the meaning of this prayer?”
Have you noticed that the Lord’s Prayer is one prayer with seven petitions? The first three petitions draw our focus towards the glory of the Father, the sanctification of His name, the coming of His kingdom, and the fulfillment of His will. In these, we adore, love, and bless the Father. These petitions strengthen our faith and fill us with hope.
In the next four petitions we say, “give us”, “forgive us”, “lead us not,” and “deliver us.” In these petitions we focus on the battle against evil and the desire for victory. We focus on our needs. We need to be nourished, healed, and made victorious. We commend our brokenness to God’s grace.
Together, let’s examine the seven petitions.
THE FIRST PETITION: OUR FATHER, WHO ART IN HEAVEN, HALLOWED BE THY NAME
We don’t pray “My” Father but “Our Father.” Through the “our,” we acknowledge the unity of the Body of Christ. Despite division among Christians, this prayer is a summons from all of the baptized. We pray to be able to leave individualism behind, seeking instead, as children of God, to unite our voices as one voice.
Through the words “hallowed be thy name,” in addition to giving honor and glory to God’s name, we hope to enter into His plan for the salvation of all.
When we say “who art in heaven” we don’t think of God as somewhere out there, but we understand that God is both in Heaven and in the hearts of His people. We realize that, through Jesus, we are already close to the Father. It is only because of Jesus, who is the Son of God, that we can, as adopted sons and daughters, call God Father.
THE SECOND PETITION: THY KINGDOM COME
In this second petition we don’t just look forward to the second coming of Jesus, but we pray for the growth of His Kingdom in our own lives today.
THE THIRD PETITION: THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.
This third petition is vitally important to pray for. As humans we are radically incapable of uniting our will to the Father’s will. We have seen this played out from The Garden of Eden to our modern time. Jesus is our example. He gave His life doing the Father’s will. Jesus was obedient to the Father, and we are called to obedience as well. It is only when we are united with Jesus, and we allow the power of the Holy Spirit to work in us, that we can attempt to deny our own will and choose the Father’s will for our life.
THE FOURTH PETITION: GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD
It is through Jesus that we have the confidence to say the words “give us.” As children, we trust that our Father will give us what we need. Bread sustains physical life. We not only pray that God will give us the nourishment we need, but we pray to God to strengthen us in our responsibility to see that all of mankind is properly nourished. We pray for an end to hunger.
The phrase, “this day our daily” is not a redundancy nor a mere repetition. The word used in the original text for “daily” was “epiousios,” and this word occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. Epi-ousios means super-essential. In our prayer, we ask the Father to give us super-essential bread. What is that super-essential bread? We find that answer in John 6:35. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” In John 6:53-54 Jesus said, “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.” Every day, when we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we are asking that day to be fed by the “bread of life!” Jesus is that bread! We are asking for the only medicine that assures immortality!
THE FIFTH PETITION: AND FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US
In this fifth petition we beg God for mercy. Begging for mercy is the easy part. But the word “as” should grab our attention and move us to action. We ask God to forgive us as we forgive others. We cannot benefit from the outpouring of God’s mercy if we remain unwilling to forgive those who have trespassed against us.
THE SIXTH PETITION: AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION
With this petition we are asking God to strengthen us so that we don’t take the path that leads to sin. We ask for grace and perseverance against sin. To be clear, God cannot be tempted by evil and He tempts no one! We are asking Him to keep us from choosing evil. We are engaged in a battle between our flesh and spirit. Temptations come as part of our human condition. As we battle against sin, our temptations serve to remind us of our utter dependence on God.
THE SEVENTH PETITION: BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
In the seventh petition, we pray to God to grant us a share in Jesus’ victory over the ruler of this world. Jesus prayed to the Father, “I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one.” Satan is the evil one who opposes God. He attempts to thwart God’s desire for our salvation. We always need God’s protection from Satan’s evil lies.
The AMEN
Finally, with our “Amen,” we proclaim “So be it” to the seven petitions.
THE FINAL DOXOLOGY
Proclaimed as adoration and thanksgiving, the words, “For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and forever,” harken back to the first three petitions to our Father: the glorification of His name, the coming of His reign, and the power of His saving will.
Like the Apostles, we need to know how to pray. Jesus has taught us! Now, each time we pray let’s try to thoughtfully meditate on each of the seven petitions in this beautiful prayer.
Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of your Son. Jesus, thank you for the gift of this prayer. Holy Spirit, grant me a renewed desire to pray and a deeper understanding of how to pray. Amen!
AMDG
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