Pray Like This: Reflections on the Lord’s PrayerSample

Our Father in Heaven

The Lord’s Prayer is a fantastic pattern for prayer. First, we find an invocation (“Our Father in heaven”). Then, the Lord teaches us to present six petitions. The first three petitions (Matthew 6:9-10; the hallowing of God’s name, the coming of His kingdom, to see His will done) emphasize the preeminence of God, and the next three (Matthew 6:11-13; provision, pardon, protection) focus on our personal needs in the context of community.

We can learn three lessons from the invocation in the Lord’s Prayer. The first lesson: We must pray in community. In Matthew 6:9, the word “you” (plural) is emphatic in Greek. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus teaches His disciples to address God as “Father.” But in Matthew, the Lord’s Prayer begins with “Our Father.” Though this prayer can be used in private prayer, it can also be used in corporate prayer as we address God as “Our Father.” The Lord’s Prayer reminds us that corporate prayers are very important in the life of the church. We cannot be godly Christians in isolation. We need a community of believers.

The second lesson from the invocation: As we pray together, we must remember that God is our loving Father. We have a special relationship with Him as we are adopted into His family (John 1:12). The purpose of Christ’s incarnation is our adoption as God’s children (Galatians 4:4-5). If you are in Christ, you are never an orphan! The word “Father” in Greek is patēr. But Jesus spoke in Aramaic while He was on this earth. The Aramaic term for “Father” is Abba, an intimate term for Father, which Jesus used elsewhere too. Because of Christ, even we call God Abba (Galatians 4:6; Romans 8:14-16).

The final lesson from the invocation: As we pray together, we must remember that God is the sovereign Lord. While the term “Father” reminds us of the intimate relationship we have with God, the phrase “in heaven” reminds us that our God is eternal, infinite, and all-powerful. We must remember that our God dwells in heaven. Prayer can become boring or mechanical if we forget how great our God is.

Before you pray, take a moment to remember who God is. He is a loving Father and a sovereign Lord. As we do that, we will approach God with confidence and humility.