The Lord's Prayer - The Model Example - Luke 11:1-4

1 And it came to pass, that, as he 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.

² And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

³ Give us day by day our daily bread.

⁴ And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

A Personal Relationship With God: "Our Father"

Father: God Is Approached Confidently As a Caring Father

The Lord's Prayer illustrates the variety of requests that we can and should make to God, as well as displaying the humble attitude that should accompany prayer. The use of the plural pronoun, "us" throughout the prayer shows that it is not just the prayer of one person for his or her own personal needs, but a community prayer declaring universal brotherhood/sisterhood of believers.

Eight Elements of The Lord's Prayer That Can Be Applied Today In Our Prayers

1- Faith

"Which Art In Heaven" 

Hebrews 11:6 - "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him".  This scripture declares that without this element our prayers are useless. 

2- Worship

"Hallowed Be Thy Name" 

In the context of intimacy with God, there also is respect and recognition of His uniqueness. Hallowed means that God is holy, set apart, unique in His character and attributes.

David felt this part of the prayer to be so important that he appointed a select group of men who did nothing else in the Temple but praise and worship God. (See 1 Chronicles 23:5, 25:1, 7). In the book of Revelation, John sees four special angels who exist solely to worship God and who "rest not day and night, saying, holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come". (Revelation 4:8) See also Christ's statement to the Samaritan woman (John 4:23-24)

3- Expectation

"Your kingdom come"

The reference here is to God's program and promise. This is more affirmation than request, highlighting the petitioner's submission to God's will and the desire to see God's work come to pass. This kingdom is that blessed millennial kingdom spoken of so much in the Old Testament (see Isaiah 2:2-4, 25:8, 35:1, 8, 10; 65:20, 25) and later previewed by John in the New Testament (Revelation 20:1-6). 

4- Submission

"Thy Will Be Done In Earth, As It Is In Heaven" 

Jesus would later give the finest example of this element in Gethsemane (see Matthew 26:39) 

5- Petition 

"Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread"

This suggests that our praying should be as our eating -- daily, and it recognizes that we are dependant on God for our daily needs. 

6- Confession

"...and forgive us our debts"

The Blood of Christ will forgive us of every sin, but not one excuse! Only confessed sin can be forgiven. (see 1 John 1:9). Sin is a debt to God that needs to be acknowledged on the basis of mercy. 

7- Compassion

"...as we forgive our debtors" 

The petitioner recognizes that if mercy is to be sought from God, then mercy must be shown to others. We need to adopt the same standard that we expect others to follow. (See Matthew 18:21-35; 1 John 4:20) 

8- Dependance

"And Lead Us Not Into Temptation, but Deliver Us From Evil"

The point here is that if one is to avoid sin, one must follow where God leads. In short, the petitioner asks God for the spiritual protection necessary to avoid falling into sin.