“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.  And he said unto them, when you pray say, Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be your name and your Kingdom come as in heaven, so on earth.  Give us day by day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins; for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us and lead us not unto temptation but deliver us from evil.”    (Luke 11-4)

This familiar scripture is well known to all of us.  But perhaps there might be a few parts of this prayer that we are missing since it is a Jewish prayer, and we have forgotten the roots of our faith.

Notice that the Lord liked to pray alone.  Most of us pray alone although we also have corporate prayer when we gather.  These men wanted to know God in a more personal way.  They all had needs in their life, just as we do.

The disciples had given up their professions to follow Jesus, whom they knew as One sent by God. 

He taught them this prayer at their request.  Perhaps, they felt defeated at times and needed reassurance that God was with them in following Jeshua (his Jewish name) when they believed he was truly the Messiah.

Heaven is the seat of God. It’s a dwelling place.  Not in the big blue yonder.  Revelation speaks of the throne of God.  Not physical but as a Ruler of all things. 

Jeshua repeats the first of the Ten commandments:  Taking God’s name in an unholy manner.  Most Jews do not use the name of God directly for fear of breaking this commandment.  He is called Adonai or Hashem.  Sometimes G_d. 

Jeshua is asking God to bring Heaven to earth.  Yes, this will come at his second coming…. That is why we pray for his return.  A new Heaven and a new earth…..  in the coming Messianic kingdom. 

We only are given one day at a time……..therefore it’s our daily bread.  We are blessed each day with life and a new beginning.  Therefore, each day is sufficient unto itself!

We must forgive others who have slighted us; gossiped about us; rebuked us; or ridiculed us. It’s turning the other cheek. We do not return evil for evil. 

We turn ourselves away from the perversions of this world.  This applies to TV and all social media. 

Do we really understand what sin is?  Without knowing the Torah, the Ten Commandments…… how do we understand sin?……. murder, slander, abortion, pornography, etc.  all are found in the Torah.  Although given to Jews, we have been added into the faith by our acceptance of a Jewish Messiah. 

We understand that Satan is an adversary.  However, we have the option of choosing.  Therefore, we have an evil inclination.  Peter was tempted and forgiven.  He is a good example for us. 

 Jesus’ final words of this prayer, conclude with our evil inclination. 

By choosing to love God with all our souls, and knowing our deepest needs, we come close to understanding the Lord’s prayer.

                                    This prayer is for all of us.