His Word Today

⁹ Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. ¹⁰ Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread, ¹² and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:9–13 ESV)

Perhaps with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17), the Lord’s Prayer is one of the most recited and remembered portions of Scripture. Wall hangings in many homes display it, children memorize it, and gifted singers regale audiences when they sing it. For the next several days, our attention is occupied with studying and understanding it.

However, rightly understood this familiar text is not so much the Lord’s Prayer as it is the prayer of the Lord’s disciples. Additionally, it is not to be unconsciously repeated. Rather, it is to be a guide for prayer. Jesus instructed His disciples about the proper order and contents of biblical prayer. “Christ does not enjoin His people to pray in a prepared form of words, but only points out what ought to be the object of all our wishes and prayers,” explains John Calvin.

The prayer consists of six petitions. The first three focus on the glory of God. The remaining three pertain to our relationship with the One, True, and Glorious God. Its structure is similar to the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:1-17). The first petition is Hallowed be your name. The second is Your kingdom come. The third is Your will be done.

Will (θέλημα; thelema) refers to the Lord’s purpose, intent and plans. Ephesians 1:5 (ESV) teaches God the Father predestined elect sinners for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.

This request bridges two aspects of God’s will. To begin with, believers should seek to know God’s personal and moral will for their lives. Second, believers are to pray that God’s decreed will be known and obeyed. We should not only pray to know God’s plans and intentions in our lives, but also pray for the strength to obey Him and submit to the plans He has for our lives.

“The Lord’s hidden, or decretive will, contains his secret decrees and foreordains all things. It is this will that results in the final manifestation of His mercy and justice, and thus brings Him His sovereign glory. This will can never be thwarted,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul. “On the other hand, the Lord’s revealed, or preceptive will, is clearly found in Scripture and contains those things in which He delights or hates insofar as they conform to His standards. This will can be violated and can therefore incur God’s displeasure.”

It is likely that the last phrase “on earth as it is in heaven” applies not only to the Lord’s will being done, but also to His name being hallowed and His rule and reign recognized and obeyed. Our lives on earth are to be as God-centered as is life in heaven.

Have a God-centered day today as you hallow His name, acknowledge His rightful reign as King and obey His will. Blessings!

Soli deo Gloria!

⁹ Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. ¹⁰ Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread, ¹² and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:9–13 ESV)

Perhaps with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17), the Lord’s Prayer is one of the most recited and remembered portions of Scripture. Wall hangings in many homes display it, children memorize it, and gifted singers regale audiences when they sing it. For the next several days, our attention is occupied with studying and understanding it.

However, rightly understood this familiar text is not so much the Lord’s Prayer as it is the prayer of the Lord’s disciples. Additionally, it is not to be unconsciously repeated. Rather, it is to be a guide for prayer. Jesus instructed His disciples about the proper order and contents of biblical prayer. “Christ does not enjoin His people to pray in a prepared form of words, but only points out what ought to be the object of all our wishes and prayers,” explains John Calvin.

The prayer consists of six petitions. The first three focus on the glory of God. The remaining three pertain to our relationship with the One, True, and Glorious God. Its structure is similar to the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:1-17). The first petition is Hallowed be your name. The second is Your kingdom come.

Kingdom (βασιλεία; basileia) means to rule. It is the reign of a king. Believers in Christ are to hallow His name because He is King of kings and Lord of lords. The angel Gabriel told Mary, “³¹ And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:31–33 ESV)

“Jewish prayers recognized that God’s name would be “hallowed,” or “sanctified,” “shown holy,” in the time of the end, when his kingdom would come, as the Bible also said (Is 5:16; 29:23; Ezek. 36:23; 38:23; 39:7, 27; cf. Zech. 14:9). In the present God’s people could hallow his name by living rightly; if they lived wrongly, they would “profane” his name, or bring it into disrepute among the nations (cf. also Ex. 20:7; Jer. 34:16; 44:25–26; Ezek. 13:19; 20:14; Amos 2:7),” explains commentator Craig S. Keener.  

How may each of us obey King Jesus today? By obeying His Word we acknowledge He is the King of kings; and ours. May this be seen by us today.

Soli deo Gloria! ow may

⁹ Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. ¹⁰ Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread, ¹² and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:9–13 ESV)

Perhaps with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17), the Lord’s Prayer is one of the most recited and remembered portions of Scripture. Wall hangings in many homes display it, children memorize it, and gifted singers regale audiences when they sing it. For the next several days, our attention is occupied with studying and understanding it.

However, rightly understood this familiar text is not so much the Lord’s Prayer as it is the prayer of the Lord’s disciples. Additionally, it is not to be unconsciously repeated. Rather, it is to be a guide for prayer. Jesus instructed His disciples about the proper order and contents of biblical prayer. “Christ does not enjoin His people to pray in a prepared form of words, but only points out what ought to be the object of all our wishes and prayers,” explains John Calvin.

The prayer consists of six petitions. The first three focus on the glory of God. The remaining three pertain to our relationship with the One, True, and Glorious God. Its structure is similar to the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:1-17). The fist petition is Hallowed be your name.

Hollowed (ἁγιάζω; hagiazo) is an imperative verb. The action is to be done by believers in Christ toward God. The Lord receives the action from us. Believers are to reverence God’s name. It means that the Lord’s name is to be treated as holy. To be holy, and holiness, means different, separate from sin and morally pure.

This is more than just an acknowledgement and recognition that God’s name is holy and reflects His character, attributes and work. It is an aspiration for believers to reverence God’s name. To hallow God’s name is something believers are to do; especially in prayer.

“What does it mean to say that God is holy? It means that He is different from anything that we experience or find in the material universe that God the Creator differs from all creatures. The primary way in which God differs from all creatures is that He is uncreated and eternal, whereas each of us is created and finite. We are not eternal but temporal. If nothing else separates the Creator from the creature, it is that high, transcendent element of God’s own being, so marvelous, so majestic that He is worthy of the adoration of every creature,” states Dr. R. C. Sproul.

“I can’t emphasize too much how important it is that we grasp that this line of the Lord’s Prayer is not just a part of the address but a petition. We must see this if we are to understand what Jesus is teaching us about prayer. Jesus is not saying, “Father, Your name is holy,” but, “Father, may Your name be hallowed.” That is, He is teaching us to ask that God’s name would be regarded as sacred, that it would be treated with reverence, and that it would be seen as holy. We must see this if we are to pray according to the pattern Jesus set for us,” concludes Dr. Sproul.

How may each of us hallow the Lord today? By regarding His name as holy, we are regarding Him as holy. May this be seen by us today.

Soli deo Gloria! ow may

⁹ Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. ¹⁰ Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread, ¹² and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:9–13 ESV)

Perhaps with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17), the Lord’s Prayer is one of the most recited and remembered portions of Scripture. Wall hangings in many homes display it, children memorize it, and gifted singers regale audiences when they sing it. For the next several days, our attention is occupied with studying and understanding it.

However, rightly understood this familiar text is not so much the Lord’s Prayer as it is the prayer of the Lord’s disciples. Additionally, it is not to be unconsciously repeated. Rather, it is to be a guide for prayer. Jesus instructed His disciples about the proper order and contents of biblical prayer. “Christ does not enjoin His people to pray in a prepared form of words, but only points out what ought to be the object of all our wishes and prayers,” explains John Calvin.

The prayer consists of six petitions. The first three focus on the glory of God. The remaining three pertain to our relationship with the One, True, and Glorious God. Its structure is similar to the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:1-17).  

However, the phrase considered today is not a petition. It is not a request. Rather, it is an address to the Lord who is the object of the believer’s prayer.

One time during lunch, an elderly professor once asked a student of theology whether God was either transcendent or intimate in relationship with His creation. After several silent moments, the student responded that the Bible taught that God was both; transcendent and intimate. The professor responded in wholehearted agreement. Today’s text affirms that conclusion.

Our Father. The phrase (ἐγώ πατήρ; ego pater) can be addressed solely by sinners who God has justified by grace alone, through faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone. This statement reflects the intimate relationship we have with God. It is solely within this covenant relationship that any believer in Christ can call God their heavenly Father (Romans 8:12-15; Gal. 4:1-5). The Bible does not teach the universal fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood of man.

In Heaven. Here is the counterweight. Our Father is sovereign and rules heaven and earth. All things are subject to His dominion; including ourselves. Therefore, He alone is worthy of our worship and ultimate obedience.

“This prayer, which is repeated by many Christians, contains elements that are important for all praying. Prayer is to begin with worship. God is addressed as Our Father in heaven. Worship is the essence of all prayer. In Matt. 6:1–18, Jesus used the word “Father” 10 times! Only those who have true inner righteousness can address God in that way in worship,” explains Louis A. Barbieri.

“When we engage in prayer, there are two things to be considered; both that we may have access to God and that we may rely on Him with full and unshaken confidence. He (God) has both a fatherly love toward us but also boundless power,” states Calvin.

Therefore, let us never doubt the Lord’s love for us, His children. He not only listens to our prayers, but is also powerful to answer them. Have a blessed day in prayer to Our Father, in Heaven.

Soli deo Gloria!

⁹ Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. ¹⁰ Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread, ¹² and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:9–13 ESV)

Perhaps with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17), the Lord’s Prayer is one of the most recited and remembered portions of Scripture. Wall hangings in many homes display it, children memorize it, and gifted singers regale audiences when they sing it.

However, rightly understood this familiar text is not so much the Lord’s Prayer as it is the prayer of the Lord’s disciples. Additionally, it is not to be unconsciously repeated. Rather, it is to be a guide for prayer. Jesus instructed His disciples about the proper order and contents of biblical prayer. “In matters of faith and practice, it is equally important to know how not to do something as it is to know how to do it. Jesus understood that when He taught His disciples to pray,” states one commentator.  

Like learning an instrument or some other skill, we desire and need people to teach us how to do something. This is what Jesus did when He said, “Pray then like this.” Luke records Jesus’ disciples saying to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1-4). The times Jesus spent in prayer were often intense (Luke 22:39-46). The disciples must have observed this. Jesus then taught His disciples the skill and discipline of prayer.

In church history, those times of special renewal involved the heightened devotional life of the people of God. This was most likely because of a moving by the Holy Spirit. One way this was done was by immersing oneself in the Psalms. In effect, the Psalms are prayers by the Old Testament saints.

Jesus’ instructions for prayer follow in the immediate aftermath of His teaching on avoiding empty phrases and empty repetition when praying. It is ironic that today’s text is often recited but the words are rarely understood as to their content. Believers, and non-believers, know the words but do not comprehend the meaning of the words.

Additionally, Jesus taught His disciples how “not” to pray. Believers in Christ are not to pray in a hypocritical way. A hypocrite was an actor in the first century Greek theater. An actor played a role that had no impact in their lives. Jesus did not want prayer to be a sham or a fake. This was how the Pharisees prayed.

It is a dangerous thing when believers publically pray. It is easy to be swept up in the moment and to inadvertently seek to impress people with our gifted speech. However, the purpose of prayer is not to be seen by others. Prayer is to be something intensely private.

How then are believers to pray in private? That is what Jesus’ instructions are all about. Prayer is a means to the goal of godliness. That is the ultimate purpose of prayer; to be godlier in our relationship with God, in Christ and by the Holy Spirit.

Have a blessed day in Christ.

Soli deo Gloria!  

⁷ “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:7–8 ESV)

“When your heart has been warmed by such recitation to yourself [of the Ten Commandments, the words of Christ, etc.] and is intent upon the matter, kneel or stand with your hands folded and your eyes toward heaven and speak or think as briefly as you can.” –Martin Luther

“There is no subject of more solemn importance to human happiness than prayer. It is the only medium of intercourse with heaven. It is that language wherein a creature holds correspondence with his Creator; and wherein the soul of a saint gets near to God, is entertained with great delight, and, as it were, dwells with his heavenly Father.” – John Bunyan

“But after we have learned by faith to know that whatever is necessary for us or defective in us is supplied in God and in our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom it hath pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell, that we may thence draw as from an inexhaustible fountain, it remains for us to seek and in prayer implore of him what we have learned to be in him. To know God as the sovereign disposer of all good, inviting us to present our requests, and yet not to approach or ask of him, were so far from availing us, that it were just as if one told of a treasure were to allow it to remain buried in the ground. A faith unaccompanied with prayer to God cannot be genuine.” –John Calvin

Servants of Christ in church history recognized the importance and privilege of prayer. Not only was prayer to be offered to God sincerely and secretly, but also intelligently. Prayer is never about the repetition of many words.

Jesus referred to such prayer as offering a heap of empty phrases. The phrase “heap up empty phrases” (βατταλογέω; battalogeo) means to babble repetitiously. It means to use many words or to speak for a long time. Jesus condemned such prayer. The reason being is that God already knows what we will ask of Him before we even ask.    

“In Matthew 6:7–8, He tells us to refrain from the “empty phrases” spoken by the Gentiles. Many in the Hellenistic (Greek-influenced) culture of the first century believed they could manipulate God and nature through various forms of magic. Oftentimes they would repeat the same syllables or phrases over and over in order to attain a desired effect. Fundamentally, all such attempts desired to control reality. Many still try to do the same today. Eastern religions, for example, may employ the rote, almost mindless repetition of phrases like “ohm” or “Hare Krishna, ” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

“New age mysticism tells us to visualize specific outcomes in the hopes of generating enough positive psychic energy to attain them. The “name-it-and-claim-it” theology that characterizes the fringe of the charismatic movement is one example where those claiming to be Christians try to manipulate God by speaking the proper words. Prayer can also become meaningless if we pray without paying attention to our words.” .

Let us resolve to offer to God simply, secret and sincere prayers to the Lord. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

⁵ “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:5–6 ESV)

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus transitioned from His instructions on righteous works to righteous prayer. Today’s text provides general instructions pertaining to prayer. It contains not only how believers in Christ are to pray, but also how they are not to pray. However, there is never a question that Jesus’ disciples are to pray.

To begin with, Jesus warned against prayer hypocrisy. As with good works, prayer is not about being seen and heard by others for the purpose of impressing people. Such prayers are done by those who desire to be seen. This type of praying is displayed by the tax collector (Luke 18:9-12). As with good works done in this manner, there is no eternal reward from God for such praying.

“Jesus then spoke about the practice of prayer, which the Pharisees loved to perform publicly. Rather than making prayer a matter between an individual and God, the Pharisees had turned it into an act to be seen by men—again, to demonstrate their supposed righteousness. Their prayers were directed not to God but to other men, and consisted of long, repetitive phrases (Matt. 6:7; Luke 11:1-4),” explains Dr. John Walvoord.

Jesus then instructed His disciples how to pray. As with good works, Jesus did not speculate as to “if” believers in Christ pray, but rather “when” they pray.

Righteous prayer is done in secret. Righteous prayer is done by oneself in a room with the door closed. The word room (ταμεῖον; tameion) refers to a storeroom or an inner room. This is a room with no windows. With a closed door, it is a room filled with darkness illuminated only by the light of prayer to the Father of lights (James 1:17; I John 1:5).

Jesus commanded His disciples to personally pray this way. Secret prayer is offered to God the Father who is in secret. Such hidden prayer God privately rewards.

“Jesus says we must not pray “to be seen by men,” but He does no forbid public prayer. Daniel, Ezra and others prayed publically. Jesus let His disciples see Him pray. The apostles and first Christians often gathered to pray together (Acts 2:42-46). They heard each other pray for boldness in their testimony and for success in their mission (Acts 4:23-31; 13:1-3; 14:23; 20:36). When disciples pray, they simply do not care if anyone sees it or not,” explains commentator Daniel M. Doriani.

Hypocritical prayers want to be seen. Jesus said, “Do not be like the hypocrites.” Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

³ “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:3–4 ESV)

Jesus taught that giving to those in need was important. Equally important was how believers in Christ are to give. They are to do so in secret; with the Lord being an audience of One.

In today’s text, notice that Jesus said “When you give to the needy.” He did not say “if.” Giving to those in true, physical need is expected of a true and sincere believer in Christ.

When we give to the needy, in whatever form that may take, Jesus taught that our left hand should not know what our right hand is doing. Jesus used this aphorism to illustrate that our giving should be done in strict secrecy. No one should know except the Lord. No one needs to know but the Lord.

“When Jesus says, ‘Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,’ He adds a new point. Not only should we avoid telling others about our righteous deeds, we should not even tell ourselves. We should have a blissful lack of self-consciousness because self-consciousness can decay into self-righteousness,” explains commentator Daniel M. Doriani.

“Our Savior warns us against sounding the trumpet when we give (Matt. 6:2). In His own context He may be referring to the priestly blowing of the shofar (a ram’s horn trumpet) whenever there is a great need in the community. When this happened in His day, there was often an ostentatious display of men closing up shop and running toward the temple to be the first ones seen responding to the call. Trumpet-shaped collection boxes where money could be deposited to help the poor were present at the temple in the first century a.d., and these may also be the basis for Christ’s analogy in verses 2–4. Coins thrown into these boxes might make a loud noise, announcing that a great gift has been given. In any case, our Lord’s point is quite clear: Do not give in order to receive praise from men,” states Dr. R. C. Sproul.

In other words, our giving to the needy should be done without vanity, self-congratulation, or egotism. Our giving to the church should be done in the same way. This is the kind of giving that truly honors the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!