Prayers at any Churches of the world regardless of their denominations always include the “Lord’s Prayer”.

The Holy Bible states, “One day Lord Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

He said to them, “When you pray, say: ” Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:9-13)

The Lord’s Prayer is a summary of the entire Gospel. It is called “The Lord’s Prayer” that Jesus Himself gave to us as a way of teaching us to pray. In this prayer, we find seven petitions to God. Within those seven petitions we will find every human longing and every expression of faith found within the Scriptures. Everything we need to know about life and prayer is contained in the wonderful prayer.

IT IS A MODEL OF OUR PERSONAL PETITION TO GOD
Lord Jesus Himself gave us this prayer, prayed in the various sacraments and liturgical worship, serves as a model of all prayers. It is good that we repeat the words of the Lord’s Prayer regularly. Our intention should be goal to internalize each and every aspect of this prayer so that it becomes a model of our personal petition to God and an entrustment of our entire life to Him.

The Lord’s Prayer begins with us acknowledging our identity as children of the Father. This is a key foundation for the Lord’s Prayer to be prayed properly. It also reveals the foundational approach we must take in all prayer and in the entire Christian life.

WE ARE GOD’S CHILDREN
Calling God “Father” means we cry out to God in the most personal and intimate of ways. This shows that God is not just the Almighty or the All-Powerful. God is so much more. God is my loving Father and I am the Father’s beloved children.

SEEKING GOD’S HELP TO FACE PROBLEMS OF LIFE
Apart from that, the prayer surrenders our life and future into the hands of the Lord by admitting that “thy will be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven.” The prayer also seeks God’s help to keep us alive by meeting all our daily needs including the food, and to deliver us from all kinds of evil.

Lord Jesus, thank You for this great prayer. We trust in You.

By: Munir Bayouk

Source: en.abouna.org