Matthew 6:7-15 – The framework for prayer

In verses 5-6, Jesus points out the flaws of prayers of the hypocrites. Here in verses 7-8, He shows the flaws of much of prayers offered by people in the non-Jewish community. Their prayers usually contain lengthy, mindless words and incantation to some sort of gods or goddesses. Many of their prayers follow some sort of formulae and words that would be repeated over and over.  They are spoken in the hope of impressing and manipulating the deities for the self-interest of the one praying. The Lord tells His people not to emulate them in prayer.

So in verses 9-15, Jesus provides a model for prayer. He is not prescribing a formula but rather providing a framework for how we can approach God in our prayers. The Lord’s Prayer begins with addressing the Heavenly Father. And He is not a man-made image or idol but the Almighty Living God, the Creator of heaven and earth. It tells us to make honoring God’s character, reputation and presence our top priority. The Kingdom of God is about His presence being fully realized in the physical and earthly realm. It’s not about taking man to heaven, but for the glory and beauty of heaven to be translated into real experiences here on earth.

On the foundation that we have a good Heavenly Father, the Lord tells us in verses 11-13 that we can then seek His provision for physical sustenance, forgiveness for our fractured relationships and guidance for our daily journey. On seeking forgiveness, this prayer tells us that we must be forgiving people ourselves. Verses 14-15 tell us that if we will not forgive others, our hearts will somehow remain closed and incapable of receiving God’s offer of forgiveness.

Verse 13 implies that there would be difficult times - times of testing and trial, and even temptation that would cause us to wander into dark and evil paths. Because we are following Jesus, we will not be spared these moments. But we can pray to be kept in Him.  So let’s learn from the Lord’s Prayer and put it into practice in our own prayer, as we walk with our Lord and find our victory in Him!