LESSON 18: Lord’s Prayer
Lesson 18: Lord’s Prayer
(Mathew 6:9-15)
Do you pray? When do you pray? What is prayer? Prayer means a conversion, a fellowship and dedication to our heavenly father. That prayer includes praise, worship, pleading, request, repentance, thanksgiving, dedication etc.
Our ancestors used to pray seven times a day. They heard God’s voice through prayer. God heard their voice too. Jesus used to pray all the time. He spent a lot of time in prayer. Thus, when Jesus was praying one of his disciples came to him and said, “Please teach us how to pray, just like John the Baptist taught his disciples to pray.” That prayer which Jesus taught his disciples is called the Lord’s Prayer. In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray for the coming of the Kingdom of God and for God’s will to be done on earth. How does the Kingdom of God come to earth? It happens when we live according to God’s will. If God’s will be to be done on earth, we as His children should live and act according to his wishes. We, the children of the heavenly father should fulfill his wishes just like the people of a country fulfill the wishes of their King. That means, in order for God’s will to be done on earth, each of us have to implement God’s will on earth.
When Moses led the Israelites through the desert, God made Manna fall from heaven every day as food for them. They did not wish for more nor did they save any. Like that, we pray to God to give us our daily bread. We do not worry about tomorrow because we believe that God will provide for the next day. Every day we do many wrong things. If we are punished each time, how much punishment will we get. But we are forgiven for all that. If we are to be forgiven, we must forgive others. Forgiveness is a divine feeling. Satan, who tried to tempt even Jesus, is roaring around to lead stray even the faithful. We pray to God to save us from his temptations. We should be aware of Satan’s actions which will lead us to sin. We end Lord’s Prayer by dedicating the Kingdom, the power and the Glory to God. All our prayer end in praise and worship to God in this way. Thus, when this meaningful prayer comes from our heart, heaven will open, and God will receive our prayers.
Questions:
- What is prayer?
- How many times do our ancestors teach us to pray?
- What does prayer consist of?
- If we pray to forgive our sins without, we forgiving the sins of others, will there be any benefit?
- Write briefly what is said in the Lord’s prayer.
- Why do we ask only for food for each particular day?
- What is the need to pray to save us from the evil one?
Prayer before food
Lord, by your grace, make us worthy of eating and drinking the food you have given us, to praise you and to do your will. Amen
Prayer after food
Lord, we praise you for your grace and blessing. We praise you for feeding us. We praise you for giving us from yours to eat and drink for our life. Amen.
Exercise:
- Underline the places Jesus selected for prayer: Golgotha, Mark’s house, Mount Tabor, Bethlehem, Gennesareth, Gethsemane, Temple of Jerusalem.
- Write a short prayer.
- Make a habit of praying at a fixed time morning and evening in your house along with all your family members.