In what is frequently called the “Lord’s Prayer,” Jesus instructs us to direct our prayers to our Father in heaven. In this model prayer, He includes seven petitions we should ask of Him. The first three are related to God and His glory; the remaining four are related to our needs and concerns (Mat.6:11-15).
The first of the four requests related to us is the need for daily bread. This petition indicates the Biblical truth that we are dependent upon God. While we may not be concerned for “daily” bread in the same way the original hearers or readers of this sermon were, it is true, nevertheless, that ultimately God must provide for our needs if they are to be met.
The last three petitions are related to our spiritual concerns. We should ask God to forgive us our sins, a request which is very important to our Christian life especially in maintaining fellowship with God. What is concerning is that we must ask the Father to forgive us as we forgive others. Later in the context, there is the warning that if we do not forgive others, the Lord will not forgive us (vv.14-15). The request, “And do not lead us into temptation” is reminiscent of Matthew 4:1 where we read of Jesus being led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. We are to ask God to keep us form temptation, and in those cases where we meet temptation, we should ask Him to deliver us from evil or from the evil one, who is the devil.
We may end our prayer on a note of praise – “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”