Jesus frequently sought solitude to find time to pray. Now one of the disciples asked Jesus for further instruction on prayer (Luke 11:1). Growing up as a Jew, this would have been an important part of their rearing, but apparently they see something deeper in the way John prayed and in the way Jesus prayed. So they asked for more guidance.
Jesus gave them an example of prayer. This is not necessarily meant to be a prayer that we repeat by rote and repetition. This is most likely a synopsis of what Jesus actually said, as Matthew’s gospel has a slightly longer version (Matt. 6). It contains important points that we should incorporate into our prayers.
The word “Father” expresses an important point of Jesus’ teaching, which reflects on our close relationship with God. We are His children through the new birth. This is a close relationship as we may call God “Abba” that is, “daddy” (Rom. 8:14-17).
“Hallowed be your name” is an acknowledgement of who God is and is a worship given to God, so prayer should begin with this attitude. Jesus prays that God’s glory and kingdom may be realized soon by each person; Jesus came to announce the kingdom of His church.
Jesus points out that we can pray for our sustenance and help. We each have differing needs and we should feel close enough to God to ask for what we need. Something that we continually need is God’s forgiveness, so this is at the heart of our prayers. Since we are being forgiven, we should also forgive. Matthew frames this in an even stronger statement, that if we don’t forgive, we will not be forgiven (Matt. 6:15). So failure to forgive reveals that one does not yet really know the extent of God’s love and forgiveness (see Luke 7:47).
“Lead us not into temptation “ does not MEAN that God entices us to do sin (see James 1:1-15). But God does allow his people to be tested. The Greek word for “temptation” is also translated “test.” This request is clearly asking that God keep his children from falling away in times of trial.
Jesus’ teaching on prayer continues with a parable found only in Luke. The scene is that of a house in which the family are all asleep when a neighbor comes at midnight asking for a favor. The householder could not get up and open the door without ...
