When you read through the gospels, it becomes evident that the things that Jesus taught were much more about concepts and relationships than trying to be formulaic. I think He knows how quickly we will try to make a story into a set of “instructions”. So, when He said to “pray this way”, was He being prescriptive or descriptive? The answer is probably “YES”! The words are significant both in literal terms but also in what they represent. The following is my attempt to unpack the literal and metaphorical.
Matthew 6:9-13
9 “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”
We your sons and daughters come together to acknowledge and recognize You as not only the loving leader of our family, but also the originator of it.
10 “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Even though we are often tempted to claim the right or authority to “rule“ ourselves, in this moment we set aside those desires and want to relinquish that control to You, as You are the only one with the “right” and authority to rule. And just like in heaven, we want Your inclinations, desires, and pleasures to be let loose amongst us.
11 “Give us this day our daily bread.”
Our hearts cry out that we need you today! While the way we experienced You in the past gives us hope for today, we know that we cannot be sustained without Your new mercies everyday. We also understand that we cannot stockpile them for tomorrow, but can only walk in the present. So, thank You for meeting us in our current realities.
12 “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
Help us to be continually mindful that we are often in need of forgiveness, both from You and from others. Let us stay humble and soft hearted to extend the grace that we have received to others so that we can exhibit Your love.
13 “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
In our brokenness, we are not able to resist temptations-which is exactly why we need a Savior. So we trust in Your power and authority to rescue us out of the clutches of the one who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy us.
13b “For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.”
You alone have the authority and right to rule, the strength and ability to make it come to pass, and the preeminent majesty to be worthy of praise and honor.
13c “Amen”
With our absolute trust and confidence we say together “May it be fulfilled.”