The Lord's Prayer: The Prayer that Bridges Heaven and Earth

Matthew 6:9-13
9 Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Pray then like This
The Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 teaches us the secret of prayer. This is the model of prayer that the Lord Jesus taught His disciples and left for us. It is a short prayer, but it contains six essential points we can apply to all prayers. Prayers that align with our Heavenly Father's will have the power to connect heaven and earth.

1. Our Father in Heaven
We call out to our loving Heavenly Father. The Lord's Prayer tells us who it is that hears our prayers. When we pray," who we are praying to" is more important than" what we are praying for." The Lord's Prayer begins with an invocation to our Father in Heaven. All Christian prayers are calls to God the Creator, who made all people and the world. For those of us who have been saved and brought into the Kingdom of God, He is a familiar presence whom we can call "Father." He is the one whom we can appeal to in any matter. He is the One who accepts it. Are you praying in captivity to your problems? Let's pray, calling out to our Heavenly Father, who loves you and has everything in control.

2. Hallowed be Your Name 
We pray that God's name be hallowed. The original meaning is: "May all creation, including mankind, hallow God's name." "Hallowed be your name" means to praise our Father, whom we believe in, for His greatness, holiness, righteousness, wonderfulness, and goodness. The Lord Jesus tells us that we can appeal to God the Father for any request or need, but before we do so, we should pray, "Hallowed be your name." Are you praying with your own needs as your first priority? Even amid problems, pray first, "Hallowed be your name." Praise His name first when you start praying.

3. Your Kingdom Come
We pray for living in God's rule. The word "Kingdom" (God's Kingdom) may remind some people of some distant heaven. The Kingdom of God refers to God's kingship over us. The Bible teaches that the Kingdom of God has already come to earth with the Messiah but has not yet fully manifested. "Your kingdom come." is a prayer, "May we live in God's rule now," and is a confession of hope for the future realization of the Kingdom of God on earth, where Christ will reign as King. Are we praying only for "answers to prayer"? Prayer that surrenders ourselves to God's reign is the best prayer that leads to "God's will. 

4. Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
We pray that our Father may meet our needs. This "bread" includes food and all our material and physical needs. Jesus also had physical needs when He was on earth. He knows that we live with physical needs. We can and should pray, "Please meet my needs." But I want to draw your attention to the fact that the Lord's Prayer is a first-person plural (we) prayer. It is not a prayer that says, "I only need to have my own needs met," but a prayer that is aware of the needs of those around "me." It is a prayer that asks that our good Father meet the needs of our families, churches, and, more broadly, our cities and our country. When you pray for the needs of those around you, God will share His heart with you and empower your prayer. 

5. Forgive Us Our Debts
We pray to receive God's forgiveness, to forgive ourselves and others, and to have our relationship with God and others corrected. The word translated "debts" in Matthew's Gospel (and "sin" in Luke's Gospel) refers to our debt to God. It is important to pray from the standpoint that "we owed a great debt to God" and that "God has forgiven that debt through the sacrifice of Christ." While forgiveness is the theme, the "Lord's Prayer" asks us to pray that our relationship with God and our relationship with people be corrected. Are you praying without forgiving yourself and others, leaving broken relationships unresolved? If you receive God's forgiveness, He helps you to forgive yourself and the people you need to forgive, and then His life will begin to flow into your prayers.

6. Lead Us Not into Temptation, but Deliver Us From Evil
The Lord's Prayer teaches us to pray for protection from temptation and evil. We live as citizens of the Kingdom of God, but this world is still under the rule of darkness. The coming of the Messiah to earth marked the entry of the Kingdom of God into this world ruled by Satan. Christ won a decisive victory on the cross, but the battle is not yet over. The Bible teaches that prayer aligning with God's will is a powerful weapon to protect us and fight the enemy. Through our prayers, God Himself fights for us. The enemy tries to bring negative thoughts (doubt) into our minds. Prayer is the most effective weapon against the attacks of this cunning enemy. Even amid a storm, Heavenly Father will protect your heart and anoint your prayers to overcome the battle.

Conclusion
We pray, trusting in our Heavenly Father, the supreme authority. Even if Fathe doesn't answer our prayers in the way we desire and when we want, the Bible tells us to trust Him. Because our good Father knows what is the best for us. There may be times when we are so overwhelmed by life challenges that we find it hard to pray a word. Let's turn our eyes to our good Father, who knows our weakness. Let's find rest in Him, who cares for us, has the authority and power above all else, and deserves all the glory. Through prayers in the name of Jesus Christ, our Father shares His heart with us, will heal and restore us, and will give us strength to overcome challenges and defeat the temptation from the enemy.