Luke 11:1-4 (ESV)
Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say:
“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”
The disciples of Jesus having walked with Him for some time and having observed His life and teachings, requested to be taught only one thing – prayer. They did not seek to learn how to preach as powerfully as He did, or to perform great and might works as He did, but they sought to learn from Him on how to pray. They must have discovered, from observing Jesus’s prayer life, that His power came from His prayer. And our Lord Jesus, always eager to respond to His own, answered them and taught them the prayer that we have famously come to call, ‘The Lord’s Prayer’.
This prayer is not necessarily merely to be recited, although there is nothing wrong with that. It is to be used as an example, a model of prayer. It begins by focussing, first and foremost, on God and then man’s needs and petitions follow. Thus, Christ-like prayers ought to be God-focussed. Jesus also taught the disciples to address God as Father, a relational approach as opposed to the practice of the day. Therefore, when we come before God in prayer, we must realise that we are coming before our Father. Yes, He is mighty and awesome in His ways, but He has chosen us and brought us to Himself, if we have believed.
“Hallowed be your name.” This is the first ‘ask’ of prayer which in a sense seeks for the honour of God’s name. The honour and glory of His name, and not our own, should be our highest pursuit. We therefore come to Him in reverential fear and are careful to both live and pray in a manner that does not dishonour His name. God’s name signifies who He is and our prayers ought to express that.
Reflections
1. If you were one of Christ’s disciples, what would you have asked to be taught?
2. How does your relationship with God affect your approach to prayer?
3. In what ways should your life change as you seek to pray, ‘Hallowed be your name’?
