Jesus teaches we are to pray for the Fathers character to be upheld and honoured. Hallowed be his name, the glorious name above every other name. Members of the kingdom by grace will not take the Lord’s name in vain because we know from our hearts how holy it is. How different this attitude is to using the name like the pharisees for the sake of their own ego.

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Next we pray along the lines of the kingdom of God coming in power in our midst. We are kingdom people and we are about the business of the king of the kingdom. We pray for the Fathers provision acknowledging that every good and perfect gift comes from above. Give us this day our daily bread, reminds us that no matter what era we live in, our God still provides all of our needs. And forgive us. We pray to the one who is the righteous judge of all the earth and we can access His forgiveness through the Son.

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Next we are invited to prayer for the Fathers’ guidance, and finally his protection from the evil one. Jesus concludes his teaching by reminding us that this type of praying is the fruit of a changed heart, one that has been profoundly impacted by forgiveness and consequently is postured towards granting forgiveness to others.

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The Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. One can only imagine that this refers to God’s activity in response to our prayers. May we learn how to pray the way Jesus said we could.