I remember as a child, we would recite Luke 11 vs 2 – 4 in school and before meals.
It was a cherished ritual; my mom explained it was the Lord’s Prayer.
A question lingered in my young mind: “If I pray these exact words Jesus spoke, would all my prayers be answered instantly and my problems vanish?”
Fast forward to today, I rarely recite this prayer anymore – and I bet I’m not alone.
Sometimes, I even catch myself diving into meals without a moment of grace (guilty as charged!).
But what was Jesus really teaching His disciples in Luke 11? Throughout the Gospels, we read about Jesus spending entire nights in prayer. What filled those hours of divine communion?
Whether new to faith or a seasoned believer, understanding Jesus’s prayer blueprint can transform your conversations with God from uncertain mumblings to confident communion.
After this sermon on the Lord’s Prayer, I promise your perspective will never be the same!
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our opening text is taken from Luke 11 vs 1 – 4 (KJV):
Verse 1: And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.
Verse 2: And he said unto them, when ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come. They will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Verse 3: Give us day by day our daily bread.
Verse 4: And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Have you been bothered by this question? How do you pray right? The short answer to this is that praying right results from being taught rightly.
Jesus taught his disciples how to pray and the apostles also taught believers how to pray. They did this by teaching and practice.
One of the reasons why the passage in Luke 11 vs 1 – 4 is called the Lord’s Prayer is that it is the Prayer the Lord Jesus taught his disciples, therefore, people say it is a model prayer for us to follow.
However, when you go through the scriptures and Epistles, there is no record that Jesus prayed that prayer and no record that his disciples or the early church recited that prayer as it is being done today. Shocking right?
So, what then is the Lord’s Prayer?
The Lord’s prayer is a prophecy, wishes, and desires of the Old Testament folks or the Elders/Prophets about Christ.
The summary of all the prophecies of the Old Testament is the sufferings of Christ and the glory that will follow.
Remember that it was Jesus’ response to his disciples’ request on how to pray.
Jesus then told them about the will of the Father and what has been the desire of the prophets which is salvation through faith in Christ.
What do I mean? The Apostle Peter said in 1 Peter 1 vs 10 – 11:
Verse 10: Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
Verse 11: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow.
Acts 3 vs 17: But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
Acts 3 vs 20: And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you
Acts 3 vs 22: For Moses truly said unto the Fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
In other words, Jesus’ response to them was that they should focus their heart desire on the fulfillment of the Father’s will.
So, Jesus taught prayer by teaching them the will of the Father which was expressed in the prophecies of the prophets.
Prayer is taught by the teaching of God’s word. When you know the word, you can pray right.
Therefore, every phrase of what Jesus said in Luke 11 vs 1 – 4 was something yet to be fulfilled.
The coming of God’s kingdom, the will of the Father, the giving of our daily bread, the forgiveness of sin, our deliverance from the evil one, the revelation of God’s true character and what we shall be as the result of what was yet to take place – which is the death and resurrection of Jesus fulfilled all the phrases in that communication of Jesus to his disciples.
“Give us this day our daily” in Luke 11 vs 3, and Matthew 6 vs 11, is not about talking about our daily needs or material provision from God.
Jesus is our living bread that came down from heaven, that men may eat and not die (John 6 vs 31 – 42).
Our fathers or elders ate manna and died but whosoever eats this bread from heaven will not die but have eternal life.
To eat the bread of life is to believe in Christ for eternal life. 1 John 5 vs 11 – 12:
Verse 11: And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
Verse 12: He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
The will of God is that men will have eternal life through believing in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Jesus our daily bread has been freely offered. It is required of the unbelievers to eat and have life.
The believer has eaten and therefore has life. Christ has become his daily bread. What about you? Have you eaten this bread?
Based on the biblical explanation above, we can boldly say that:
“The Kingdom of God has come, the will of the Father has been done, we have received our daily bread, we have been delivered from the evil one, we have received forgiveness of sins, and we have seen God as the deliverer from temptation and we also forgive others by the forgiveness we have received”.
This was the communication Jesus gave to his disciples. All these have been fulfilled or answered in the death and resurrection of Christ.
We, therefore, don’t pray the “Lord’s prayer anymore.
Say this prayer with me: “Christ is our daily bread. I have eaten this bread therefore I have eternal life. I don’t ask God to give me daily bread again.” Hallelujah! Glory!!
Our next sermon will be on the fervent prayer of a righteous man in James 5 vs 16 and Justification by faith in Romans 5 vs 1. See you there!
My passion lies in reaching out to young adults in communities and schools, witnessing the transformative power of faith in their lives.
This blog extends my ministry, sharing insights, encouraging believers, and exploring Christ's teachings in daily life.
Welcome, Brother James.
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