Matt 6:9-15

To me the Lord’s prayer is not as mysterious as some would like me to believe. I take the Lord’s prayer to be a call to action for Christians and not just a general statement by God. I don’t believe God wants any “couch potato Christians” but instead wants us to actively practice our faith.

The individual petitions in the Lord’s prayer are things that God wants us to do so that His will is accomplished on earth as it is already done in heaven. The previous statement is probably quite shocking to those who say that God is in total control of everything that happens on this earth. I believe that much, if not most, of the circumstances which we find ourselves in here on earth is not a result of God’s will but instead is a consequence of our free will. God does not will us to kill each other in constant wars or to let so many of God’s children die of starvation that is totally preventable. That is certainly not God’s will. At least the God that I know.

 Yes, indeed, I tend to take this prayer in a much more literal sense than some.

Here are the red letters that I will be studying in the next few posts. At least from the NIV Bible on Matthew 6.

“This, then, is how you should pray:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
 Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one. ‘

 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

I added an extra couple of verses at the end which I use as a foundation for my general interpretation. I will get to that in a few more posts.