Perhaps one of the most iconic sections of scripture is the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6. Through religious history, it has maintained its popularity among almost any theological circle. Some have taken it out of context while others have passed it off as outdated and irrelevant. Regardless of trends, this pericope is certainly an important area to study and meditate on. When giving instruction on prayer, Jesus gave this impeccable template. First He addresses the Father, acknowledges His will, anticipates His providence, and finally asks for spiritual well-being. However, there is one word within that prayer that particularly stands out to me; “daily.”
Notice how our Lord modeled this to be a regular practice; “give us this day, our daily bread.” It is in the middle of this incredible model that one can find the center piece of making this a continual process. We seem to push daily Bible reading all the time, but why keep the divine conversation one sided? One of the healthiest things we could ever do is have a good balance of prayer and study. Pray before you study. Study before you pray.
The Christ’s prayer can be divided into two sections based on the six imperatives found in the text. The first section includes the first three imperatives: holy, come, and done. These three indicate the nature of God in heaven. Notice how verses 9 and 10 are all about God; “Your name,” “your kingdom,” and “your will.” Jesus first shows the importance for one to calibrate themselves with God before proceeding to make personal request.
The next section of the prayer includes the second set of imperatives: give, forgive, and deliver (6:11-13). The prayer shifts and is now focusing on the prayeree. There is a great sense of dependance seen in these short verses. In the first section, Jesus calibrated His thought to the magnificence of God. Logically, it makes sense to then go before this great God to ask for daily fortune, divine forgiveness, and deliverance from evil. Significance can be seen in Jesus Himself realizing God as the only provider for these requests.
We require blessing on a daily basis; it’s what keeps us alive. Without creating our own dependency on God, we are shooting ourselves in the spiritual foot and digging our own graves. However, there is great joy to be found when the Holy God, King of kings, and Sustainer of life gives us an invitation to bring our hearts to His abode.
Tyler King