The Lord's Prayer - Lesson 1: Introduction to the Lord's Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer

Lesson 1: Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name;

Your kingdom come;

Your will be done,

  On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread;

And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors;

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil.

For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.

Amen.

Matthew 6:9-13 [9] Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. [10] Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. [11] Give us today our daily bread. [12] Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. [13] Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’

Luke 11:1-4 [1] When he finished praying in a certain place, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.” [2] He said to them, “When you pray, say, ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. [3] Give us day by day our daily bread. [4] Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’”

PRAYER, n.

In a general sense, the act of asking for a favor, and particularly with earnestness.

"prayer." Noah Webster's 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language. 2016. https://1828.mshaffer.com/d/word/prayer (12 May 2016).

The Main Points for This Lesson:

Jesus taught his disciples to pray. In teaching them to pray, he taught them a prayer. We usually call that prayer “The Lord's Prayer,” or “The Our Father.” This prayer has been used since the early days of the church, and is still used today by many Christians. We can use this prayer when we pray by ourselves, and when we pray with others.

Why is The Lord's Prayer important?

First, we should know, understand, and use The Lord's Prayer because Jesus commands us to pray in this way (Matthew 6:9; Luke 11:2). Whether we use it word for word, or as an example and pattern of prayer, we should learn the meaning of this prayer, that we may pray with understanding, as we are exhorted by the apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 14:15).

We should pray, asking for what is according to the will of God. If we pray in that way, we can expect God to hear and answer our prayers (1 John 5:14-15; James 4:3). The Lord's Prayer teaches us God's will, and so directs us to be able to pray according to God's will.

In teaching us God's will, it shows us not only how to pray, but also how to live (both as individuals and as the family of God). In teaching the disciples “The Lord's Prayer,” Jesus taught us how to view God, what the goals of a Christian and the church should be, what help we should seek from God, and what hope and trust we should put in him.

The Lord's Prayer is part of God's word, and as such it is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:15-17). It is able to make us wise unto salvation.

Suggestions:

Open each lesson with prayer for the teacher and the students and this class time.

Begin by talking about prayer. Ask the children if their parents pray with them, and if they pray. Ask them if they can tell you what they think pray is. Give them a simple definition of prayer: Prayer is asking for something.

Introduce the Lord's prayer. Jesus taught his disciples to pray by teaching them “the Lord's prayer.”

Read Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:1-4 with the children.

Ask the children why the Lord's prayer is important. Perhaps use leading questions to direct them to the reasons given above. You could also use some of the scripture portions referred to. Read a verse and see if they can connect it to why the Lord's prayer is important.

To close the lesson, have all the children read the Lord's prayer together. [As our group has not settled on a particular form of the Lord's prayer, for these lessons, we will use the form at the top of this page.]

Stories:

Matthew 6:9-13 [9] Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. [10] Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. [11] Give us today our daily bread. [12] Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. [13] Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’

Luke 11:1-4 [1] When he finished praying in a certain place, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.” [2] He said to them, “When you pray, say, ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. [3] Give us day by day our daily bread. [4] Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’”

Other Verses:

1 Corinthians 14:15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also. I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.

The Lord’s Prayer is meant to be understood, and with that understanding to be used by God’s children to pray to their Father in heaven.

2 Timothy 3:14-17 [14] But you remain in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them. [15] From infancy, you have known the holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. [16] Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, [17] that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Every disciple of Jesus Christ should take time to study and learn from the Lord’s Prayer, if for no other reason than that it is part of the “God-breathed” scripture and so is profitable for the man of God. Yet this portion of scripture was taught by our Lord, Jesus, himself, who said, “Pray like this.”

James 4:1-3 [1] Where do wars and fightings among you come from? Don’t they come from your pleasures that war in your members? [2] You lust, and don’t have. You kill, covet, and can’t obtain. You fight and make war. You don’t have, because you don’t ask. [3] You ask, and don’t receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it for your pleasures.

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us what God’s children should ask of their Father in heaven. Further, implied in these requests is the motive of the children of God in asking for such things. For example, it seems reasonable to conclude that after looking up to our Father in heaven, our first thought and motive should be the honor and glory of his name.

1 Peter 3:7-12 [7] You husbands, in the same way, live with your wives according to knowledge, giving honor to the woman, as to the weaker vessel, as being also joint heirs of the grace of life; that your prayers may not be hindered. [8] Finally, be all like-minded, compassionate, loving as brothers, tender hearted, courteous, [9] not rendering evil for evil, or insult for insult; but instead blessing; knowing that to this were you called, that you may inherit a blessing. [10] For, “He who would love life, and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. [11] Let him turn away from evil, and do good. Let him seek peace, and pursue it. [12] For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears open to their prayer; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

While the Lord’s Prayer teaches us WHAT to pray, it also teaches us HOW to pray, or rather how to live. The very nature of the petitions in the prayer require and call us to a life in keeping with the petitions. The question of how to pray in a way that makes our prayer acceptable to God is not met with an answer of a physical posture such as standing, kneeling, or lying prostrate. Rather, we should pray with a righteous living. Such a prayer is acceptable to God (Proverbs 15:8,28). We should pray with a life lived in obedience to God. For example, how husbands treat their wives when not praying affects their prayers (1 Peter 3:7). Jesus presents the Lord’s Prayer not only as a lesson on prayer, but as clear instruction on what is the will of God for his children to obey.

1 John 5:14-15 [14] This is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us. [15] And if we know that he listens to us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him.

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us what the will of God is.