The prayer Jesus taught His disciples
Our Father in heaven,
your name be honored as holy.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not bring us into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
Jesus gave us this prayer as a model. When His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray, this is what He gave them. It's not just a prayer to recite—it's a pattern for how we should approach God.
Every line carries deep meaning. Let's explore what each part teaches us.
“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This prayer is complete—it prays for God's will to be done, not ours. That's the heart of true prayer.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways. This is the Lord's declaration. For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
God's thinking is above human thinking. As high as the heavens are above the Earth, so is God's thinking above human thinking. When we pray “Your will be done,” we're surrendering our limited understanding to His infinite wisdom.
We want God's will, not ours. This is the foundation of all prayer—trusting that the Father knows what is best, even when we don't understand.
“Give us today our daily bread.” This isn't just about physical food—it's about spiritual sustenance.
“I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.”
In John 6, Jesus said “I am the bread of life.” Daily bread means depending on Jesus every day. Just as we need physical food to survive, we need Jesus to sustain us spiritually.
When we ask for daily bread, we're asking for Jesus Himself—the true bread that satisfies our souls forever.
“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” This is the only part of the prayer Jesus explains further—because it's that important.
Our sins are forgiven by the blood of Jesus. We approach God not on our own merit, but on the finished work of Christ. We confess our sins, and He is faithful and just to forgive us.
But then comes the challenge: “as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Because God forgave us, we forgive others.
Jesus told a parable in Matthew 18:21-35 about a servant who owed his master an enormous debt—10,000 talents (millions of dollars in today's value). The master had compassion and forgave the entire debt.
But that same servant found a fellow servant who owed him 100 denarii (a few months' wages) and refused to forgive, throwing him into prison.
When the master found out, he was angry: “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn't you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?”
The point? We who have been forgiven everything must forgive others their small debts.
Unforgiveness blocks our relationship with God. We can't hold onto grudges and expect to receive God's forgiveness. They go together.
“And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” This is a prayer for protection—acknowledging our weakness and asking for God's strength.
Praying keeps us away from temptations. When we stay connected to God through prayer, we're less vulnerable to the enemy's attacks. We see them coming. We have the strength to resist.
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one's possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.”
The evil one presents worldly things. He makes sin look attractive. He promises pleasure, fulfillment, power—but delivers only bondage and destruction. When we love the world, the love of God isn't in us.
This prayer asks God to deliver us—to rescue us from the enemy's schemes. It's an admission of dependence: we cannot resist on our own. We need Him.
“Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
“I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.”
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways. This is the Lord's declaration. For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
“Then Peter approached him and asked, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? As many as seven times?' 'I tell you, not as many as seven,' Jesus replied, 'but seventy times seven...'”
Read the full parable to understand the gravity of unforgiveness.
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one's possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.”
Break free from spiritual bondage
Ask God for divine wisdom
Open my eyes, Lord, that I may see
Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things
Oh, how I love Your law!
When I am weak, then I am strong