The Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5-7, is often considered one of the Bible’s greatest discourses because Jesus teaches His people how to follow Him with their whole heart and live on the earth as His children. In one of these sections, Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus teaches His followers how to pray. Known as the Lord’s Prayer, this model gives us rich insight into how we are called to worship. Through this beautiful passage of Scripture, we can glean three lessons that should inform our worship and draw us closer to our Heavenly Father.
1. God is holy, powerful, and exalted.
Our prayers should begin with this recognition. In Matthew 6:9, Jesus begins the prayer, saying, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.” The Greek word for ‘hallowed’ is hagiazō, which literally means to separate and consecrate—to keep God’s name holy.
How does Jesus teach us to hallow God’s name? We must remember and declare that He is enthroned in heaven. Psalm 11:4 describes God’s heavenly holiness: “The LORD is in His holy temple, the LORD’s throne is in heaven.” In Isaiah 6:1-3, Isaiah describes God’s glory and throne similarly: “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!’” Isaiah’s humble response to understanding the extent of God’s holiness should be ours as well. In Leviticus 10:3, God instructs Aaron, the High Priest, saying, “By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy.”
As the royal priesthood with the privilege of approaching God’s throne, our prayers should begin with humility and awe of the Lord. We can never take it for granted. When we enter His presence, we must approach God with proper reverence that His holiness inspires.
2. God cares deeply about us.
In 1 John 3:1, John exclaims: “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” We can approach the holy God by calling Him our Abba Father (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6). Jesus illustrates how much our Father cares about us, for we can pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). This imagery of daily bread calls to mind the Israelites receiving manna in the wilderness (Exodus 16). God is so great, and yet He sees us and cares about our needs, both big and small.
Later on in the chapter, Jesus says: “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:25-26).
Jesus also tells us, “For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8). Our Father is the giver of good gifts to those who ask Him (Matthew 7:11). Psalm 33:18-19 says this: “Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.” Starting our worship by focusing on God, and then surrendering our needs to Him, makes us see that our needs are small and insignificant; yet God is always near. He cares and provides for His children because He loves us.
3. Our desire should be to do God’s will.
Jesus teaches us to pray “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). The purpose of prayer is not to change God’s will and persuade Him to do what we want. We have already established that God knows what we need before we ask Him and gives us what is good. The purpose of prayer is to change our heart so our desires become more like God’s—so our heart is molded to His will.
In the verses after, Jesus shows how our desires should reflect God’s heart. We should forgive our debtors (Matthew 6:12). We should desire to stay away from temptation and pray for deliverance and strength (Matthew 6:13). We must forgive men their trespasses (Matthew 6:14). God will accomplish His will, regardless of whether we pray about it or not. However, God gives us the opportunity to participate in His work, to desire for His kingdom to be established on earth and to see His hand move as He accomplishes His perfect purpose.
Psalm 135:5-6 says this: “For I know that the LORD is great, and our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the LORD pleases He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deep places.” It is a great thing when God reveals His heart to His people. As God’s stewards, we must prioritize His kingdom above all!
From the Lord’s Prayer, we learn that our worship should be focused on God—His holiness, His care for us, His kingdom, and His will. The final doxology in Matthew 6:13 says, “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” While some versions and texts omit this, and many believe it was not part of the original prayer, this closing reiterates the central idea that our focus should be on God’s attributes alone. Jesus is our ultimate example of keeping our eyes on the Father at all times. In Luke 22:42, in the Garden of Gethsemane, as Jesus knew He would face the cross only a few hours away, He still prayed: “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.” In John 17:4, Jesus prays: “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.”
What a great comfort the Lord’s Prayer is! God is holy and exalted above all; yet He cares for our daily needs and gives us access to His presence and the privilege to know His will and work for His kingdom. Prayer and worship are beautiful gifts! As we enter God’s presence, let us do so with a heart that is in awe of our heavenly Father, saying, like David: “O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!” and “What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?” (Psalm 8:9, 1). Soon, we will be echoing this prayer in heaven, as we stand before the holy throne of God and cry: “Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
Written by NBB Alumna: Annelisa Stephen
