The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 is one of the more quotable prayers in Scripture.  We are taught it as children, and for those of us raised in church, it is a prayer we have recited on countless occasions.

In many ways, The Lord’s Prayer is a model prayer, and it includes themes Jesus thought should be present in the prayer lives of all of his followers. By studying this prayer, as well as the verses surrounding it, we can learn some valuable life lessons.

Prayers That Don’t Please God

In Matthew 6:7-8 ESV, Jesus prefaces the Lord’s Prayer with a command to avoid praying empty hearted prayers that sound eloquent but lack genuine sincerity. Jesus then states that “your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” After this, Jesus teaches the model prayer.

The larger context here suggests that Jesus does not want his followers praying for the sake of public appearance and selfish motivation, but he wants them to pray in a way that acknowledges the sovereignty of God over their lives.

So what does this mean for us? We will not catch God off guard with masterfully worded prayers because our Father already knows what we need. He is all-knowing and all-powerful, and prayers of many words and no heart are an insult to his existence.

Greater Themes in the Lord’s Prayer

Now, let’s break down the Lord’s Prayer and examine it more closely. If we divide the prayer into themes, it could include the following: exaltation of the Father, submission to his will, trust for provision, the receiving and giving of forgiveness, and deliverance from temptation and evil.

If we reflect on the life of Jesus, many of these themes were a part of his prayer life. For instance, he never had to ask for forgiveness, but in his darkest moment as he hung on the cross for committing no crime, he offered forgiveness to those who crucified him (and to all of us).

I believe that Jesus included many of the themes in the Lord’s Prayer because they were themes that were present in his individual prayer life. This teaches us something valuable. If we want to act like Jesus, we should probably begin by praying like him. 

The Theme of Provision

Let’s turn our attention to the theme of provision in the Lord’s Prayer. In Matthew 6:11, Jesus teaches us to pray to the Father, “Give us this day our daily bread.” This is a simple petition, but it is life changing when applied.

I will never forget the time when I sat in on a men’s breakfast one Saturday morning at church and one of the godliest men I have ever known taught this portion of the Lord’s Prayer. He was a man who had been on the church board for years, and my grandfather, who still serves as the church pastor, would regularly rely on him for advice and Christian friendship.

He was a man who believed in God as his provider, and this was evident by his willingness to change jobs just so he could attend the prayer meetings that occurred at 6:00 a.m. Monday through Friday every week. As he zeroed in on this portion of the prayer, I realized for the first time Jesus’ emphasis on our need for daily reliance upon the Father for provision.

Trusting God for Our Daily Needs

In our fast-paced world, many of us are convinced we can go at it alone in life and succeed. Hard work and confidence are absolutely wonderful, but if we think we are smart enough on our own and disregard the need for God’s grace, then we are deeply deceived. If you are like me, I often acknowledge that God is my provider, but I daily find myself trusting in my own strength and abilities.

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus is teaching us to trust in God not just for long life, a future spouse, or that dream job. Rather, he wants us to depend upon God for his provision during every day of our lives and for everything.

To say it a different way, there should not be a day that passes by for which we do not trust in God’s sovereignty to provide for our needs. Let us not forget, he knows what we need even before we bring our needs to him, so why would we go a day without asking him to provide what we need?

As we advance in our education and move up the chain of command at work, the temptation will be to trust God for the months and years but trust in ourselves for the days and weeks. Surely with all our education and work experience we can get through a day on our own without asking God for provision.

However, while Jesus could have included anything he wanted in the Lord’s Prayer, he chose to add the recognition of our utter dependence upon the Father for daily provision. Think on that.

Also, please meditate on a few of these questions. When you go to work, what does your prayer life look like? Is it a quick prayer with empty words because your focus is on what you hope to accomplish with your talents and abilities that day? Or is it a prayer that recognizes the sovereignty of God over your life as well as your complete need for his grace and provision?

Just beyond the immediate context of the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus states in Matthew 6:25, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on.”

Notice that Jesus is not talking about the “big things” of life such as the desire for a great car, a new house, or a sizable retirement but instead about the “little things” such as our daily bread.

He goes on to repeat his preface to the Lord’s Prayer when he states in Matthew 6:32-33, “For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Jesus repeats himself by again acknowledging that the Father knows what we need. Furthermore, Jesus repeats a theme in the Lord’s Prayer by exhorting us to prioritize the Kingdom of God in our lives. This is important to remember. 

Experiencing the Heart of God Through Prayer

Overall, we see the heart of God here as Jesus reminds us that our Heavenly Father cares not only about the big things in life but also about those little anxieties that eat away at our days. Our Father does not turn a blind eye to the daily necessities of life, but he invites us to ask him for the grace and provision we need each day, no matter the size of the need.  

So, the next time we feel ashamed to ask God for something that seems so insignificant, we can remind ourselves that God cares about providing for the smallest of our daily needs. He loves us more than we can imagine, and he longs for daily communion with us.

The Lord’s Prayer is a model for our prayer life, so we don’t have to go another day relying on our own abilities. We can give our best effort, but trust in God for the provision we need because he knows our needs and can fulfill them. He is sovereign, and he will provide us with our daily bread.