The prayer that Jesus taught begins like this: "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name."
The first thing that Jesus teaches us is about the fatherhood of God. OUR FATHER God is not only the Father of the Savior, but also the Father of us all, the Father of all who obey him.
When we encounter the fatherhood of God, we must understand two things. The first is that God is the Father of all who believe in the Son as Savior and Lord. The second is that when we recognize the fatherhood of God, our duty to obey by the one that we call Father.
Someone who recognizes the fatherhood of God is someone resting because he/she knows who is the Father, who is Almighty. Is someone resting because he knows that the Father is someone he/she can take refuge, someone who will protect you.
Someone who knows that God is Our Father rests, believes, obey and accepts correction because God is a Father who corrects every son whom He loves, because we are not bastards but sons, sons of the Father, a Father who is OUR FATHER, a Father who is not only mine, but it is also Father of my brother, Father of all who believe in the Son.
"Come to your kingdom."
When Jesus teaches us to pray, he says that we should ask the Father to bring to us His Kingdom.
Jesus spent much of His earthly ministry teaching about the Kingdom of God and now teaching his disciples to pray, he says they should cry out to the Father asking to come the Kingdom of God.
The Kingdom of God is God's rule over our lives. It is God's lordship over us. It is the will of God above what we think and want.
There can be no Kingdom without a King, there can be no government without a ruler. Asking God to bring His Kingdom upon us, is to recognize the sovereignty of God over our lives, is to say to him: Father, I recognize that you are sovereign, you are superior, above all things, above my will, above of my will then rule over me Father, rule over my life.
A person who understands the fatherhood of God is a person who ardently longs the coming of God's Kingdom, the government's implementation and lordship of God over your life.
"Be done thy will be done on earth as in heaven"
When teaching his disciples to pray, Jesus was concerned that they clearly understand the fatherhood of God and his sovereignty over all make amends. Accepting God’s fatherhood is to understand on sovereignty.
Someone who understands the fatherhood of God is someone who calls upon the Father's established kingdom, recognizing the sovereignty of God and recognizing the point of asking be to done on earth the Father's will, as it is done in heaven.
Someone who recognizes the sovereignty of the Father, knows very well that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, in heaven that is foreign to the sovereign will of God, that everything here is subject to the Father. For this reason, this one, conscious of God's fatherhood, calls for this sovereign will also be done on earth, because He knows what is best.
As any parent governs his/her home, God is a Father who governs well His home and it is this harmonious government, fair and right that we cry out in prayer the Our Father that come and initiate also in the land among us.
"The day our daily bread, give us today."
Continuing his prayer, Jesus wanted to teach his disciples to live in total dependence on the Father.
When we look at this phrase, we easily report to the people of Israel through the wilderness. Day after day, they went out to gather manna. Only a portion of a day should be taken. Even those who did not fully rely on God, saw the extra part was spoiled. They were led to trust in God, even if reluctant.
It is also like that with us. We tend to look for the solution to our problems always in our ability, always in our own strength. But the Scripture teaches from Genesis to Revelation that we must trust in the Lord.
God has always better chance of solving a problem for me. He knows all the facts, I do not. He has all the power, I do not.
But why this dependence is expressed in Jesus' prayer? Because Christ knew that a person who has God as Father who recognizes this paternity, will rest on this dependency.
A person who recognizes the paternity of God knows that God always has the best for him/her. A father does not give bad things to his son, much less God, our Father.
This Father would embrace us or gather us as a hen does to her chicks or protect us from the evil that prevails in the world. He wants to keep us safe from the pitfalls that are always armed for us.
Someone who recognizes the fatherhood of God, know that there will always be the necessary provision and lack nothing, as the Psalmist said. God always suffices. God will always be sufficient.
"Forgive us our trespasses, as we have forgiven those who trespass against us."
In our walk by the prayer of Jesus also learned about the consciousness of sin and the need for forgiveness.
A person who has the knowledge and recognition of the fatherhood of God, is aware of their sinful state and this calls for forgiveness. When we know clearly who we have as a Father, we look at God and see all his holiness, then we look at ourselves and we can not see anything other than our sinfulness and our need for forgiveness.
Aware of this our sinfulness, we ask God to forgive us the offenses. But when and how offend God? We offend when we don’t live in holiness, when we did not achieve all that God expects of us.
One that recognizes the fatherhood of God draws near to man as one sinner who beats his breast and prayed for mercy and not like the publican who was unable to recognize his/her status.
But the knowledge of God’s fatherhood leads us to an even higher stage: the forgiving. A person who recognizes the paternity of God knows, as forgiven, can have a huge responsibility to forgive others, not to save heartache of not hold anger, not deny forgiveness. Christ taught about it to tell us that we must walk a second mile, to forgive seventy times seven.
The recognition of God’s fatherhood of, necessarily has to lead you on the path of forgiveness, this is the practice of affiliation.
May the Lord lead you toward it!
"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
Jesus ends his prayer teaching his disciples about addiction and about reality.
As a matter of fact, Jesus makes it clear to his disciples that evil exists and there is no possibility of escape this reality. The disciples, however they wanted, they would have to learn to live with the existence of evil.
However, about dependency, Jesus teaches the disciples that he who has God as Father and is fully aware of this, have help to overcome temptation and not give in to evil.
When I understand that the creator of all things is my Father and give myself to a life of his total dependence, I will help to get rid of the hour of temptation and I can be free from evil. Not that I go to have some power or some quality, but the Father will protect me and guide me towards the path of good.
He who has God as Father knows how to face reality, but knows mainly how to live in dependence, without feeling humiliated, without feeling lower.
My prayer is that I learn how to live in total dependence on the Father, whether weak or strong, because evil exists and only the Father can get rid of it, only the Father can help me not into temptation.
Do yourself this prayer. Ask the Father to free from evil and not allow you fall into temptation.
The first thing Jesus taught us in this prayer is clamoring for the Father's name to be sanctified. Someone who understands the fatherhood of God cries out for God's name be sanctified, but understanding that the name of God is holy through your own life. No matter what has to be lived, as long as what may be for sanctification of the Father's name. Whether I live in a hovel or a palace, it is important that the Father's name be sanctified in me and through me.
Someone who understands the paternity of the Father, you know that the most important thing is that the name of the Father is to be hallowed. Sanctified through the coming of the Kingdom. Sanctified by the will of the Father which will be done, on earth and in heaven. Sanctified through the support we receive from the Father each day. Sanctified through our relationship with one another, forgiving and being forgiven. However, the Father's name be sanctified, especially when I, conscious of the Father's paternity and crying for his name be hallowed, do not fall into temptation more so by my holiness, his name be sanctified through me.