10 Bible Lessons from the Lord's Prayer: Introduction
Introduction
What we traditionally call the “Lord’s Prayer” would be more accurately described as the “Lord’s Model Prayer.” When His disciples ask Him how to pray Jesus gives them a model prayer containing an outline for the essential content and basic framework for prayer. This model prayer is different from the many examples of the prayers of Jesus found in the Gospels.
For instance the prayer of Jesus found in John 17:1-26 gets my vote as the actual “Lord’s Prayer” because here Jesus is praying for Himself, His disciples and every Christian who would come to believe. This is not a general outline for prayer but our Lord actually praying a prayer that is still at work in the lives of every believer.
We will explore the prayer in the Gospel of John in a future lesson, but I mention it here to point out how the Lord’s examples of prayer are distinct from this model prayer given to His disciples as instruction.
The disciples had witnessed on many occasions the prayer life of Jesus. We are told in Luke 11:1 that after witnessing Jesus pray once more they felt the need to be taught by Him how to pray. The next 12 verses in Luke 11 go on to give the Lord’s lesson on prayer. Luke 11:1-4 includes the first part of this lesson we traditionally recognize as The Lord’s Prayer.
Now it came to pass, as He was Praying
in a certain place, when He ceased, that
one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord,
teach us to pray as, as John also taught
his disciples.”
So He said on to them, “When you pray
Say:
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 sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.”
Luke 11:1-4 NKJV
Coming Next: Lesson 1 – Time and Place
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