You’ve heard about the books that made it into the New Testament, but have you heard of the lost ones? These books were considered inspired by many early Christians and some even claim that these books were once part of the Bible. Yet somehow they did not make it into the final list of 27 books that make up our today’s canon. In this book we explore 20 other books commonly believed to be Scripture that did not make it into God’s Word. We will examine their history, legacy and importance in Biblical studies as we discover why some believe these books should be considered for inclusion in our modern day Bibles. In this article you’ll learn meaning of the lords prayer verse by verse.
The New Testament is a collection of 27 books that comprise the foundational doctrines of the Christian faith. But many writings were initially included, but later excluded as canonical scripture. This book explores some of those works and looks at why they have been lost to history (or at least to church history).The Lost Scriptures explores the fascinating stories of lost Christian writings that were once included in the Bible but never made it into our modern translations. Using a wide array of sources, readers will not only learn about these lost scriptures but also gain insight into how today’s translations came to be. You’ll also understand the lord’s prayer in simple terms.
Prayer is communication with God. That is very special, since God is not physically present on earth, so we can’t see or hear Him with our five senses. Moreover, God is holy and we humans are not. But He wants a relationship with us. When we pray, we can speak to God aloud or in silence, and He will hear us (see Jeremiah 29:12; 2 Chronicles 7:12; 2 Chronicles 30:27; 2 Kings 20:5; Psalm 6:9).
Can everybody pray?
The most beautiful definition of prayer in the Bible is from a woman who said “I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord” (1 Samuel 1:15). God is not so much interested in the words we say, but what is in our hearts. So, we may take anything that is important to us in prayer to the Lord, and tell Him about it in our own words. We don’t need saints or angels to pray for us. We can pray directly to God.
It can be helpful sometimes to ask a pastor or a Christian friend to pray for us. Actually, the Bible encourages us to pray for one another: “I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people…” (1 Timothy 2:1, see also Acts 12:5; Colossians 1:3; Colossians 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:25; James 5:16). However, this should never hold us back from praying by ourselves.
God himself helps us to pray
This is based on the Lord Jesus’ words that we should pray in His name (John 16:23-24). It is an acknowledgment that all God’s blessings are flowing to us through Jesus Christ. As with everything we do, our prayers are not perfect. But there is a great promise in the Bible that encourages all believers. God himself helps us to pray as we should through his Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:26 says: “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” What is meant here, is that the Holy Spirit guides us in our prayers. What a beautiful thought: God wants us to pray to him. He knows how weak we are, and how difficult it is to pray in the right way. So, God the Holy Spirit inspires us to direct the words to God that God desires.
When should we pray?
We can always pray, and from anywhere. There are special times of prayer when God’s church meets. There are times of prayer in our families. There are individual times of prayer when we are alone with God. But we may also pray continuously throughout the day. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says: “pray without ceasing”. With words spoken aloud or in our hearts, we may bring all the things that we see, experience, or think about before the Lord. For prayer is the life breath of the Christian.
This does not mean that we should literally pray every moment of our lives, but that there should be a continual pattern of prayer in our daily lives. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul uses different words for the same concept: “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2). And we could add many more Bible texts that urge us to pray regularly.
What is the purpose of prayer?
Prayer has various aims.
- First of all, it is meant for the glory of God. We praise Him for who He is, and for what He has done for us. This can be very general, for example “May your name be honored”. It can also be very specific and personal: “Lord, I thank you so much for your grace, I praise You for your endless love for me.”
- Secondly, prayer is a means to bring our needs before God. We may tell Him about our troubles and fears, about our physical and spiritual needs. We can also pray for other people around us. In Luke 11:9, Jesus promises: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
- With the Source of Life, we will grow spiritually. Even if God does not always change our circumstances as we ask Him, He can carry us through our difficulties and make us holy.
Lords Prayer Old Testament
How should we pray?
The Lord Jesus teaches us how to pray. In Matthew 6, He first of all says that we should not use prayer as a religious ceremony to impress others.
He also teaches us the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:9-13:
“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 debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen”
Most Christians have memorized this prayer. We know that when we pray this prayer, we pray according to God’s will. But this prayer also teaches us what is important when we pray using our own words:
- We talk to God as to our Father, who loves us and takes care of us.
- We give glory to God. We praise Him in our prayers.
- We confess that God’s plans are more important than our plans, and that we desire for His plans to come true.
- We pray for our daily needs. We trust that God will take care of us.
- We pray for the forgiveness of our sins, in the knowledge that God has already forgiven us in the Lord Jesus.
- We pray God will help us to lead a life that is honoring Him.
- We acknowledge the greatness of God. Normally, we end our prayers with something like we pray this in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Does God hear our prayers?
The Lord knows and hears our prayers. This does not mean that we always get what we want – be it a new car, a fruitful career, or whatever. Fortunately not, for we would probably ask for a lot of things that are not at all profitable for us. There are some circumstances in which God will not listen to our prayers, for example when we live in sin and don’t want to confess our sins and turn from them (Psalm 66:18, Proverbs 28:9).
Another case in which God won’t give us what we ask for, is when we ask for something which will not be good for us, with the purpose to use it for our sinful desires (James 4:3), or when our request is not in line with His will for us (1 John 5:14, Psalm 37:4, Matthew 7:11, Luke 22:42). Since we know God as our loving Father, we can trust that He knows best what is good for us and is very willing to give us exactly that. Sometimes God will answer our prayers in a way or at a time we did not expect. But God will always answer our prayers in the way that is best for us and for the cause of His Kingdom.
Meaning Of The Lords Prayer Verse By Verse
My understanding of the Lord’s Prayer goes like this:
Holy God, eternally mighty and beneficent
We all address God as “Our Father” at the outset of the Lord’s Prayer for this very reason. We ask for His grace or forgiveness not just for ourselves, but for everyone.
That “which art in heaven” comes next in the prayer. The verb “art” meant “to be” or “to exist” in Old English. The point is to emphasize that our prayers are directed toward the heavenly God, and not at any terrestrial deity or idol.
Your name is holy.
If you want the short version, “hallowed be thy name” means we only have loyalty to God and revere Him. This is akin to the “Glory to God” phrase used in religious ceremonies.
I’ll be honest and say that reading Shakespeare for my high school social studies classes was not my favorite thing to do. Every time I tried to read his plays or poems, I got stuck on one of the many Old English words he used.
Word by word, though, I was able to make sense of what he had written.
The same is true of the Lord’s Prayer. The following is an illustration:
Hallowed can be defined as holy or revered.
What we call you is what we mean when we say your name, so be thy means.
Put together, these words could mean “we respect you” in plain English.
When Jesus prays, “thy kingdom come,” he is saying that God will rule from now until the end of time.
Kingdom means an area under the authority of a king, so “thy” means “yours.”
In this context, “come” means “happen.”
By putting these words together, we might say that God is in control now and forever.
Do on earth as you would have it done in heaven.
Careful reading is required to grasp the meaning of this Lord’s Prayer verse. The verse is composed of simple language, but its meaning is profound.
One’s own; one’s own property; one’s own will; one’s own desire
Completed; finished; done.
Looking closely at this part of the Lord’s Prayer, it becomes obvious that we are promising to God that we will carry out his will here on Earth.
As the verse puts it, “your wishes will be fulfilled on Earth, just as they are in Heaven.”
Give us today what we need to survive.
The phrase “give us this day our daily bread” can be interpreted in a variety of ways, as you will see if you read other commentaries on the Lord’s Prayer.
In Exodus 16:4, God promises Moses that whenever the children of Israel are hungry, bread will fall from heaven and feed them. They are only allowed to take as much bread as they will eat that day and are forbidden to store any of it for the following day. This is what Jesus means by “daily bread.”
In my opinion, this verse means that we can never stop counting on God to provide for us. We don’t become self-sufficient and no longer rely on God for provision as we develop spiritually. In fact, the closer we get to God, the more dependent we become on him.
Forgive us our debts as we have forgiven those who have owed us.
Lord’s Prayer, KJV: Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors (the people that owe us something).
These days, when we hear the word “debt,” our minds immediately jump to the idea of taking out a loan or borrowing some cash.
Though the verse may look like it, it has nothing to do with money owed. Instead, it represents moral obligations. Jesus is talking about our sins, to put it more plainly.
To be forgiven by God, we must first forgive others.
Keep in mind that we cannot extend grace to ourselves unless we extend it to others. At that point, we can approach God for mercy. It’s not the other way around.
And do not put us in a position to fail.
In this part of the Lord’s Prayer, we beg God to keep us from falling into sin. The devil tempts us to make poor decisions on a regular basis, so we need God’s help to avoid his traps.
We’re praying to God that he’ll keep us from making any more blunders.
Nevertheless, save us from harm; the word “deliver” in this verse is not to be taken literally.
Our request is not that God whisk us away like a pizza from A to B. As a matter of fact, God is not our rideshare driver.
To the contrary, we are imploring God to deliver us from our sins and the forces of evil.
Forever and always, the throne, the power, and the glory shall be thine. Amen.
In the final line of the Lord’s Prayer, we express our awe and reverence for God.
Something that is thine is something that is uniquely yours.
The definition of “kingdom” is: a sovereign state or territory ruled by a monarch (heaven and earth)
Action potential; power.
“To give glory” means to honor or praise.
When we pray this line, we are promising God that we won’t lose sight of the fact that everything ultimately belongs to Him. He has the power to show mercy or wrath, and He is the rightful recipient of any honors bestowed upon us.
The Lord’s Prayer In Simple Terms
When words fail you, turn to the Lord’s Prayer; it is so much more than just a model for your own prayers. If we give thought to each request in the prayer, it can show us the right path to take in approaching God the Father for help.
The Lord’s Prayer helps us keep our priorities straight by listing everything we need to do to be “good and faithful servants”: honor God, submit to His will, study the Bible, forgive one another, and fight evil.
