Our text is taken from Ephesians 6. Verses 1-9 state, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as men pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.”
Paul is writing to the saints in Ephesus regarding general aspects of life but admonishing them to live in a Godly way as becomes those professing to be a Christian. He then continues to let them know that they need to be strong and gives them the how and why in verses 10-17.
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:”
Then Paul states in verse eighteen, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”
Note that Paul has just finished listing the spiritual armor that a child of God should have in verses 10-17; however, the armor would be of none effect without verse eighteen. Also notice that verse seventeen does not end in a period or full stop, but with a colon, meaning that there is something following, that is still a part of the same sentence and thought. Verse 18 begins with a disposition of prayer. Not only are we instructed to pray here, but he states, “Praying always.” Prayer is not a part of the armor or a part of the fight against the enemy, but a part of our own preparation for the war against the “principalities, powers and rulers of the darkness of this world.” It must also be done continuously, because we do not know when attacks against us will occur; therefore, we must be “watching thereunto with all perseverance.”
We can also consider that there are several types of prayers. Firstly, the need that one has, will dictate the type of prayer they offer unto God. A public, secret, social, solitary, solemn, or sudden prayer are some of the various kinds of prayers prayed. Secondly, each prayer will also have varying aspects to them, some being a prayer of confession, a petition for mercy, a prayer of thanksgiving, or a time spent in praise and worship. The mention of supplication is also of interest. This is a prayer that is offered in the spiritual world. It is to entreat God heart to heart in prayer in a strong and insistent way, until you feel the answer come. Thirdly, Paul mentions watching. In Psalm 27:6-8 David incorporates many of the same aspects in his writing which says, “And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore, will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord. Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me and answer me. When thou said, seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, thy face, Lord, will I seek.” Watching in prayer is simply, always being on guard. We must be on guard against spiritual enemies and the forces of evil that can come against us at any time. By watching, we can also look for opportunities to do good for others and to receive good from others and from the Lord. Without watching and always being aware of our surroundings, our armor and prayer will be ineffective.
Paul then states in Ephesians, that all of this should be done “with all perseverance.” This simply means that we should never give up. We should continue in a form of prayer, spiritual battle, and supplication while being in a state of watching, our entire lives, until we die, or the rapture takes place. It means to stretch ourselves, endure, and be persistent, never losing sight of our goals or the danger that may be lurking. He states in verse eighteen that this should be done “for all saints.” Prayer is a Christians distinguishing characteristic. Have you ever gone to a restaurant to eat, and you see the food being served to various patrons, and they just begin to dig in, but you may see one or two, bow their heads and pray, giving thanks for their food before beginning to eat. You know that they are people of faith, as you are, just by witnessing their actions of prayer. We are the family of God. We are the body of Christ, all members of the same body, a part of one another, with Christ being the head. This just underscores what Paul said and how we have a perpetual need for the prayers of others. We sing songs in our congregations like, “Someone is praying for you,” and “I need the prayers of those I love,” because we know we need one another as we have learned from Paul’s writings.
Let us read Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6: 1-8, “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore, when thou do thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But when thou do alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which sees in secret himself shall reward thee openly. And when thou pray, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are for, they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou pray, enter thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which sees in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen does: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knows what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.”
Firstly, Jesus is instructing them what not to do and the examples that they have seen that they should not follow. He tells them that prayer, fasting, and giving to the poor are not about us, but about others. They are not to uplift ourselves, but so that God will receive glory and praise. In Matthew 6:9-13 Jesus continues, “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” Secondly, he is saying, because of those things; therefore, this is how you should pray. Take note that these are not words that we are supposed to memorize and repeat daily, because he had already stated in verse seven “not with vain repetitions.” The words that he spoke are an example to all mankind, everywhere, of how to structure their prayers, and encompasses how they should use their own words, languages, mannerisms, and cultures to talk to God individually.
Psalm 63:1-11 is a wonderful example of an individual’s prayer, namely King David, “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsts for thee, my flesh longs for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus, will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. My soul follows hard after thee: thy right hand upholds me. But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth. They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes. But the king shall rejoice in God; everyone that swears by him shall glory but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.”
This prayer shows us an example of how he longed and thirsted after God and how he gave God all glory and honor for anything good that came about in his life. An effective prayer life must be done with a continual yearning and longing after God. Jesus taught his disciples to ask, to seek, and to knock. Prayer must be done morning, noon, and night, during all our waking hours to be considered continual. We seek Him for our “daily bread” according to the example in Matthew 6. There are blessings accessible to us daily through prayer. God says in Proverbs 8:17 says, “those that seek me early shall find me.”
Let us look at the various aspects that are incorporated in the “manner of prayer” that Jesus was teaching the disciples about in Matthew 6. He started by saying “Our Father.” We must first acknowledge Him, God, as our heavenly father. Psalm 68:5 states that He is, “A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.” Matthew 7:11 says, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” In Romans 8:15-17 we read, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” When we are born into a family, the father is the head of the household, and we must follow his directives. This applies spiritually as well. This is also true when someone has been adopted, except that you have been hand selected to be a part of the family.
Romans 9:26-27 tells us that we will be called the ‘children of God’, “And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God. Esaias also cries concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved.” 1 John 3:1-2says, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore, the world knows us not, because it knew him not. Beloved now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. These scriptures help us establish our relationship with God, which fortifies the power of the first aspect of “Our Father’s Prayer.”
The second phrase we see in the example prayer is, “which art in heaven.” Isaiah 66:1 says, “Thus saith the Lord, the heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?” Isaiah 55:8-9 further establishes this, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” This God that we serve is far above this lowly earth that we live in. Knowing this and by us recognizing and acknowledging this, is the strength of the second aspect of “Our Father’s Prayer.”
The third statement mentioned is, “hallowed be thy name.” This means to hold as sacred and to reverence as holy. Psalm 20:7 says, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” Psalm 103:1 proclaims, “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” Psalm 113:1-3 declares, “Praise ye the Lord. Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised.” Isaiah 9:6 tells us, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Philippians 9-11 says, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” And Acts 4:12 lets us know, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Remember knowing who God is and how to address him by name is the strength of the third aspect of “Our Father’s Prayer.”
The fourth declaration by Jesus in the example prayer was, “Thy kingdom come.” This is showing that even in our prayers we should not be promoting ourselves as the Pharisees did, but the kingdom of God. This is an urgently needed, powerful prayer, and should be used daily, in our closet of prayer as well as public expressions to God, for all to hear His kingdom being exalted and beckoned. Romans 14:17 tells us what the ‘kingdom of God’ is and is not. “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” As well as 1 Corinthians 4:20, which says, “For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.” Let us see the prophecy in Mark 9:1, “And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.” We see the fulfillment in Acts 2:1-4, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
We also see the promise to us in Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” These scriptures should cause us to pray for revival for ourselves, our families, our pastors, our fellow church members, our cities, our nation, and our world. According to Matthew 16:19 we can make use of that powerful, authoritative name to promote the kingdom of God, “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” We can bind, meaning to tie up, or loose, meaning to melt away, all opposition to the kingdom of God through our prayer of faith. We can release the joy, peace, faith, and victory that God has in store for us. We can pray this prayer for ourselves and other individuals. Keep an ongoing list of names you would like to invoke the kingdom of God over in your prayer time. When we call upon the name of Jesus, seeking his kingdom to come in our lives, he hears us and pays attention. Knowing that the Kingdom of God must come and is coming, is the power and authority of the fourth aspect of “Our Father’s Prayer.”
The fifth aspect we see when Jesus said, “Thy will be done.” Let us look at scriptures that will substantiate this concept of prayer and that will encourage you. Matthew 7:21says, “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” 1 John 3:22 tells us, “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” Matthew 12:50, “For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” Ephesians 6:6-7 says, “Not with eyeservice, as men pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men.” James 4:15, “For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.” John 4:34 also shows this, “Jesus saith unto them, my meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.”
We see that David followed this pattern in Psalm 40:8, “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” and in Psalm 143:10, “Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.” The perfect way to know that we are in the family of God is found in John 10:27 where Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” Jesus followed his own model prayer in his personal prayer life. This is shown in Luke 22:41-42, “And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done.” What a powerful example He lived before us!
The sixth point we notice that our prayer should contain is found in the statement, “give us this day.” This is a prayer for provision that should be prayed daily, for the needs we have for that day and circumstance. It shows the prayer as being in the ‘present’ tense; therefore, it should be prayed at the beginning of our day. Paul states with full confidence in Philippians 4:19, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” He could say this because God had been faithful to him and answered his prayers for provision. God takes care of his ministers just as he promised he would. Matthew 14:19-21 tell us, “And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and broke, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.” God heard and provided in this instance, with leftovers that provided for the families of the disciples as well. God goes beyond despite doubts that the enemy would try to taunt us with. Psalm 31:19 tells us, “Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee, which thou hast wrought thee, them that trust in thee before the sons of men!” Psalm 23:5, “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.”
Aspect number seven of this prayer is “forgive us our debts.” Notice that this is written in the ‘past’ tense. There are those who only pray for forgiveness for the things they have done wrong in the present, but that is not enough. We want our entire slate to be wiped clean by the blood of Jesus. Matthew 11:25 says, “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.” In the story of the talents in Matthew 18:32-35 we see this, “Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desired me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wrath, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise, shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses.” And in the verses that follow our example prayer in Matthew 6, in versus 14-15, tell us why we should pray the way he is instructing us to, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” That is as plain as the noses on our faces.
The eighth and ninth aspect is seen when Jesus said, “lead us not into temptation” but “deliver us from evil.” James 1:3 says, “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” And 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” Here we begin to pray for our own personal weaknesses to be bolstered and strengthened. We must not be afraid to pin-point and discuss our weaknesses with the Lord, he already knows them, but he wants us to admit that we need him. When we do this, it helps us escape the snares of the enemy and God becomes our confidence. He will not allow us to be overcome by evil and will deliver us if we incorporate this into our personal prayers.
Lastly, in number ten, but certainly not least, we see the final bold statement in the sample prayer, “For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, forever. Amen.” Once again giving God praise, and the glory He deserves, and acknowledging that we not only know His rightful place, but ours as well. Following the example of “Our Father’s Prayer,” using our own words and sentiments of our hearts is what will allow our prayer time to be fruitful, His will to be done, and His kingdom to come in our lives. Forever and ever, Amen.