March 29, 1905

“Lord, Teach Us to Pray”

EGW

It came to pass, that, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of his disciples said unto Him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” And Jesus answered them in the words of the Lord's Prayer.ST March 29, 1905, par. 1

“When ye pray,” He said, “say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.”ST March 29, 1905, par. 2

“Our Father which art in heaven.” The word “our” expresses a sense of human brotherhood; the word “father” that of childlike trust. In ancient time there was usually associated with the name “father” all the affection and tenderness now centered in the word “mother.”ST March 29, 1905, par. 3

When from the heart we say, “Our Father,” we worship God in truth. This petition carries the suppliant away from earth and human beings to the One who is unerring in judgment, compassionate, merciful, pure, and holy.ST March 29, 1905, par. 4

“Hallowed be Thy name.” Thus we give expression to our reverence for the divine One. All true prayer will first recognize the presence of God, whose eye is open to all that His creatures do. The suppliant's first work is to honor God by giving expression to his reverence for Him.ST March 29, 1905, par. 5

“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.” In heaven the will of God is perfectly carried out. Love to God makes service a joy. On earth there is rebellion and variance. The disobedient and rebellious can not understandingly repeat the Lord's Prayer. Their will has never submitted to discipline, and until they are brought into conformity to the will of God, they can not intelligently pray that His will may be done on earth as it is in heaven. It should be the prayer of every true follower of Christ that God will subordinate everything in this world to His will.ST March 29, 1905, par. 6

Our temporal necessities also are to be the subject of our petitions. We are to call upon God for food. “Give us day by day our daily bread,” Christ said. But we are not to ask God for food, and then sit idly down, doing nothing. In order that our wants may be supplied, our heavenly Father puts work into our hands, that we may co-operate with Him in answering our prayer for food.ST March 29, 1905, par. 7

“And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us.” Few realize the true import of these words. After completing the Lord's Prayer, as given in the sixth chapter of Matthew, Jesus added, “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.” He who is unforgiving cuts off the very channel through which alone he can receive mercy from God. However sorely we may have been wounded, we are not to cherish our grievances, and sympathize with ourselves over our injuries; but as we hope to be pardoned for our offenses against God, we are to pardon all who have done evil to us.ST March 29, 1905, par. 8

“Lead us not into temptation.” God sometimes allows Satan to tempt His children, that they may be proved and tested. If they rely on their own strength, they will fail in the trial, but if they realize their inability to help themselves, and trust wholly in God, He will provide a way of escape. There are times when it is necessary for men to be exposed to danger, and to be placed among corrupting influences, but a sense of their dependence on God will lead them to keep their hearts uplifted to Him in prayer every hour, for strength to resist and grace to overcome. The experience gained in these fierce conflicts fortifies the soul to pass unscathed through more trying ordeals.ST March 29, 1905, par. 9

Christ prayed to His Father in behalf of His followers, “I pray not that Thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldst keep them from the evil.” Sin and pollution abound on every hand, and daily, hourly, the prayer should ascend to heaven, “Deliver us from evil.” The offering of this prayer by one who realizes his weakness makes the temptation of the enemy powerless.ST March 29, 1905, par. 10