Category: Gospel of Matthew
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Praising the King of Heaven: The Controversial Doxology
“For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:13) This powerful doxology finishes off the Lord’s Prayer with a shout of praise—a triumphant declaration that God is King forever and ever. At the end of a prayer that is all about human agents establishing the kingdom on earth through…
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“Deliver Us from the Evil One”: What the Devil Has to Do With It
“… but deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:13) This is the second part of the surprising request we saw in last week’s post. There, the emphasis was on being let out of trials—it was an acknowledgment that although troubles are a part of life and will come against us, if possible, we would…
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“Lead Us Not Into Temptation”: The Prayer You Didn’t Know God Wanted You to Pray
“And do not bring us into temptation …” (Matthew 6:13) Most of the Lord’s Prayer makes good sense to me. Sure, sometimes I choke a little bit on “give us this day our daily bread” … (Isn’t it selfish to pray that God will meet my needs? Shouldn’t I just trust him and not have…
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The Centerpiece Prayer: Why “Forgive Us Our Debts” Is the Central Step in the Lord’s Prayer
“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12) Right on the heels of asking for provision—that God will meet our needs—Jesus teaches us to ask that our debts may be forgiven, and he adds the only note of “bargaining” in the Lord’s Prayer: if God will answer this prayer…
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The Power of Embracing Our Need: Meeting God in the Prayer of Daily Dependence
“Give us today our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11) At this point in Jesus’s model prayer, our focus seems to take an abrupt shift. Everything thus far has been high-minded, downright celestial in scope: Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is…
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The Will of God and the War for Life: How Praying “Your Will Be Done” Is an Act of Warfare
“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10) The second half of Matthew 6:10 parallels or fleshes out the first half. First we ask for the kingdom of God to come, then we pray more deeply into what that means. On the surface this is a pretty simple request. Yet,…
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Kingdom Come, Part 2: Why Do We Pray “Your Kingdom Come”?
“Your kingdom come.” (Matthew 6:10) Last week we traced the history of the kingdom of God (the rule or reign of God) on earth, as it existed originally in Eden and then as it took shape in ancient Israel, only to be lost through the period of the exile. Finally, as prophesied, the heir to…
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Kingdom Come, Part 1: A Brief History of the Kingdom of God
“Your kingdom come.” (Matthew 6:10) As a writer and speaker I frequently hear from Christians who express frustration with Christianity as they know it. We are grateful for forgiveness and the promise of “heaven” (what most of us understand as the “gospel”), yet we sense there’s something more. There is. Something much more. If you…
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Honoring the Other: What Holiness Means
“Your name be honored as holy.” (Matthew 6:9) “Holy” is a slippery word, hard to grasp but possessing an unmistakable power. In Jesus’s prayer we turn it into a request: Let your Name, God, be honored as holy—let it be “hallowed,” as older English has it, in the world and in our lives. What does…
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How to Find Yourself in the Words “Our Father”
“Our Father in heaven . . .” (Matthew 6:9) In our culture we’re a bit flippant about names. We tend to use first names for almost everyone, without a lot of regard to relationship or age or role. But even we haven’t managed to erase the importance of names. What you call someone is deeply…