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The "Our Father," or "Lord's Prayer," was not meant to be taken as the "best of any prayer." Jesus presented it as a divine model, or example of how to pray. The account in Matthew 6 shows Jesus first teaching how NOT to pray (verses 5-8), then saying, "In this manner, therefore, pray:" (v.9). "In this manner" means "after this pattern," NOT "pray these exact words." Perhaps you've played this mind game to amuse yourself: Pick a word, any word, and say it over and over in your mind. Within a few seconds, it begins to seem strange and meaningless. So it is with any word (or group of words) that don't originate from a true thought process. Repeating the Lord's prayer in a ritualistic way has the same result, and one becomes guilty of the "vain repetition" that Jesus just condemned as a heathen practice in verse 7. As an example, Jesus' model prayer teaches that when we pray: 1) To pray to the Father in heaven, recognizing His divinity 2) To praise Him 3) To recognize the significance of His kingdom 4) To submit to His divine will 5) To recognize His supremacy (on earth as well as in heaven) 6) To ask for His providence on a daily basis 7) To ask forgiveness for trespasses, recognizing the need to forgive others 8) To recognize the need for and request His direction and protection 9) To acknowledge His sovereignty in all things Every prayer we utter need not contain every element of the model, but all should be included in one's overall prayer life. There is even one important element, Thanksgiving (Ephesians 5:20), that Jesus did not include…further demonstrating that this prayer is meant to be a pattern, not the "ultimate" prayer.

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16y ago

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Related Questions

Who do pray the your father prayer to?

you think about it in your mind and think about the prayer and the lord will be listening


Did Jesus pray Our Father on Mount Ararat?

The bible only records that He went up to pray. The nature of the prayer is not stated.


What part of the Mass do you pray the Lord's prayer?

The Our Father is recited immediately after the Eucharistic Prayer and before the Celebrant breaks the Host.


How did Jesus instruct his disciples to pray?

Jesus instructed his disciples to pray by giving them the Lord's Prayer, also known as the Our Father. This prayer teaches believers to address God as their Father, ask for His will to be done, seek forgiveness, and request daily needs.


Who do people pray to?

I am a main stream Christian and Pray to the God of the Holy Christian Bible. Specifically to God the Father, that is the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, and I end my prayer in Jesus's Name as it was He who has given me the authority to pray to God the father and this was by His death and resurrection.


Who was the lords prayer taught to?

Christ Taught the 'Our Father' to His disciples because they asked Him to Teach them how to pray.


What is the meaning of the address of the lords prayer our father which art in heaven?

It is simply the way we Christians refer to God when we pray, I usually say Dear Heavenly father and so on. The Lords prayer was Jesus teaching us how to pray, we say God is the father, Jesus the son and then there's the holy spirit. So God is our father in Heaven


Why did Jesus pray?

Prayer is communication between us and God, He was being an example to us and talking with his father.


Can you pray a prayer early in the morning"?

Yes, you can pray a prayer early in the morning.


Can I pray without a prayer mat"?

Yes, you can pray without a prayer mat. It is not a requirement in Islam to use a prayer mat for prayer.


Can you pray before prayer time"?

No, you cannot pray before prayer time because prayer time is specifically designated for prayer.


What is the spiritual sense of the Lord's Prayer?

The Lords Prayer is an example of how to pray, not what to pray. Of course we can pray it, but that wasn't His point.