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“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12) The second part of the words on forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer relates to the way we treat others. Notice that there is no exhortation here to pray that God would help us to forgive others. No, there is merely the …
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“And forgive us our debts” (Matthew 6:12a) The fifth petition of the Lord’s Prayer centers upon our relationship with God and with others. Specifically, it is a request for forgiveness. This request forces us to recognize that often we are not the sort of people we would like to be, others would like us to …
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“Give us today our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11) The first three petitions of the Lord’s prayer orient us with God at the center in prayer. With the next three petitions, however, the pronouns switch from ‘You’ and ‘Your’ to ‘us’ and ‘our.’ This switch reminds us that prayer is not only about God in heaven …
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“Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10) Following the first petition that God’s name be hallowed and the second that God’s kingdom would come, the third petition of the Lord’s Prayer asks that God’s will would be done upon the earth. This summarizes the first half …
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“Your kingdom come…” (Matthew 6:10) The second petition of the Lord’s Prayer focuses on God’s kingdom coming upon earth. A kingdom is the sphere of authority and rule of a king, and so, the kingdom of God is the domain of God’s rule and reign. Throughout the Old Testament, God is referred to as the …
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Matthew Erickson 