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The Three “P’s” In The Lord’s Model Prayer

In Matthew 6:9-13, our Lord presented the following model prayer to his disciples: “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in 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.”

This model prayer of Jesus is divided into three parts:

1) Invocation or preface.
2) Seven petitions addressing the (a) Glory of God; (b) Wants of men.
3) Conclusion or doxology.

Note that the spirit of the prayer implies obedience, loyalty, dependence, faith and forgiveness on the part of the believer. The petitions contained in the prayer also imply an obligation to “carry out” our part in that for which we pray. With this information in mind, let us examine the three “P’s” in the Lord’s model prayer:

“P”riviledge – “Our Father”

We can address God as “Our Father” because we are His children:

1) “By faith in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:26).
2) We are adopted through God’s Spirit (Romans 8:15-16) and by Christ (Ephesians 1:3-6).
3) We are “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ” – Romans 8:17.
4) We are “no more a servant, but a son” (Gal. 4:7).

Contrast the Jew’s versus the Christian’s relationship to God. Christians are given a greater ability to have a personal relationship to God as “sons” and not as “servants” (Exodus 14:31; Exodus 19:10-18; Exodus 20:19; Deuteronomy 3:24; Gal. 4:5-7; Hebrews 3:5-6; Hebrews 9:6-7; Hebrews 10:11-19; Hebrews 12:18-28).

“P”urpose – “Thy Kingdom Come”

Christ here prays for his “future” kingdom “soon” to be established. In fact, John the Baptist preached, “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). Since His kingdom has been established (Acts 2; Colossians 1:13; Hebrews 12:28; 2 Peter 1:11; Rev. 1:9), we can now pray for God to help us in the spreading of His Kingdom as Paul did in Colossians 1:1-6. The will of God here on earth is that all men be brought into His Kingdom (Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Tim. 2:4; Titus 2:11; 2 Peter 3:9).

“P”ower – “For Thine Is The Kingdom, And The Power”

God has given us His power and authority through Christ to accomplish His purposes for us here on earth (Matthew 28:18-20).

Note that Christ quotes from David’s prayer to God before the building of God’s temple through his son, Solomon. David stated, “Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all” (1 Chronicles 29:11-13).

Conclusion

In examining the Lord’s model prayer, we see that as Christians we have:

1) Priviledge – We are “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17).
2) Purpose – We are to spread the borders of God’s Kingdom here on earth (Matthew 28:19-20).
3) Power – God has given us the authority and power to accomplish His purpose through Christ (Matthew 28:18).

Let us be thankful and appreciative to God that He has deemed us worthy of these responsibilities and be found carrying them out! (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15).