What Does the Lord’s Prayer Mean ?

Anyone seeking to better understand the religious texts of the Christian and specifically Catholic religion would have to look at the Our Father Prayer.

This prayer from Matthew 6:9-13 is designed to bring Christians together and to join all in offering glory and praise to the Lord.

In this article, we will go more in-depth in the meaning of the Lord's Prayer.

1) Who Wrote The Our Father ?

Traditionally it is said that this Christian prayer comes from Jesus. One of the disciples comes up to him and asks him:

 "Can you teach us to pray, as John the Baptist did with his disciples ?"

This is the need for a prayer that is a little personal, that expresses itself here. A prayer that identifies itself, in a certain way: that of the group of Jesus' Disciples. We have traces of this in two Gospels: Luke's and Matthew's.

As far as its formulation is concerned, The Lord's Prayer has its origin in ancient Jewish tradition. 🕍

Since it is partly taken from prayers repeated by the Jews for thousands of years:

The Shemoneh Esreh (Prayer of the 18 blessings) and the Kaddish, especially for the first part, which concerns the sanctification of the name and the coming of the kingdom.

A. The Lord's Prayer in the Book of Matthew

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, for ever."

Amen

Matthew 6:9-13

For 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.

B. In the Book of Luke

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him:

- “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

He said to them:

- “When you pray, say"

“Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation."

Amen

Luke 11:2-4

2) What is the Message of This Prayer ?

The message of the Lord’s Prayer is one that most believe they can understand and it’s a prayer that’s often taught to children even 🙏🏻. 

Those who seek to better understand what does the Lord's Prayer mean, however, have found a much deeper message that relates to just how someone can and should communicate with our Lord.

Before we dive too far into what it really means, let’s take a closer look at just what it actually says.

Now, there are several versions of this prayer that have gained popularity, each one slightly different from the next.

We’ll talk about some of those catholic variations in a moment. For now, however, let’s take a look at just what each of them is trying to tell us.

The most important part of the message is that we are asking the Lord to be good and kind to us as we attempt to be good and kind to others. 🤗

The thought is to give thanks and to request love and compassion from the Lord in the way that we would attempt to do.

3) A Prayer of Thankfulness to God

Why would we pray this prayer ? The idea is to ask Our Father to help and his blessing. It is intended to express gratitude for what has been given and to request further love and kindness for our lives.

This prayer is meant to be said daily and is generally prayed before meals and even during church services to ask that the Lord continue to exert his control and his goodwill on our lives.

The prayer shows that the Lord is the one who is truly in control of our lives and is the one who provides any type of meaning for that life.

4) Where To Find The Verse in the Bible ?

If you are trying to locate The Lord’s Prayer in the Bible you will actually find it in Matthew 6:9-13.

There is another verse that is similar to this one, which appears in Luke 11:2-4.

This other verse relates to the Lord as well as to forgiving sins and blessing the daily meal.

However, it is not considered as popular or as well known as the official Lord’s Prayer. With either of these verses, you will be giving a wholesome and true prayer to the Lord and asking for his blessing.🙏🏻 It is important to note, however, that there are other variations of the Lord’s Prayer.

While these are generally only a few words different, they have been enough to cause some controversy over the years between different religious sects and different individuals even.

5) Different Versions

Have you ever heard a different version of the Lord’s Prayer than the one we mentioned above ?

Maybe you read it somewhere or you heard it from someone you know. Or maybe you heard it in a catholic church ⛪ that you were visiting. No matter where you were or where you found it, you should know that each of these different versions is considered to be ‘correct.’

The main reason these different versions exist is:

• Translation of the Bible over the years.
• There is confusion about some of the different words as well as about the way that the words were meant at the time.
• As a result, it’s difficult to say which specific version is the one that was truly written in the ancient versions of the Bible 📜.

A. The Lord's Prayer 1662 version

"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 trespasses,
as we forgive them that trespass against us;

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil". Amen

B. The Catholic Version

"Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us, 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil". Amen

C. ELLC Version

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen". 

D. King James Version (KJV)

"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, for ever. Amen"

6) How to Pray The Lord's Prayer ?

As we recite this prayer, we praise the Lord and ask for everything we need to achieve happiness.

It is also one of the first prayers that every new Christian is taught.

May this be a living prayer, a daily guide, and may God bless you in all things. Relax and turn your thoughts to God. If you wish, kneel down, close your eyes or make the sign of the cross.

Begin by saying this:

- "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name."
In this way, you praise God as your Father and glorify his holy name.

Glorify the reign of the Lord and ask for its fullness. Say:

- "Thy kingdom come".
🌅 This phrase brings joy, peace, and righteousness. By reciting this passage, you are asking God to fill the world with these values.

Then entrust your life into the hands of the Lord. Say:

"Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
God knows what is good and right for you, so you must submit to His will.

Ask God to meet your daily needs. Recite this passage:

"Give us this day our daily bread." 🍞

Ask God to forgive your sins. You must renounce anger and resentment by reciting this passage:

- "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us."

Ask God to lead you away from evil and temptation. Say:

- "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." 😈

Proclaim his power by believing that everything is possible with God. Recite this passage:

- "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever."

Close the prayer by humbly saying "Amen"

7) The Meaning Verse by Verse

A. Our father who art in heaven

Teaches the right attitude to pray; we turn to God our Father with love and faith, and express our respect for the One who governs all things.

B. Hallowed be Thy Name

Asks God to make all men capable of recognizing and honoring his holiness. It is good to begin one's prayers with adoration, giving glory and honor to Him who is so worthy of it.

C. Thy Kingdom come

Follows the praise with a request for the advancement of God's reign; thus we will seek His interests first.

Let us pray for the day when our Savior God, the Lord Jesus Christ, will come to establish His reign on earth and reign righteously.

D. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven

Develops the previous request, that God's will be accepted unconditionally by all His children, for we recognize that God knows what the best choices are, and we submit our will to His.

We also express the wish that His will be accepted throughout the world.

The following three demands concern the physical and spiritual well-being of believers.

E. Give us this day our daily bread

Asks God for the basic things we need so that we can honor him effectively, work for his kingdom and do his will. This request is not selfish, but it is a confession that we are totally dependent on God.

F. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us

It is not a question here of the juridical forgiveness that saves us from having to undergo the punishment of our sin; this forgiveness is already obtained once and for all by faith in the Son of God, our Savior.

Jesus speaks here of paternal forgiveness, the one that conditions the maintenance of our communion with the Father.

If Christians are not willing to forgive those who offend them, how can they claim to live in communion with their Father who has generously forgiven them their faults ? 🤔

G. And lead us not into temptation

Through this prayer, we express a healthy mistrust of our own ability to resist temptations and to stand firm in times of trial.

We rely entirely on the Lord to be preserved.

H. But deliver us from evil

This is the prayer of all those who desperately wish to be kept from sin by the power of God.

It is the cry of the heart to be delivered every day from the hold of sin and Satan.

8) A Prayer to Say Daily

The Lord’s Prayer or the Our Father is one of the Bible verses that most people have heard of before.

Even those who wouldn’t consider themselves to be Christian have likely heard it.

And for those who are Christian, this daily prayer is the one that you use when you’re ready to thank the Lord for anything that has happened in your life.

This prayer is one of love, blessings, happiness, and gratitude and it’s definitely something that you should be using yourself when you feel the Lord has done for you.❤️

9) The Lord's Prayer Song by Hillsong Worship

10) Listen to The Lord's Prayer

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