THE PRAYER LIFE OF JESUS
THE PRAYERS OF JESUS:
-At His baptism: Luke 3:21
-In a solitary place: Mark 1:35
-In the wilderness: Luke 5:16
-All night before choosing His disciples: Luke 6:12
-Before His invitation to "Come unto Me": Matthew 11:25-27
-At the feeding of the 5,000: John 6:11
-After the feeding of the 5,000: Matthew 14:23
-When He gave the Lord's prayer: Luke 11:1-4
-At Caesarea-Philippi: Luke 9:18
-Before His transfiguration: Luke 9:28-29
-For little children: Matthew 19:13
-Before the raising of Lazarus from the dead: John 11:41-42
-In the temple: John 12:27-28
-At the supper: Matthew 26:26-27
-For Peter: Luke 22:32
-For the disciples and His future followers: John 17
-In Gethsemane: Matthew 26:36,39,42,44
-On the cross: Luke 23:24
-At Emmaus: Luke 24:30
THE LORD'S PRAYER:
There are two versions of what is called the "Lord's Prayer" or the "model prayer", one recorded
in Matthew 6:9-13 and the other in Luke 11:2-4. Most Bible scholars agree that the similarities
between them justify regarding the two versions as forms of the same prayer rather than different
prayers. The disciples watched Jesus pray and witnessed the power that resulted from His
prayers. This created in them a desire to learn to pray as He did, so they asked the Lord Master,
"Teach us to pray."
Jesus responded with the words of what has come to be called the Lord's Prayer:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on
earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also
have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil
one. (Matthew 6:9-13, NIV)
When the disciples came to Jesus, they said "Teach us to pray," not "Teach us a prayer." Jesus
responded to their request by using a method commonly employed by Jewish rabbis who taught
by listing certain topics of truth, then providing a complete outline under each point.
1
,In this model prayer, Jesus used this same teaching pattern. He gave major topics and then
instructed the disciples, "After this manner, therefore, pray" which in Greek means "pray along
these lines." Jesus did not command His followers to repeat the prayer word-for-word, but rather
to pray "after this manner."
The prayer begins with the plural possessive "our." In the body of the prayer we also see
statements like "give us," "lead us," and "forgive us." The model prayer is an intercessory prayer
because since it is in plural tense you pray for others as well as yourself, as you are part of the
Body of Christ. The following is an analysis of this model prayer.
Our Father which art in Heaven. When you pray to "Our Father in Heaven," it immediately
brings you from the natural world into a powerful spiritual dimension. It assures you that God
has at His disposal the entire resources of the supernatural realm with which to respond to the
requests presented in the remainder of the model prayer. When you pray "Our Father in Heaven,"
you are immediately linked through Christ to a supernatural God with unlimited supernatural
resources.
Hallowed be your name. God's name is not just a term of recognition, but it is an expression of
His nature and identity. When you say "Hallowed be Your Name" you proclaim the person,
power, and authority of God. When you pray for others, you can use these names to intercede
for God to work in their lives. Here is an example:
"I pray for my wife, that you will be Jehovah-shalom to her. I pray that you will be her
Jehovah-jireh, providing her every need this day. Jehovah-nissi, I ask that your banner
will reign over her life. I pray that as Jehovah-m'kaddesh you will sanctify her this day...
(etc.)"
The following is a list of the compound names of God and their meanings:
Name: Jehovah-tsidkenu
Means: Jehovah Our Righteousness
Reference: Jeremiah 23:6
Name: Jehovah-m'kaddesh
Means: Jehovah Who Sanctifies
Reference: Exodus 31:13
Name: Jehovah-shalom
Means: Jehovah Is Peace
Reference: Judges 6:24
Name: Jehovah-shammah
Means: Jehovah Is There
Reference: Ezekiel 48:35
2
, Name: Jehovah-rophe
Means: Jehovah Heals
Reference: Exodus 15:26
Name: Jehovah-jireh
Means: Jehovah My Provider
Reference: Genesis 22:14
Name: Jehovah-nissi
Means: Jehovah My Banner
Reference: Exodus 17:15
Name: Jehovah-rohi
Means: Jehovah My Shepherd
Reference: Psalms 23:1
Your Kingdom come. The Kingdom of God refers to the kingship, sovereignty, reign, and
ruling activity of God. It is the expression of God's nature in action. God's realm of operation
can be viewed in terms of its inclusive universal organization as the Kingdom of God; its local
visible organization as the Church through which the Kingdom is extended; and individual
believers of which the Kingdom is composed.
Sometime in the future, the Kingdom of God will be established in visible form. We do not know
the exact timing of this (Acts 1:7), but according to the Word of God it is certain. All the
kingdoms of the world will become the property of God, the evil kingdom of Satan will be
defeated, and our King will reign forever (Revelation 11:15).
When you pray "Your Kingdom come," you are praying that God will be acknowledged as King
and that life here on earth will be regulated by His commands. You are also asking God to
remove anything that is in rebellion against His Kingdom, including words, attitudes, desires,
behavior, etc., in yourself and others for whom you are praying.
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In Greek there are two words used for the word
"will" in reference to God. One word is "boulema”. This word refers to God's sovereign will
which is His predetermined plan for everything that happens in the universe. This type of "God's
will" is fulfilled regardless of decisions made by man. It is God's master plan for the world and
His work in the world to bring to pass all things on the basis of this sovereign will (Ephesians
1:11). The "boulema" will of God does not require the cooperation of man. In the "boulema"
will of God, the outcome is predetermined.
The other word for God's will is "thelema" and it refers to His individual plan or will for each
man and woman. In order for God to fulfill His "thelema" will, it requires man's cooperation.
People have the power to choose whether or not they will walk in the "thelema" will of God.
When you pray "Your will be done" for yourself or another person, you are interceding for the
"thelema" will of God to be fulfilled.
3
, Give us this day our daily bread. Asking God to "give us" acknowledges that He is your
source, not a welfare agency or a company pay check. The Greek word translated "daily" in this
model prayer means "necessary or essential, sufficient for your sustenance and support." Its use
in this context confirms that the model prayer is to be prayed daily. The prayer for "bread" refers
to both spiritual and material sustenance. The word "us" denotes that we intercede for provision
for others as well as ourselves.
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. The literal rendering of this verse in Greek is
"as we forgave our debtors." Thus the verse could read, "Forgive us our debts, as we have
forgiven others." The idea is that before you seek forgiveness for your sins, you are to have
already forgiven those who have sinned against you. Jesus taught this principle in the parable of
the unjust servant in Matthew 18:22-35. Forgiving others is a reflection of God's forgiveness,
and His forgiveness is manifested in you and through you when you forgive others.
The Bible declares:
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8-9, KJV)
When you confess your known sin, God forgives any unknown sins as well as what you have
confessed, cleansing you from all unrighteousness. Then you are set free to forgive others.
Don't deprive yourself of forgiveness by being unforgiving. You don't earn forgiveness by
forgiving, but your fellowship with the Father will be affected by your unforgiveness and you
will be held accountable for your sins. In order to be forgiven you must confess your sin, have
faith in God that He will forgive you, repent and turn away from your sin, and forgive others
who sin against you.
Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Jesus taught us to pray, "Do
not lead us into temptation," but James indicates God does not tempt man (James 1:13). So who
is the tempter to whom Jesus is referring? The Bible clearly reveals that this is the role of our
enemy, Satan (1 Thessalonians 3:5). The Scriptures repeatedly warn of temptations which come
from the devil (1 Corinthians 7:5 and 1 Thessalonians 3:5). The Bible explains that...
...each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when
desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth
death. (James 1:14-15)
Satan is the tempter, but you are drawn into his snare when you allow your fleshly desires to
entice you. Such desires birth sin, and sin results in death. Some of Satan's attacks arise from
uncontrolled evil passions from within, while other temptations come from without through your
senses of hearing, seeing, feeling, touching, and tasting. Whatever their source, the Apostle Paul
assures that:
4
THE PRAYERS OF JESUS:
-At His baptism: Luke 3:21
-In a solitary place: Mark 1:35
-In the wilderness: Luke 5:16
-All night before choosing His disciples: Luke 6:12
-Before His invitation to "Come unto Me": Matthew 11:25-27
-At the feeding of the 5,000: John 6:11
-After the feeding of the 5,000: Matthew 14:23
-When He gave the Lord's prayer: Luke 11:1-4
-At Caesarea-Philippi: Luke 9:18
-Before His transfiguration: Luke 9:28-29
-For little children: Matthew 19:13
-Before the raising of Lazarus from the dead: John 11:41-42
-In the temple: John 12:27-28
-At the supper: Matthew 26:26-27
-For Peter: Luke 22:32
-For the disciples and His future followers: John 17
-In Gethsemane: Matthew 26:36,39,42,44
-On the cross: Luke 23:24
-At Emmaus: Luke 24:30
THE LORD'S PRAYER:
There are two versions of what is called the "Lord's Prayer" or the "model prayer", one recorded
in Matthew 6:9-13 and the other in Luke 11:2-4. Most Bible scholars agree that the similarities
between them justify regarding the two versions as forms of the same prayer rather than different
prayers. The disciples watched Jesus pray and witnessed the power that resulted from His
prayers. This created in them a desire to learn to pray as He did, so they asked the Lord Master,
"Teach us to pray."
Jesus responded with the words of what has come to be called the Lord's Prayer:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on
earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also
have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil
one. (Matthew 6:9-13, NIV)
When the disciples came to Jesus, they said "Teach us to pray," not "Teach us a prayer." Jesus
responded to their request by using a method commonly employed by Jewish rabbis who taught
by listing certain topics of truth, then providing a complete outline under each point.
1
,In this model prayer, Jesus used this same teaching pattern. He gave major topics and then
instructed the disciples, "After this manner, therefore, pray" which in Greek means "pray along
these lines." Jesus did not command His followers to repeat the prayer word-for-word, but rather
to pray "after this manner."
The prayer begins with the plural possessive "our." In the body of the prayer we also see
statements like "give us," "lead us," and "forgive us." The model prayer is an intercessory prayer
because since it is in plural tense you pray for others as well as yourself, as you are part of the
Body of Christ. The following is an analysis of this model prayer.
Our Father which art in Heaven. When you pray to "Our Father in Heaven," it immediately
brings you from the natural world into a powerful spiritual dimension. It assures you that God
has at His disposal the entire resources of the supernatural realm with which to respond to the
requests presented in the remainder of the model prayer. When you pray "Our Father in Heaven,"
you are immediately linked through Christ to a supernatural God with unlimited supernatural
resources.
Hallowed be your name. God's name is not just a term of recognition, but it is an expression of
His nature and identity. When you say "Hallowed be Your Name" you proclaim the person,
power, and authority of God. When you pray for others, you can use these names to intercede
for God to work in their lives. Here is an example:
"I pray for my wife, that you will be Jehovah-shalom to her. I pray that you will be her
Jehovah-jireh, providing her every need this day. Jehovah-nissi, I ask that your banner
will reign over her life. I pray that as Jehovah-m'kaddesh you will sanctify her this day...
(etc.)"
The following is a list of the compound names of God and their meanings:
Name: Jehovah-tsidkenu
Means: Jehovah Our Righteousness
Reference: Jeremiah 23:6
Name: Jehovah-m'kaddesh
Means: Jehovah Who Sanctifies
Reference: Exodus 31:13
Name: Jehovah-shalom
Means: Jehovah Is Peace
Reference: Judges 6:24
Name: Jehovah-shammah
Means: Jehovah Is There
Reference: Ezekiel 48:35
2
, Name: Jehovah-rophe
Means: Jehovah Heals
Reference: Exodus 15:26
Name: Jehovah-jireh
Means: Jehovah My Provider
Reference: Genesis 22:14
Name: Jehovah-nissi
Means: Jehovah My Banner
Reference: Exodus 17:15
Name: Jehovah-rohi
Means: Jehovah My Shepherd
Reference: Psalms 23:1
Your Kingdom come. The Kingdom of God refers to the kingship, sovereignty, reign, and
ruling activity of God. It is the expression of God's nature in action. God's realm of operation
can be viewed in terms of its inclusive universal organization as the Kingdom of God; its local
visible organization as the Church through which the Kingdom is extended; and individual
believers of which the Kingdom is composed.
Sometime in the future, the Kingdom of God will be established in visible form. We do not know
the exact timing of this (Acts 1:7), but according to the Word of God it is certain. All the
kingdoms of the world will become the property of God, the evil kingdom of Satan will be
defeated, and our King will reign forever (Revelation 11:15).
When you pray "Your Kingdom come," you are praying that God will be acknowledged as King
and that life here on earth will be regulated by His commands. You are also asking God to
remove anything that is in rebellion against His Kingdom, including words, attitudes, desires,
behavior, etc., in yourself and others for whom you are praying.
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In Greek there are two words used for the word
"will" in reference to God. One word is "boulema”. This word refers to God's sovereign will
which is His predetermined plan for everything that happens in the universe. This type of "God's
will" is fulfilled regardless of decisions made by man. It is God's master plan for the world and
His work in the world to bring to pass all things on the basis of this sovereign will (Ephesians
1:11). The "boulema" will of God does not require the cooperation of man. In the "boulema"
will of God, the outcome is predetermined.
The other word for God's will is "thelema" and it refers to His individual plan or will for each
man and woman. In order for God to fulfill His "thelema" will, it requires man's cooperation.
People have the power to choose whether or not they will walk in the "thelema" will of God.
When you pray "Your will be done" for yourself or another person, you are interceding for the
"thelema" will of God to be fulfilled.
3
, Give us this day our daily bread. Asking God to "give us" acknowledges that He is your
source, not a welfare agency or a company pay check. The Greek word translated "daily" in this
model prayer means "necessary or essential, sufficient for your sustenance and support." Its use
in this context confirms that the model prayer is to be prayed daily. The prayer for "bread" refers
to both spiritual and material sustenance. The word "us" denotes that we intercede for provision
for others as well as ourselves.
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. The literal rendering of this verse in Greek is
"as we forgave our debtors." Thus the verse could read, "Forgive us our debts, as we have
forgiven others." The idea is that before you seek forgiveness for your sins, you are to have
already forgiven those who have sinned against you. Jesus taught this principle in the parable of
the unjust servant in Matthew 18:22-35. Forgiving others is a reflection of God's forgiveness,
and His forgiveness is manifested in you and through you when you forgive others.
The Bible declares:
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8-9, KJV)
When you confess your known sin, God forgives any unknown sins as well as what you have
confessed, cleansing you from all unrighteousness. Then you are set free to forgive others.
Don't deprive yourself of forgiveness by being unforgiving. You don't earn forgiveness by
forgiving, but your fellowship with the Father will be affected by your unforgiveness and you
will be held accountable for your sins. In order to be forgiven you must confess your sin, have
faith in God that He will forgive you, repent and turn away from your sin, and forgive others
who sin against you.
Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Jesus taught us to pray, "Do
not lead us into temptation," but James indicates God does not tempt man (James 1:13). So who
is the tempter to whom Jesus is referring? The Bible clearly reveals that this is the role of our
enemy, Satan (1 Thessalonians 3:5). The Scriptures repeatedly warn of temptations which come
from the devil (1 Corinthians 7:5 and 1 Thessalonians 3:5). The Bible explains that...
...each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when
desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth
death. (James 1:14-15)
Satan is the tempter, but you are drawn into his snare when you allow your fleshly desires to
entice you. Such desires birth sin, and sin results in death. Some of Satan's attacks arise from
uncontrolled evil passions from within, while other temptations come from without through your
senses of hearing, seeing, feeling, touching, and tasting. Whatever their source, the Apostle Paul
assures that:
4
