When I was young, I was a very messy writer (I still am). I used to love stencils to create fancy headings. Stencils gave shape to my words. Similarly, Jesus gave his followers a prayer stencil, words to learn and trace.
“This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘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.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’
Matthew 6:9-13
What I love about the Lord's Prayer is that Jesus insists his followers address the Creator of the universe as “Our Father in Heaven.” Faith in Jesus not only brings forgiveness of sins but also adoption into the family of God, and therefore we are told to call God "Father."
Calling God "Father" gives us permission to draw close to Him on a very personal level. I have always had a troubled relationship with my earthly father, so for me, the Lord's Prayer is a great blessing. I have a Father in heaven who is always there, a safe person I can speak to.
As a son of God, I am concerned for God's reputation — I want His name to be hallowed (kept holy). Keeping God's name holy is more than just refraining from swearing; it is about my own reputation. As a Christian man, my reputation reflects on God's reputation, and I want His will to be done in my life.
As a child of God, I need my Father to provide my daily bread, to offer His forgiveness, and to give me guidance. All these things I am told to ask for!
The second thing I love about the Lord's Prayer is that all the requests are plural. This means that the prayer is not merely for personal use but for public use — we can pray this prayer for other Christians.
Sometimes, praying for our children can be daunting. Why not use the Lord's Prayer as a stencil for praying for your children? While you are at it, use this stencil to pray for your children's friends and even their teachers!
