Tag: Lord’s Prayer

Should We Recite the Lord’s Prayer?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 11, 2015
2 Comments on Should We Recite the Lord’s Prayer?

Last week I blogged about saying the Lord’s Prayer each Sunday in church as a kid and my apprehension for doing so. I cited my reason as the phrase “vain repetitions” (KJV) found in Jesus’s warning about how not to pray.

The NIV is more colorful in its rendering: “babbling like pagans.”

Though I didn’t get it as a kid, I now know that not all repetition need be in vain. I suppose that just as we can have vain repetition, we can likewise have worthwhile repetition.

So is repeating the Lord’s Prayer vain or worthwhile? I suppose that depends on the person doing the reciting. For some the repetition may be in vain and for others it may be worthwhile.

What I do know is that just a couple verses after Jesus warns against vain repetition and babbling like the pagans when we pray, he teaches us the Lord’s Prayer.

This gives me pause, for it seems like he tells us not to do something and then teaches us how to do what we’re not supposed to do. Is this another of the Bible’s paradoxes?

However, I don’t think Jesus intends us to recite his prayer. I suspect he gives it to us as a model to guide us, not a passage to memorize.

That’s what I use the Lord’s Prayer for, not a form to follow verbatim, but an example to steer my words when I communicate with God.

So, yes, I do use the Lord’s Prayer when I pray. I follow it as an outline to inform my prayers, not a refrain to repeat. For if I recite it verbatim, it would indeed become vain repetition—at least for me.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

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Tags Lord’s Prayer, prayer

Bible Insights

What Does Jesus Want Us to Forgive?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 4, 2012

In my post Be Careful What You Pray I mention a line in the Lord’s Prayer, “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

Different groups have different wording for this line. There are some I’ve run into:

Debts

“Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” The word debt, conjures up thoughts of loans and money. That limits what Jesus meant and isn’t helpful.

Trespasses

“Forgive our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” The word trespass evokes walking uninvited on someone6s property.

That’s not helpful either. (However, the dictionary gives a broader understanding for both these words.)

Sins

“Forgive our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.” To me, sin is the word that conveys the full impact of this phrase, but I understand some people are put off by that word.

Wrongs

I recently heard a fourth version, which I like for its clarity:

“Forgive us for the wrongs we have done, as we have forgiven those who have wronged us.”

That connects with me. I hope one of these four versions connects with you. Now we just need to pray it—and do it.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Matthew 5-7, and today’s post is on Matthew 6:12.]

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Tags debt, forgiveness, Lord’s Prayer, sin

Bible Insights

The Lord’s Prayer

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date June 26, 2012

When Jesus’ disciples asked him how to pray, he gave them a short little example.

It’s commonly called “The Lord’s Prayer” (though some suggest “The Disciples’ Prayer” would be a more appropriate label.) Others refer to it as “Our Father” after its opening phrase.

The Lord’s Prayer is found in Matthew 6:9-13. In the NIV, it’s only 53 words long and 66 words if you include the additional text at the end that is not found in all manuscripts:

“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 the evil one” (53 words)… “for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen,” (13 more words; 66 total).

The Lord’s Prayer is also found in Luke 11:2-4. Compared to Matthew’s version, it omits two phrases and simplifies others, so it is even shorter, at only 34 words:

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Tags glory, Lord’s Prayer

Bible Insights

Which Version of the Lord’s Prayers Do You Say?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date May 15, 2012

Which Version of the Lord’s Prayers Do You Say?

Did you know there are multiple versions of the Lord’s Prayer—the prayer Jesus used to teach his followers how to pray? Matthew records the most common version, which goes something like this:

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.

While there are some variations to this depending on the version of the Bible referenced, it is essentially the wording many people use.

However, there is a footnote indicating that some manuscripts add the following phrase at the end:

“For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

This completes the version used by most of the rest of us. However, Luke also records the prayer with a more concise wording:

“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.”

I’ve never heard anyone use this version. But it is in the Bible and is worth considering.

However, it doesn’t really matter which of these three versions of this classic prayer we follow, for I don’t think Jesus intended us to recite it verbatim, but to use it as a model or a template to form our own prayers.

[Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4]

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Tags glory, Jesus, Lord’s Prayer, prayer

Bible Insights

Forgive Us as We Forgive Others

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date August 18, 2010

When you pray, be careful what you pray—I’m serious, be very careful. In the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples (also called “The Lord’s Prayer” or the “Our Father”), one part says: “Forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven our debtors.”

Some translations use the word “sins” or “transgressions” in place of debts, but the intent is the same.

The request is that God will forgive us…to the degree we forgive others.

That is, if we forgive fully, we are asking God to forgive us fully. However , if we only forgive partially—keeping grudges, holding onto ill-feelings, or harboring hate—then we are asking God to only forgive us partially.

Our lack of forgiveness towards others could limit the amount of forgiveness we receive. Ouch!

So when I pray that prayer, I do so carefully and with some trepidation; some days, I even want to skip that part!

However, skipping it is not the answer. A better solution is to be steadfast and diligent in forgiving others—then we can likewise expect the same from God.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Matthew 5-7, and today’s post is on Matthew 6:12.]

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Tags Heavenly Father, Jesus, Lord’s Prayer, pray