By: Dr Desmond Ford
“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 the evil one.’ (Matthew 6:9-13, NIV).
The Lord’s Prayer is a summary of the four Gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are summed up in this prayer. But in reverse.
The prayer begins with a summary of John’s Gospel, the last Gospel.
The first part of the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done” is a summary of John’s Gospel. John’s Gospel mentions God as “Father” 120 times.
As we move on in the Lord’s Prayer, we find it deals with the forgiveness of sins.
This reminds us of Luke’s Gospel, which has the most to say about the compassionate nature of God and his generosity in forgiving sins. It’s full of compassion and sympathy and forgiveness. When we read the second section of the Lord’s Prayer about “forgive us our sins,” that makes us think about Luke.
And “lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil” makes us think of Mark. Mark contains more of the miracles Christ. Mark is the great Gospel of victory over the adversary. When the Lord’s Prayer says, “Deliver us from evil,” that’s a summary of Mark, when mighty miracles take place.
Matthew contains the word “kingdom” 56 times. The Lord’s Prayer ends with the theme of Matthew: “Thine is the kingdom of heaven.”
Our Lord’s Prayer is a summary of John, Luke, Mark, and Matthew – in that order.
Eli’s Reflection: What key phrase sticks out to you in the Lord’s prayer? Think on this phrase throughout today as you pray the Lord’s prayer a few times. Let it sink down into your heart.
Article supplied with thanks to Good News Unlimited.
About the Author: Dr Desmond Ford has a vibrant enthusiasm for his chosen work of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. “Des” has been a teacher, minister and theologian for more than sixty years.