The Lord's Prayer - Part 2

Last week we took a deeper look into The Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). Today we will examine the last few verses of this beautiful prayer.

Before I begin, I want to let you know that on Wednesday, November 4th, Proverbs will run my devotional for the month of November. It was an extremely hard devotional to write, and I am still in the midst of the struggle with my Lord...praying daily to trust Him in the midst of seemingly unanswered prayer...trusting He knows what is best. Wednesday, I will be giving away a few resources that have encouraged me through this journey, so please share this devotional with your friends, especially those who may be struggling through a tough place with God. Invite them to visit the Proverbs web site to read the devotional and to stop by here and share their journey, their questions, their doubts, and their prayers. My heart is trusting that through the comments women leave, we will all experience God's promise from 2 Corinthians 1, which says,

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows."

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

As I pondered this verse, the Lord took me back to the Gospels. Each one vividly portrays the tremendous humiliation and physical suffering Jesus endured. He received thirty-nine (a scourging) lashes at the hands of Roman soldiers. Following the scourging, the soldiers stripped Him and draped Him in a scarlet robe. They twisted together a crown of thorns and forced it onto Jesus' head. Mocking Him every step of the way, the soldiers placed a staff in His hand and knelt before Him, calling "Hail, King of the Jews." Surrounding Him, they spit on Him and repeatedly struck Him with a staff. When Jesus was so weak He could barely stand, the soldiers ordered the Savior of the world to carry His own cross as they led Him to certain death. Upon reaching Calvary, the soldiers forced Jesus down on the cross and, stretching out His arms on the cross beam, drove nails into His hands and feet. His blood poured out.

The TRUTH behind these verses pierced my soul. Jesus did this for me!! Jesus did this for you!! A deep sense of sadness and gratitude washed over me. Jesus, who never sinned, who never told a lie (1 Peter 2:22), suffered physical and emotional torment for our sins that was beyond human comprehension. Moreover, as the prophet Isaiah explained, "Yet it was the Lord's will to crush Him." (Isaiah 53:10a). God planned for Jesus to suffer and die on that cross before the creation of the world. God poured out His wrath for me and for you on His own Son.

Then when Jesus' tortured body and His crushed spirit could stand it no more, Jesus cried out, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34). What a beautiful act of submission to the will of His father. In Hebrews it says Christ "learned suffering" (Hebrews 5:8). Jesus submitted, knowing his obedience meant death and separation from His Father for the first time in history.

Jesus' next words penetrated my heart. Jesus prayed from the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34). Jesus asked His Father to forgive the very men who had mocked Him, tortured Him, and finally murdered Him.

The question before us is this: If Jesus died to forgive our sins - if He asked His Father to forgive the men who nailed Him to the cross - what right do we have to withhold forgiveness from anyone. For me specifically, years ago, I had to ask myself, what right did I have to withhold forgiveness from the man who raped me?

Friends, no matter what we are harboring unforgiveness for in our hearts, Jesus, our Lord and Savior, our Redeemer, our Salvation, not only asks, but set the model for, us to forgive others as freely as we have been forgiven. Scripture makes it VERY clear that to receive forgiveness we must forgive others. Mark 11:25 says, "But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins too."

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Finally, Jesus directs us to ask God for protection from temptation and for deliverance from the deception of Satan, the father of lies. Scripture tells us that Satan prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking to devour all that is God's and all that is good. Only in God's power, the power of His Holy Spirit, can we successfully battle Satan and the many temptations and deceptions he throws our way. Pray in Jesus' name for the strength to resist everything that exalts itself against the will and authority of God in your life.

Friends, I want you to KNOW and BELIEVE with all your heart that the Lord's Prayer is as relevant for your lives today as it was when Jesus uttered the words to His disciples over two thousand years ago. I encourage you to learn this prayer and make it your own!!

Love you and so thankful for you!