As you know “Lord’s Prayer” was given to us directly by Jesus Christ and most Christians pray it daily.
However, most Christians recite the Lord’s Prayer without thinking about its real meaning.
You will be astonished by my sharing that the prayer is meant to help the growth of our soul or spirit and for a closer relationship with God. It contains all we need for our salvation.
“OUR FATHER”
This first phrase tells us “who” we are. Our relationship with God is like that of a father and child.
Jesus said: “If you, who are so full love, nevertheless do your best for your children, how much more will God who is altogether good, do for you.” It is a cosmic law that “like begets like.” We the offspring of God’s Divine Nature must be essentially Divine Spirit too.
It also tells us God exists, is not a punishing God but the loving Father of mankind. “Our Father” indicates we are all brothers and sisters and that all individuals and nations on Earth are equal.
It also implies it is important to pray for all mankind as well as ourselves. There is no spiritual bondage in our Oneness.
“Who Art in Heaven”
Our Father Who is in heaven, the term declares the Presence of God. God created humans to express through his soul, His Love here in many glorious ways starting with the human physical body, his home, his work, and play. God and man have their different roles in the bigger picture.
“Hallowed Be Thy Name”
This is old English meaning “holy,” “whole,” “wholesome” “heal,” or “healed.” In other words, His nature is altogether good and sends us not our difficulties. This prayer shows us that we must acknowledge Him as “hallowed” and He will show us how we can overcome the problems that we create ourselves.
“Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done, on Earth as it is in Heaven”
”Thy kingdom come” means that it is our duty to be always occupied in helping to establish the Kingdom Of God on earth.
Each man is an individualized consciousness here on earth and individualized also means undivided, not divided in Spirit. Our work is to bring more and more of God’s ideas into concrete manifestation/form on this physical plane. In constant prayer we find what God’s Will is for us. Once our will is God’s Will we have established heaven on Earth.
“Give Us this Day Our Day Our Daily Bread”
Dear Reader. Surprise. In the Bible bread means much more than food clothing, shelter, our jobs for our physical body. It also means that it is the Will of God that we lead a fulfilling life moment by moment and all times in unfolding fashion.
In our life on Earth, we must recognize God and God alone as the Source of all our good, our total Being physically and Spiritually. The most important inner meaning of our daily bread is realizing that He is present with us; feeling this makes us totally spiritual Beings. Because God, all good, all powerful, all wise, and all-loving, we have nothing to fear. As we think about Him, in our experiences, we get a glimpse of Him as our Creator.
It is our realization, our experience which marks the progress of the soul, bread is the substance of this hoped for, evidence of things not seen. Jesus refers to bread, as our hidden manna, as the nourishment of the soul, that gives humans all things for action in truth.
This must come spontaneously as a result of regular daily praying the Lord’s Prayer. This will remind us to live in the present moment, of realization of God. right here and right now. This makes us the instruments and expression of God Himself.
This Enlightenment gives us temporary and eternal Joy.
“Forgive Us Our Trespasses, As We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us”
This is the main part of our salvation.
Here Jesus teaches us that forgiveness involves 2 parts which must occur simultaneously. First, we must declare we have forgiven ourselves and all others. Second, our own forgiveness is dependent on that.
We must not only forgive personal experiences but also extend forgiveness to all humanity which is the Truth of our Being.
But much more is implied in the “Forgiveness Statement.”
Sin is a sense of separation from God. Separation does not exist. Our true Being lives in Him and are all One with God, undivided, expressing His Nature of only a Loving God. It is all spiritual because we ae one with the greater Whole it follows that we are one with all humanity.
Perhaps the Reader has learned that we are actually a soul/spirit living in a body temple and not the other way around. This helps make sense of all the implied information.
When the Truth described is not believed, thinking we can live apart, we are in the state called “fall of man.”
That is why Jesus taught the far-reaching power of forgiveness.
We must positively extend forgiveness to everyone who we think we have injured, or they have injured us. So again, for us to be forgiven we must forgive all others. Now having discontinued our own mistakes, we have to accept the forgiveness of God for them too.
Forgiveness includes people who have not hurt us very much and people who have injured us deeply and caused much suffering.
All of the above must be completed to set others free in order to set ourselves free. The Christ Truth has set us both free, and our soul is saved.
More must be mentioned. If we find forgiveness difficult, we should know that all we need to do is be “willing” to start the process and must be repeated over and over again until forgiveness is completed.
Also, we are “not” obliged to “like” everyone, but we have a binding obligation to “love” everyone, as “charity” is used in the Bible. Jesus said we must love one another, as I love you.
Finally, we should practice general forgiveness every day. Simply say: “I freely forgive everyone.” Slowly, we find ourselves cleared of all resentment and leave the judgement to God. This will make our life happier physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
“Lead Us Not into Temptation But Deliver us from Evil”
God could and would not lead us into temptation. The more we pray daily and the more spiritual we become, the greater difficulties we meet which may lead us to “spiritual pride.”
So, we must remember that our greater knowledge brings us to greater responsibility, and we must not violate it. Let’s not forget the Lord’s own ordeal in the wilderness. Therefore, Jesus inserted this clause that we may not have to meet anything that is too much for us at the present level of our understanding. “Nothing shall by any means hurt you. Behold I am with you always.”
“For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory For Ever and Ever”
The Kingdom here means all Creation in all dimensions.
Power is only of God Let’s hold the thought that it is really God who is working through us. We gain efficiency by saying, “God is inspiring me.”
The Glory is God’s too. All three bring us inner eternal Joy.
Author’s conclusion.
Every time I recite this Prayer, alone or in groups, I feel warm fuzzy Love in my heart. My soul lights up because the prayer shows how God brings me closer to Him because He loves all of us/humanity.
Amen.
Note: Some of the content was found and simplified from “The Sermon On The Mount” by Emmet Fox.
