The Potency of Prayer

Matthew 6:9-15  

 

 

In this remarkable section of scripture, Jesus teaches the people how they should pray, giving an example of the necessity, intimacy and power of daily prayer.  Prayer grounds us in the love, power, faith and hope of God our Father.  All of us need prayer and need to pray.

 

1. God’s Dignity.

Jesus began the prayer with the plural “our Father”, indicating this prayer is given to all who believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  He also used a superlative to show God’s name is to be hallowed, reminding us to always give deference to His transcendence, surpassing holiness, wisdom, love, dominion and perfection.  Whatever we ask, we can have confidence He knows best, and in a hurting, sinful and confusing world His ways bring healing salvation and clarity.

 

2.Our Necessities. 11

Give us this day our daily bread. A key word in verse 11 is “epiousious” in the original Greek, commonly rendered as daily. The historian and priest Jerome translated it as “super-substantial” bread. This is a reminder of the manna from heaven which met the daily needs of God’s people during the 40 years of wilderness travel after liberation from Egyptian slavery.  God was pleased to meet their physical and spiritual needs.  We are privileged that God meets our every need.