1. How might we use the prayer recorded at Matthew 6:9-13 in our ministry?

MANY people can recite the Lord’s Prayer from memory. In our door-to-door ministry, we often refer to this prayer to help householders understand that God’s Kingdom is a real government that is going to bring wonderful changes to our earth. Or we may refer to the first request in the prayer to show that God has a personal name, which is to be sanctified, or “treated as holy.”​—Matt. 6:9, ftn.

2. How do we know that Jesus did not intend that the model prayer be repeated word for word every time we pray?

² Did Jesus intend that this prayer be repeated word for word every time we pray, as is done by many in Christendom? No. Just before Jesus provided this prayer as a pattern, he said: “When praying, do not say the same things over and over again.” (Matt. 6:7) On a later occasion, he restated this prayer but used different wording. (Luke 11:1-4) Thus Jesus helped us know what sort of things we need to ask for and in what order of importance. Hence, it is fitting to call it the model prayer.

3. What questions could we meditate on as we analyze the model prayer?

³ In this article and the next, we will analyze the content of the model prayer. As we do so, ask yourself, ‘How can this model help me improve my own prayers? And, more important, am I living in harmony with the prayer?’

“OUR FATHER IN THE HEAVENS”

4. Of what does the expression “our Father” remind us, and in what sense is Jehovah “Father” to Christians with an earthly hope?

⁴ The expression “our Father,” not “my Father,” reminds us that we belong to an “association of brothers” who truly love one another. (1 Pet. 2:17) What a precious privilege that is! Anointed Christians, who have been begotten as God’s sons with heavenly life in view, rightly address Jehovah as “Father” in the fullest sense. (Rom. 8:15-17) Christians whose hope is to live forever on earth can also address Jehovah as “Father.” He is their Life-Giver, and he lovingly provides for the needs of all true worshippers. Those with this earthly hope will in the fullest sense become God’s children after they have reached perfection and have proved their loyalty in the final test.​—Rom. 8:21; Rev. 20:7, 8.

5, 6. What fine gift can parents give to their children, and what should each child do with this gift? (See opening image.)

⁵ Parents give their children a fine gift when they teach them to pray and help them to view Jehovah as a caring heavenly Father. A brother who now serves as a circuit overseer in South Africa recalls: “From the day our daughters were born, I would pray with them every night unless I was away from home. Our daughters often say that they do not remember the exact words of those nightly prayers. However, they recall the atmosphere, the sacredness of communicating with our Father, Jehovah, and the feeling of calm and security. As soon as they were able to, I encouraged them to pray out loud so that I could hear them express their thoughts and feelings to Jehovah. This was a wonderful opportunity to get a glimpse into their hearts. Then I could gently coach them to include important elements of the model prayer in order to give their prayers a meaningful foundation.”

⁶ Not surprisingly, the brother’s little girls went on to make fine spiritual progress. They are now happily married, and along with their husbands, they are doing God’s will in the full-time service. Parents can give their children no greater gift than that of helping them to develop a warm, close relationship with Jehovah. Of course, it is up to each one to maintain this precious relationship. That involves learning to love God’s name, treating it with the deepest respect.​—Ps. 5:11, 12; 91:14.

“LET YOUR NAME BE SANCTIFIED”

7. What privilege do God’s people have, but what does it require of us?

⁷ What a privilege it is for us not only to know God’s personal name but also to bear it as “a people for his name.” (Acts 15:14; Isa. 43:10) We implore our heavenly Father: “Let your name be sanctified.” Your making such a request may move you to ask Jehovah to help you to avoid doing or saying anything that would dishonor his holy name. We do not want to be like some in the first century who did not practice what they preached. The apostle Paul wrote of them: “The name of God is being blasphemed among the nations because of you.”​—Rom. 2:21-24.

8, 9. Give an example of how Jehovah blesses those who are concerned about sanctifying his name.

⁸ We want to sanctify God’s name. After the untimely death of her husband, a sister in Norway was left alone with a two-year-old son. “It was a very difficult time in my life,” she explains. “I prayed every day, nearly every hour, for strength to keep my emotional balance so that I would not give Satan reason to taunt Jehovah because of any unwise decision or unfaithfulness on my part. I wanted to sanctify Jehovah’s name, and I wanted my son to see his father again in Paradise.”​—Prov. 27:11.

⁹ Did Jehovah answer such unselfish prayers? Yes. This sister received support from her regular association with caring fellow believers. Five years later, she married an elder. Her son, now 20 years old, is a baptized brother. “I am so happy,” she says, “that my husband helped me to raise him.”

10. What is needed for the complete sanctification of God’s name?

¹⁰ What is needed for God’s name to be completely sanctified and cleared of all reproach? For that to happen, Jehovah must act to remove all who willfully reject his sovereignty. (Read Ezekiel 38:22, 23.) Mankind will gradually be brought to perfection. How we long for the time when all intelligent creation will treat Jehovah’s name as holy! Then, at last, our loving heavenly Father will “be all things to everyone.”​—1 Cor. 15:28.

“LET YOUR KINGDOM COME”

11, 12. Toward the end of the 19th century, true Christians were given what insight?

¹¹ Before Jesus ascended to heaven, his apostles asked: “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” Jesus’ answer showed that it was not the time for them to know when God’s Kingdom would start ruling. He told his disciples to focus on the important witnessing work that they needed to do. (Read Acts 1:6-8.) Nevertheless, Jesus taught his followers to look forward to the coming of God’s Kingdom. So Christians since the days of the apostles have been praying for it to come.

¹² When the time approached for God’s Kingdom in the hands of Jesus to start ruling from heaven, Jehovah helped his people to understand the timing of events. In 1876, an article written by Charles Taze Russell was published in the magazine Bible Examiner. That article, “Gentile Times: When Do They End?,” pointed to 1914 as a significant year. The article linked the “seven times” of Daniel’s prophecy with “the appointed times of the nations” spoken of by Jesus.a​—Dan. 4:16; Luke 21:24.

13. What happened in the year 1914, and what do world events since that time confirm?

¹³ In 1914, war broke out between nations of Europe​—a war that spread and engulfed the whole world. By the time it ended in 1918, terrible food shortages had been experienced and there was a flu epidemic in which more people died than were killed in the war. Thus “the sign” that Jesus had given to identify his invisible presence as earth’s new King started to be fulfilled. (Matt. 24:3-8; Luke 21:10, 11) Ample evidence points to the year 1914 as the time when “a crown was given” to the Lord Jesus Christ. He “went out conquering and to complete his conquest.” (Rev. 6:2) He cleansed the heavens in a war against Satan and his demons, who were hurled down to the vicinity of the earth. Ever since, mankind has experienced the truthfulness of these inspired words: “Woe for the earth and for the sea, because the Devil has come down to you, having great anger, knowing that he has a short period of time.”​—Rev. 12:7-12.

14. (a) Why is it still important to pray for God’s Kingdom to come? (b) What are we privileged to do?

¹⁴ The prophecy recorded at Revelation 12:7-12 explains why the birth of God’s Kingdom basically coincided with the beginning of the disastrous events that continue to plague mankind. Jesus, the King of God’s Kingdom, began to rule amid his enemies. Until his conquest is complete and he has brought an end to wickedness on earth, we will continue to pray for God’s Kingdom to come. At the same time, we must live in harmony with such prayers by sharing in the fulfillment of a most amazing feature of “the sign.” Jesus foretold: “This good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”​—Matt. 24:14.

“LET YOUR WILL TAKE PLACE . . . ON EARTH”

15, 16. How can we live in harmony with the request for God’s will to take place on earth?

¹⁵ About 6,000 years ago, God’s will was being done perfectly on earth. That is why Jehovah could look upon the fine start he had given to mankind and say: “It was very good.” (Gen. 1:31) Then Satan rebelled, and ever since, comparatively few humans have done God’s will on earth. But today we are privileged to be alive at a time when about eight million Witnesses not only are praying for God’s will to take place on earth but also are striving to live in harmony with that prayer. They do so by their way of life and by having a zealous share in the disciple-making work.

¹⁶ For example, a sister who was baptized in 1948 and who served as a missionary in Africa says: “In line with this part of the model prayer, I often pray that all sheeplike people will be contacted and helped to come to know Jehovah before it is too late. Also, when I am about to witness to someone, I ask for wisdom to reach the person’s heart. And regarding sheeplike ones who have already been found, I pray that Jehovah will bless our efforts to care for them.” Little wonder that this 80-year-old sister has success in her ministry and, along with aid from others, has helped many to become Jehovah’s Witnesses. No doubt you can think of other good examples of individuals who pour themselves out in doing God’s will despite the limitations of old age.​—Read Philippians 2:17.

17. How do you feel about what Jehovah will yet do in answer to our request for his will to be done on earth?

¹⁷ Until the enemies of God’s Kingdom are removed from the earth, we will continue to pray for God’s will to be done. Then we will see God’s will taking place in an even more complete way as billions are resurrected on a paradise earth. “Do not be amazed at this,” Jesus said, “for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear [my] voice and come out.” (John 5:28, 29) What a wonderful time to be alive to welcome back our dead loved ones! God “will wipe out every tear from [our] eyes.” (Rev. 21:4) Most resurrected ones will be “the unrighteous,” who lived and died without learning the truth about Jehovah God and his Son. It will be a privilege to impart knowledge of God’s will and purpose to resurrected ones, thereby helping them to qualify for “everlasting life.”​—Acts 24:15; John 17:3.

18. What are mankind’s greatest needs?

¹⁸ Universal peace and harmony depend on the sanctification of Jehovah’s name by means of God’s Kingdom. Thus, the complete answer to the first three requests of the model prayer will fulfill mankind’s greatest needs. Meanwhile, we have other vital needs that are mentioned in the remaining four requests in Jesus’ model prayer. They will be discussed in the following article.

1-3. Why did one sister feel sure that Jehovah knows what we need?

LANA will never forget what happened one day in Germany in the summer of 2012. She feels that two of her specific prayers were answered. She offered the first prayer while on a long train ride to the airport. She asked Jehovah to open the way for her to give a witness. She offered the second prayer after she arrived at the airport and learned that her flight had been delayed until the next day. Lana prayed about the fact that she had used up most of her European currency and had no place to stay.

² Hardly had Lana finished the second prayer when she heard someone say, “Hello, Lana, what are you doing here?” The young man who was speaking was a former schoolmate. He was with his mother and grandmother, who were seeing him off on a flight to South Africa. On learning of Lana’s situation, the mother, Elke, warmly invited Lana to stay with them. Elke and her mother were hospitable to Lana and kept asking questions about her beliefs and her work as a full-time evangelizer.

³ The next morning, after a hearty breakfast, Lana answered more Bible questions, and she got her hosts’ contact information in order to follow up their interest. Lana returned home safely and continues her service as a regular pioneer. She feels that the “Hearer of prayer” was involved in how things worked out.​—Ps. 65:2.

4. What needs will we consider?

⁴ When we are suddenly faced with a problem, we may have no difficulty praying for help, and Jehovah is delighted to hear such pleas from his loyal ones. (Ps. 34:15; Prov. 15:8) If we meditate on the model prayer, however, we may find that there are other greater needs that we might overlook. For example, consider how our spiritual needs are revealed in the last three requests of the model prayer. And is there more we can do to live in harmony with the fourth request, concerning our daily bread?​—Read Matthew 6:11-13.

“GIVE US TODAY OUR BREAD FOR THIS DAY”

5, 6. Why is our request for our bread for the day important even if we have sufficient material things?

⁵ Notice that this is a personal request not purely for “my” bread for the day but for “our” bread for the day. Victor, a circuit overseer in Africa, explains: “I often sincerely thank Jehovah that my wife and I don’t have to be seriously concerned about where our next meal will come from, nor do we have to worry about who will pay the rent. Our brothers kindly look after us every day. But I do pray that those helping us will manage to handle the economic pressures they face.”

⁶ If we have sufficient food for many days, we can think of brothers who live in poverty or who are affected by disasters. We should not only pray for them but also act in harmony with our prayers. For example, we can share what we have with fellow worshippers in need. We can also regularly contribute to the worldwide work, knowing that such funds are used wisely.​—1 John 3:17.

7. How did Jesus illustrate his advice that we should “never be anxious about the next day”?

⁷ In referring to our daily bread, Jesus likely meant our immediate needs. Thus, he went on to show how God clothes the wildflowers, and then he said: “Will he not much rather clothe you, you with little faith? So never be anxious and say, . . . ‘What are we to wear?’” He concluded by repeating this important advice: “Never be anxious about the next day.” (Matt. 6:30-34) This shows that rather than be materialistic, we should be content with our basic daily needs. Such needs may include suitable accommodations, employment to provide for our family, and wisdom to cope with health concerns. If we were to pray only for such physical needs, however, it would indicate an imbalance. We have spiritual needs that are of much greater importance.

8. Jesus’ reference to our daily bread should remind us of what important need? (See opening image.)

⁸ Jesus’ reference to our daily bread should remind us of our need for spiritual food. “Man must live,” said our Master, “not on bread alone, but on every word that comes from Jehovah’s mouth.” (Matt. 4:4) So we should continue to pray that Jehovah will keep on feeding us with timely spiritual food.

“FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS”

9. In what sense are our sins “debts”?

⁹ Why did Jesus use the word “debts,” whereas on a later occasion, he spoke of “sins”? (Matt. 6:12; Luke 11:4) Over 60 years ago, this journal nicely explained: “A sin of transgression against God’s law puts us in debt to him. . . . For our sin God could demand and exact our lives. . . . He could withdraw his peace from us, breaking off all peaceful relations with us. . . . We owe him love, expressed in obedience; and when we sin we fail in paying our debt of love to him, for sin is unloving toward God.”​—1 John 5:3.

10. On what basis can Jehovah forgive our sins, and how should we feel about that?

¹⁰ Our daily need for forgiveness highlights the only legal basis on which God can cancel our sins​—Jesus’ ransom sacrifice. Though this ransom was paid nearly 2,000 years ago, we should cherish it as if it were a gift given today. “The ransom price” for our lives “is so precious” that nothing any imperfect human could do for us would come near to paying it. (Read Psalm 49:7-9; 1 Peter 1:18, 19.) Indeed, we should never cease to thank Jehovah for this great gift. Also, the expression “our sins,” not “my sins,” should remind us that all in our family of worshippers need this merciful provision. Clearly, Jehovah wants us to be concerned not only about our own spiritual welfare but also about that of others, including those who might have sinned against us. Usually, such sins are minor and give us an opportunity to show that we truly love our brothers and are willing to forgive, as God has mercifully forgiven us.​—Col. 3:13.

11. Why is it important to have a forgiving spirit?

¹¹ Sadly, as imperfect humans, we may sometimes harbor a grudge against another. (Lev. 19:18) If we talk about the matter, others may side with us, causing a division in the congregation. If we allow such a situation to continue, it would show a lack of appreciation for God’s mercy and the ransom. Our Father will cease to apply to us the value of his Son’s sacrifice if we display an unforgiving spirit. (Matt. 18:35) Jesus elaborated on this immediately after giving the model prayer. (Read Matthew 6:14, 15.) Finally, to benefit from God’s forgiveness, we must strive to avoid making a practice of serious sin. Our desire to avoid practicing sin leads to the next request.​—1 John 3:4, 6.

“DO NOT BRING US INTO TEMPTATION”

12, 13. (a) What happened to Jesus shortly after his baptism? (b) Why must we take responsibility if we fall into temptation? (c) What did Jesus accomplish by remaining faithful till death?

¹² Considering what happened to Jesus shortly after his baptism can help us to understand the need for the request: “Do not bring us into temptation.” Jesus was led into the wilderness by God’s spirit. Why? “To be tempted by the Devil.” (Matt. 4:1; 6:13) Should that surprise us? Not if we grasp the main reason why God sent his Son to the earth. That was to settle the issue raised when Adam and Eve rejected God’s sovereignty. Questions needed time to be settled. For example, was something wrong with the way God created man? Was it possible for a perfect human to uphold God’s sovereignty regardless of pressures from “the wicked one”? And would mankind be better off independent of God’s rulership, as Satan implied? (Gen. 3:4, 5) Answering such questions would require time but would show all intelligent creation that Jehovah exercises his sovereignty in a beneficial way.

¹³ Jehovah is holy and therefore never tempts anyone to do evil. Rather, it is the Devil who is “the Tempter.” (Matt. 4:3) The Devil can create tempting situations. Yet, it is up to each individual whether he will allow himself to be brought into temptation or not. (Read James 1:13-15.) For his part, Jesus immediately rejected each temptation by the use of a relevant quotation from God’s Word. Thus, Jesus upheld God’s rightful sovereignty. But Satan did not give up. He waited “until another convenient time.” (Luke 4:13) Jesus continued to resist all of Satan’s efforts to break his integrity. Christ upheld the righteousness of Jehovah’s sovereignty and proved that a perfect human can be faithful despite the most extreme test. However, Satan attempts to ensnare Jesus’ followers, including you.

14. We need to do what in order not to fall into temptation?

¹⁴ Because of the ongoing issue regarding God’s sovereignty, Jehovah allows the Tempter to use this world to tempt us. God is not bringing us into temptation. On the contrary, he has confidence in us and he wants to help us. Out of respect for our free will, though, Jehovah does not automatically prevent us from falling into temptation. We have to do two things​—remain spiritually awake and persist in prayer. How does Jehovah answer our prayers?

15, 16. (a) What are some temptations that we need to resist? (b) Who is responsible if a person falls into temptation?

¹⁵ Jehovah gives us his powerful holy spirit, which can strengthen us and help us to resist temptation. God also forewarns us through his Word and the congregation about situations that we must avoid, such as spending excessive time, money, and energy on nonessential material things. Espen and Janne live in an affluent European country. For many years, they were regular pioneers in a part of their country where the need was great. With the birth of their first child, they had to stop pioneering, and now they have a second child. “We often pray to Jehovah,” says Espen, “that we may not fall into temptation now that we are unable to spend as much time as we previously did in theocratic activities. We ask Jehovah to help us maintain our spirituality and zeal for the ministry.”

¹⁶ Another temptation that has come to the fore in modern times is the viewing of pornography. If we fall into such a temptation, we cannot blame Satan. Why? Because Satan and his world cannot force us to do anything against our will. Some have given in to this temptation by allowing their minds to dwell on what is bad. But we can resist, even as thousands of our brothers have done.​—1 Cor. 10:12, 13.

“DELIVER US FROM THE WICKED ONE”

17. (a) How can we live in harmony with our request to be delivered from the wicked one? (b) What relief must be near?

¹⁷ To live in harmony with the request “deliver us from the wicked one,” we must strive to be “no part of [Satan’s] world.” We must “not love either [Satan’s] world or the things in the world.” (John 15:19; 1 John 2:15-17) Doing so is an ongoing struggle. What a relief it will be when Jehovah answers this request by removing Satan and causing his wicked world to pass away! We must remember, though, that when Satan was hurled out of heaven, he knew that his time was short. Enraged, he does all he can to make us break our integrity. So we must keep praying for deliverance from him.​—Rev. 12:12, 17.

18. To survive the end of Satan’s world, what must we continue to do?

¹⁸ Do you desire such a happy outcome? Then continue to pray for God’s Kingdom to sanctify God’s name and cause his will to be done on earth. Look to Jehovah to supply your spiritual and physical needs. Yes, be determined to live in harmony with the model prayer.