Donny’s in Matthew 6 this morning, and he’s slowing down on something most of us have been saying since we were kids without really thinking about it.
The Lord’s Prayer.
Before he gets there, he starts with a question about friendship. There are levels — knowing of someone, being an acquaintance, a personal friend, a close friend, and then that deepest level where someone truly knows you. Jesus had that with the Father. John 12 — “I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it.” That’s not a distant relationship. That’s intimacy. And that’s what prayer is supposed to move us toward.
Then Jesus teaches us how to pray. And the first thing He says is what not to do.
Don’t be like the hypocrites who pray standing on street corners so everyone can see how spiritual they are. Don’t babble on and on like pagans who think they’ll be heard because of their many words. Your Father already knows what you need before you ask.
Go into your room. Close the door. Talk to your Father.
Then comes the prayer itself, and Donny’s going to take it apart one line at a time.
“Our Father in heaven.” Not “Almighty Sovereign of the Universe.” Father. Abba. Paul uses that word in Romans 8 and Galatians 4 — it’s the word a child uses for their dad. That’s where prayer starts. Not with distance, but with closeness.
“Hallowed be your name.” Set apart. Holy. Donny will point to Isaiah 54 — “your Maker is your husband, the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer.” And Revelation 4, where the living creatures never stop saying “Holy, holy, holy.” There’s a tension here that matters: sincere prayer recognizes the lofty distance of God while acknowledging His loving closeness. He’s holy and He’s your dad. Both at the same time.
“Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Donny will call this writing God a blank check. When we pray this, we’re asking the whole world — including ourselves — to submit to God’s will. Not ours.
“Give us today our daily bread.” Provide for us as only you can.
“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” And here’s where it gets personal. Jesus follows the prayer with a warning that doesn’t leave any wiggle room: if you forgive others, your Father will forgive you. If you don’t forgive others, your Father won’t forgive you.
That’s not a suggestion. That’s the deal.
Donny will walk through four stages of real forgiveness — hurt, anger, healing, and reconciliation. Not quick steps you power through on a Sunday afternoon. Real stages that take real time. But the principle underneath all of it is simple: you forgive others, no questions asked, because in Christ, God forgave you.
He’ll close with 1 John 1:7 — “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin.”
The Lord’s Prayer isn’t a recitation. It’s a framework for how to talk to someone who already knows you completely and loves you anyway.
Scripture References:
Matthew 6:5-18 · Luke 10:22 · John 12:49-50 · Romans 8:15 · Galatians 4:6 · Isaiah 54:5 · Revelation 4:8 · 1 John 1:7
