The Lord’s Prayer – a Meditation
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.
This is the version of the Lord’s Prayer in Common Worship, the handbook of liturgy largely used in the Anglican Church today. It was offered in the year 2000 as an alternative to the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.
Here we shall look in each phrase in turn. You may like to take time to meditate on each phrase on its own, or you may like to take sections at a time; the aim is to understand better what Jesus is saying, to internalise it and in the process to grow closer to Him.
I pray that each of us is blessed in the attempt.
Our Father in heaven
God is the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We worship God the Father who created the world and everything in it.
He is also Our personal Holy Father – He created us out of His love.
He created our individual character with all of its personal features.
Hallowed be your Name
Your Name is above every other name
in heaven, on earth, and in hell.
Your Name is to be praised and glorified in every way.
Your Name is holy, your Name expresses your divine nature and authority
remembering that in Jewish culture a person’s name
was a pointer to their character.
Your kingdom come
God, may your heavenly kingdom become a reality here on earth.
We have the tension of “Now and not yet”.
We look forward to that eternal kingdom
that as Christians we are privileged to be part of.
Your will be done, on earth as in heaven
Lord, we know that in heaven your perfect Will reigns supreme.
That in your heavenly realm your Will cannot be thwarted.
We give you thanks that when Satan opposed you
he was thrown out of your kingdom.
We long for the time when your Will may also be done here on earth.
Give us today our daily bread
Thank you Lord that you provide our daily need for food.
Thank you that it is just enough,
like the manna in the desert.
Help us to remember others less fortunate than ourselves
and share what we have.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us
Lord we thank you that we are forgiven sinners.
We thank you for saving us from the consequence of our sin,
namely death and hell.
As Jesus taught us to forgive our brother or sister who sins against us,
Lord please give us grace to do this.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil
If possible we ask that we may not face temptations in the first place, but
when we are tempted, please give us
grace and strength to withstand it.
When we are in a spiritual battle with the evil one
we ask that you will save us from his wiles.
For the kingdom, the power,and the glory are yours
God, everything belongs to you.
You made the earth and everything in it.
You are all-powerful and all-knowing.
Only you are worthy of all honour, all worship and all praise.
Thank you Lord for calling us to share in your work
and to be your stewards.
Now and for ever.
Thank you that as your children we are privileged
to be part of your eternal kingdom.
Thank you for the “now and not yet” of your kingdom.
Thank you for the glimpses of heaven that we see
from time to time in our life on earth.
Amen,
Praise you Father Son and Holy Spirit.
Peter Sebborn
April 2025