Luke 11:2 And he said to them, When you pray, say, Our Father which are in heaven, Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done… I. TO WHOM WE ARE TO DIRECT OUR PRAYERS; to God, the omnipresent God, who fills heaven and earth. He can hear a thousand, or ten thousand million petitioners at the same time, if there were so many, and know distinctly what every one asks. And further, we pray to an infinitely wise God, who knows what is fit should be granted us, and what not. II. UNDER WHAT CHARACTER OR DENOMINATION God (according to our Saviour's direction here) is to be addressed; as our Father in heaven. 1. God sustains the character of a Father in the Scripture style in a threefold respect; that is, with reference. (1) To creation. (2) To external separation. (3) To adoption and regeneration. 2. We are to call upon Him as our Father in heaven. Lord, art not Thou God in heaven? O Lord God of heaven. But Christ would direct us to make our supplications to God with the deepest humility, in consideration of the infinite distance between God and us, and with admiration of His amazing condescension in permitting us to speak to the great possessor of heaven, and to implore His presence and blessing who is exalted infinitely above us. III. THE MATTER, AND THE MANNER, of prayer. The Lord's Prayer may be considered — 1. As a directory. 2. We may take the Lord's Prayer as a method. 3. We may consider the Lord's Prayer as a form. (John Whitty.) Parallel Verses KJV: And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. |
    |