Our Father Who Art In Heaven

Our Father Who Art In Heaven: Lord Prayer 

Our Father who art in heaven, 

Hallowed be thy Name. 

Thy kingdom come. 

Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread. 

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those who trespass against us. 

And lead us not into temptation, 

But deliver us from evil. 

[For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.] Amen.

Commentary

There is a deliberateness to Jesus' choice of words in this passage. Our Father is the proper title, not "My Father." Faith is often referred to be "my relationship with God" in our individualistic day. It's important to keep in mind, though, that we can't experience our relationship with God on our own. As the author of Hebrews puts it, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see" - notice how he doesn't use the pronoun "I" but rather "we." 

Our Father reveals God as a father figure. A good father is a protector, provider, caretaker, and admirer of his child, all characteristics that may be found in a good parent. In this case, we aren't dealing with some remote, uninterested entity. As children of God, we are cherished by our heavenly father. In his letters to the Roman Christians, the Apostle Paul elaborates on the idea that "through him we cry, "Abba, Father." (See Romans 8:15). As for "who is in heaven," it's God, who dwells in a place eternally apart from us. The pantheism that holds that God does not exist outside of the universe, as Jesus teaches, is thus rejected by him and his teachings (in other words, everything we see around is in some way God, or part of God, and God does not exist apart from this).

Read Also: Lords Prayer Introduction

Matthew Henry's Commentary

I. The foreword, Our heavenly Father. Before we proceed with our business, a serious address must be made to the one with whom we are dealing; Our Father. Indicating that we must pray not only for ourselves but also for others; for we are members of one another and have been called into fellowship with one another. We are instructed here to pray to God alone, not to saints or angels, because they are unaware of us and cannot bestow the lofty honours we bestow in prayer. 

We are told how to address God and what title to bestow upon him, one that speaks of him as more beneficent than magnificent, for we are to approach the throne of grace confidently. 1. We must address him as our Father and address him as such. By creation, he is a common Father to all men, Mal 2:10, Ac 17:28. He is a Father to the saints in a unique way, through adoption and regeneration (Eph 1:5,Ga 4:6); and this is an unfathomable treasure. Thus, we must pray for him and have positive thoughts about him that are encouraging rather than frightening; nothing is more agreeable to God or to ourselves than to address God as Father. In prayer, Christ frequently refers to God as Father. If he is our Father, he will pity us for our shortcomings and infirmities (Ps 103:13), he will spare us (Mal 3:17), he will make the best of our performances, even if they are extremely inadequate, and he will deny us nothing that is beneficial to us, Lu 11:11-13. We have bold access to him as a parent would, and we have an advocate with the Father, as well as the Spirit of adoption. When we come to God repenting of our sins, we must approach God as a Father, as the prodigal did (Lu 15:18, Jer 3:19); when we come pleading for grace and peace, as well as the inheritance and blessing of sons, it is an encouragement that we approach God not as an unreconciled, avenging Judge, but as a loving, gracious, reconciled Father in Christ. 3:14 Jer 3:4. 2. As our Father in heaven: so in heaven as to be everywhere else, for heaven cannot contain him; yet so in heaven as to manifest his glory, for heaven is his throne (Ps 103:19), and it is a throne of grace to believers: it is to this throne that we must direct our prayers, for Christ the Mediator is now in heaven. 

Hebrews 8:1. Heaven is unseen and a world of spirits; hence, our conversation with God in prayer must be spiritual; it is elevated; consequently, in prayer, we must be lifted above the world and raise our hearts. 5:1 Psalm Heaven is a realm of complete purity, and as such, we must raise pure hands and learn to sanctify the name of the Holy One who dwells in that holy place. 10:3. God sees the children of men from heaven, Ps 33:13,14. And we must see his eye upon us in prayer; only then will he have a complete and clear vision of all our desires, burdens, and desires, as well as all our infirmities. It is also the firmament of his power and prospect, Ps 150:1. 

He is not only, as a Father, capable of assisting us, capable of doing greater things for us than we can ask or imagine; he also has the wherewithal to satisfy our wants, for every good gift comes from above. He is a Father, and therefore we may approach him boldly; nevertheless, he is a Father in heaven, and thus we must approach him with reverence. 5:2. Thus, all of our prayers should be directed toward the ultimate goal of Christians, which is to be with God in paradise. God and heaven, the culmination of our entire dialogue, must be kept in the forefront of every prayer; they are the focal point toward which we are all gravitating. We send ahead of us, by prayer, whither we profess to be going. Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible, Volume V (Matthew to John)

Adam Clarke's Commentary

[Our Father] The Jews had a proverb that a man should not pray alone, but with the Church; this meant that he should, whether alone or with the synagogue, use the plural number to refer to all God's followers. Thus, they say, Let none pray the brief prayer, i.e., the prayer in the singular, but in the plural number, as the gloss explains. On this location, see Lightfoot. This prayer was clearly made in an unusual manner for God's children. As a result, we are taught to address God as OUR Father, not MY Father. 

The heart of a child of God, according to one, is a brotherly heart for all other Christians: it desires nothing more than unity, fraternity, and Christian charity, seeking for its brethren what it desires for itself. The word Father, which begins this prayer, encompasses two lofty concepts that should serve as the foundation for all our petitions: To begin, we should experience a gentle and respectful affection for God, similar to how children feel about their fathers. Second, that firm belief in God's love for us, which dads have for their children. 

Thus, all of the petitions in this prayer make explicit mention to the term "Father," with the first three alluding to our love for God and the final three to our faith in the love he bears to us. Our relationship with this first and best of creatures requires us to have reverence for his person, enthusiasm for his honour, submission to his will, submission to his dispensations and chastisements, and similarity to his nature. Who are you in paradise] The term abinu sheboshemayim, our Father who art in heaven, was extremely popular among ancient Jews; and they used it precisely in the same way that our Lord uses it here. This term appears to be used throughout the Scriptures to convey the following: To begin, his OMNIPRESENCE. The skies themselves are unable to contain thee. That is, Thou fillest vastness, 1Ki 8:27. 2dly. MAJESTY and DOMINION he possesses over his creatures. Are you not God in heaven, and do you not rule over all the pagan kingdoms? 2 Chronicles 20:6. 3dly. His STRENGTH and MIGHT. Isn't it true that thou art God in heaven, and that thou hast power and might in thine hand, such that no creature can stand against thee! 2 Chronicles 20:6. Our God is seated in heaven and has done as he wished. Psalms 115:3. Fourthly, he possesses OMNISCIENCE. 

The Lord's throne is in heaven, his eyes are on the children of men, and his eyelids test them. Isaiah 11:4. The Lord looks down from heaven and sees all men's sons. Psalm 33:13–15 Fifthly, his immeasurable PURITY and HOLINESS. From thy sacred abode, look down. 26:15. Thou art the exalted and exalted One, who dwells in eternity and whose name is holy. 57:15. Isa 57:15. Adam Clarke's Bible Commentary

Albert Barne's Commentary

Verse 9. Our Father. God is called a Father, (1.) as he is the Creator and the Great Parent of all. (2.) The Preserver of the human family, and the Provider for their wants, Mt 5:45, 6:32. (3.) In a peculiar sense the Father of those who are adopted into his family, who put confidence in him, who are true followers of Christ, and made heirs of life, Rom 8:14-17. Source: Barnes' New Testament Notes