Meditation on the Lord's Prayer from St. Paul

Collected from the Epistles of St. Paul.

Our Father, who art in heaven.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; ¹ who hast predestinated us to the adoption of children through Jesus Christ; ² who alone hast immortality, and inhabitest light inaccessible; ³ with joy we give thanks to thee, who hast made us worthy to be partakers of the lot of the saints in light; ⁴ for we have not received the spirit of bondage again in fear: but we have received the spirit of the adoption of sons, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. For the Spirit himself gives testimony to our spirit, that we are the sons of God. And if sons, heirs also; heirs indeed of God, and joint-heirs with Christ. ⁵

1. Hallowed be thy name.

Grant that we may be followers of thee as most dear children; ⁶ that we may walk as children of the light in all goodness, and justice, and truth, proving what is well-pleasing to thee, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness; ⁷ that thy name may not, through us, be blasphemed among the Gentiles. ⁸ Let our conversation be worthy of the Gospel of Christ, ⁹ that we may be blameless, and thy sincere children, without reproof; and in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, like lights in the world, holding forth the word of life to thy glory in the day of Christ; ¹⁰ that we may walk worthy of God, in all things pleasing him; being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. ¹¹ Grant that, whether we eat, or drink, or whatever else we do, we may do all to thy glory. ¹²

2. Thy kingdom come.

Since flesh and blood cannot possess the kingdom of God, ¹³ for this cause we bow our knees to thee the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that thou wouldst grant us, according to the riches of thy glory, to be strengthened by thy spirit with might unto the inward man; that Christ may dwell by faith in our hearts, ¹⁴ and that sin may not reign in our mortal body. For thou hast delivered us from the power of darkness, and hast translated us into the kingdom of the Son of thy love. ¹⁵ For we know, if our earthly house of this habitation be dissolved, that we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in heaven. For while we are in the body, we are absent from the Lord; ¹⁶ therefore, we have a desire to be dissolved, ¹⁷ and to be with Christ.

For which cause we faint not, but though our outward man is corrupted, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For that which is at present momentary and light of our tribulation, works for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. ¹⁸

3. Thy will be done.

For it is thou, O Lord, who workest in us both to will and to accomplish, according to thy good will. ¹⁹ Make us, therefore, to be filled with the knowledge of thy will in all wisdom, and spiritual understanding, that we may walk worthy of thee, in all things pleasing thee. ²⁰ For this is thy will, our sanctification. ²¹

Let us not be conformed to this world, but reformed in the newness of our mind, that we may prove what is the good, and the acceptable, and the perfect will of God, ²² for our will to good is too weak of itself. For we are not sufficient to think any thing of ourselves, as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God. ²³ Give us thy grace, that we may accomplish the same from our heart, as do thy ministering spirits, sent to minister for them who shall receive the inheritance of salvation. ²⁴

4. Give us this day our daily bread.

Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and certainly we can carry nothing out. Having, then, food and clothing, with these let us be content. ²⁵

Let our manners, then, be without covetousness, being contented with such things as we have. For thou hast said, I will not leave thee, neither will I forsake thee; so that we may confidently say, The Lord is my helper. ²⁶ Thou art near, O Lord. Let us be nothing solicitous, ²⁷ but, every where and in all things instructed, let us know how to be full and to be hungry, to abound and to suffer need. ²⁸ But, above all, let us exercise ourselves unto godliness, which is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. ²⁹

Grant to us not to trust in the uncertainty of riches, but in thee the living God, who givest us abundantly all things to enjoy; to do good, to be rich in good works, to give easily, to communicate to others, to lay up in store for ourselves a good foundation against the time to come, that we may lay hold on eternal life. ³⁰

Thou art able, O God, to make all grace abound in us, that, having all sufficiency in all things, we may abound to every good work. Thou who ministerest seed to the sower, shalt also give bread to eat. ³¹

5. And forgive us our trespasses.

Since in our flesh dwells not that which is good, so that the good which we will we do not, but the evil which we will not that we do, ³² therefore, by sin reigning in our mortal body, we have obeyed the lusts thereof. ³³ Alas, how often have we yielded our members as instruments of iniquity unto sin, ³⁴ and have despised the riches of thy goodness, and patience, and long-suffering, not regarding that thy benignity leads us to penance; but, according to our hardness and impenitent heart, we have treasured up to ourselves wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of thy just judgment, who wilt render to every man according to his works. ³⁵

But let thy mercy, O most gracious Father, come upon us; and, showing us the riches of thy glory, make us vessels of thy mercy, prepared unto thy glory; ³⁶ and where sin abounded, let grace more abound. ³⁷

Behold, we forbear threatenings to others, that we may have thee our Lord propitious to us in heaven. ³⁸ Put thou also on us, as thine elect, the bowels of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience, that we may be kind to one another, compassionate, and forgiving one another, even as thou in Christ hast forgiven us; ³⁹ to no man rendering evil for evil; but, if it be possible, as much as is in us, having peace with all men; not revenging ourselves, but giving place unto wrath, leaving vengeance to thee; and that we may not be overcome by evil, but may overcome evil by good. ⁴⁰ Make us to follow after the things that are of peace, and keep the things that are of edification one towards another. ⁴¹

6. And lead us not into temptation.

Mindful of our weakness, we pray thee, most tender Father, that no temptation may take hold on us, but such as is human, ⁴² lest, as the serpent seduced Eve by his subtilty, so our minds should be corrupted, and fall from the simplicity that is in Christ Jesus. ⁴³ Thou, O God, art faithful, and wilt not suffer us to be tempted above that which we are able; but wilt make also, with temptation, issue, that we may be able to bear it. ⁴⁴

7. But deliver us from evil.

Finally, strengthen us, and keep us from evil; ⁴⁵ crush Satan under our feet speedily, ⁴⁶ that we may not be overreached by him, for we are not ignorant of his devices. ⁴⁷ Grant that we may put on thy armour, that we may be able to stand against the deceits of the devil, and to resist in the evil day, and to stand in all things perfect. ⁴⁸ Put on us the breastplate of faith and charity, and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. ⁴⁹ Let us not trust in ourselves, but in thee, O God. ⁵⁰ And therefore we are confident of this very thing, that thou who hast begun a good work in us, wilt perfect it unto the day of Jesus Christ. ⁵¹ We believe thee to be faithful who hast promised. ⁵² For all thy promises are, "It is, and, Amen. ⁵³

1. 2 Cor. i. 3.
2. Eph. i. 5.
3. 1 Tim. vi. 16.
4. Coloss. i. 12.
5. Rom. viii. 15-17.
6. Eph. v. 1.
7. Eph. v. 8-11.
8. Rom. ii. 24.
9. Philip. i. 27.
10. Philip. ii. 15, 16.
11. Coloss. i. 10.
12. 1 Cor. x. 31.
13. 1 Cor. xv. 50.
14. Eph. iii. 14-17.
15. Coloss. i. 13.
16. 2 Cor. v. 1-6.
17. Philip. i. 23.
18. 2 Cor. iv. 16-18.
19. Philip. ii. 13.
20. Coloss. i. 9, 10.
21. 1 Thess. iv. 3.
22. Rom. xii. 2.
23. 2 Cor. iii. 5.
24. Heb. i. 14.
25. 1 Tim. vi. 6-8.
26. Heb. xiii. 5, 6.
27. Philip. iv. 6.
28. Philip. iv. 12.
29. 1 Tim. iv. 8.
30. 1 Tim. vi. 17-19.
31. 2 Cor. ix. 8.
32. Rom. vii. 18, 19.
33. Rom. vi. 12.
34. Rom. vi. 13.
35. Rom. ii. 4-6.
36. Rom. ix. 23.
37. Rom. v. 20.
38. Eph. vi. 9.
39. Col. iii. 12, 13.
40. Rom. xii. 17-21.
41. Rom. xiv. 19.
42. 1 Cor. x. 13.
43. 2 Cor. xi. 3.
44. 1 Cor. x. 13.
45. 2 Thess. iii. 3.
46. Rom. xvi. 20.
47. 2 Cor. ii. 11.
48. Eph. vi. 11-13.
49. 1 Thess. v. 8.
50. 2 Cor. i. 9.
51. Philip. i. 6.
52. Heb. xi. 11.
53. 2 Cor. i. 20.