Stephen concluded his series on the Lord’s Prayer last night (Matt 6:9-15), having previously looked at God’s splendour and purpose and plans for our lives and His ability to provide for our every need. The final part of the Lord’s prayer (which is a template for each one of us not only for prayer but for living) looks at the debts we have been forgiven and how we need to forgive as we have been forgiven, as well as praying for protection and deliverance from temptation and from the evil one.
Change and redemption are possible for each one of us because of the work Christ accomplished on Calvary. Rom 8:1-2 reminds us that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The verses in the Lord’s prayer may seem repetitive, but sin is like a chain that binds and holds us back and so often, we fall and stumble at the same fences. God’s gift is not like the trespass, however. (Rom 5:15-19) He can deliver us and set us free from all sin. If we live under the law, we are required to fulfil all the law (James 2:10) and have to acknowledge our imperfections, the fact that we fall short of God’s intentions. If we rely on Christ, however, we see that He has made the impossible possible and has made a way for us to know freedom and acceptance.