Next week we’ll be halfway through the year. And this thought came to my mind: When Jesus prayed the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6, He was actually giving us a window of how He prayed.

Matthew chapter 6 is the midway point between the theological discourse known as the Sermon on the Mount. Chapter 5 has the Beatitudes, while 7 teaches us about actively living a Christlike character and the outcome of only pretending to be Christlike.

Between those two chapters, we have the foundation or the trunk of the Christian experience. For chapter 6 has to do with our relationship with God, our Father. Without having a relationship with God, we could not accomplish what Christ explains in chapter 5. Such things like “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” Matthew 5:7 NKJV. Mercy is a character of God. The Psalmist cries out: Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.” Psalm 51:1 KJV.

You see, mercy is the Lord’s. In Micah 6:8, God speaks through His servant and tells us: He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” BSB.

But in order to do so, we would need to rely solely on God to provide the strength and desire to act justly and to love mercy, and be in a daily relationship with Him, which was shown as walking humbly with God.

And that humility is the key factor that reminds us that we are mere mortals and that we could not exist without God. But there is one that does not want us to exist and desires our demise. Jesus calls this individual the “evil one” in Matthew 6:13.

This evil one can only be defeated through the power of the God in heaven, so Jesus begins the Lord’s prayer “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.” And then He ends the prayer: For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” Matthew 6:9,10,13.

The prayer begins with the authority and power of God. And so we should start and end each day of our lives, with the power of God resting upon our lives. The Psalmist returns to tell us how to accomplish this: Blessed is the man that…his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in His law doth he meditate day and night.” Psalm 1:1,2 KJV.

Jesus meditated on the very law He gave (John 8:58; Exodus 3:14) day and night. And when it was time to share the best way to communicate with the founder of the law, Jesus taught us to claim the power of God over lives by acknowledging Him as our Father, that He has a kingdom that is powerful and will last forever; God as our provider, God as the One who forgives us and empowers us to forgive others, and the One who provides us with the power to not transgress His law.

Jesus, who is sinless, said, “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” In that sense, Christ was identifying with us as the human Mediator between God and man, showing us how we need to communicate in humility to the God of the universe. In the garden, He took all of our sins, and through His blood, He carried it to the throne of God, asking mercy for us. Isaiah tells us: and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:6.

Next time that you find yourself feeling defeated by sin, remember that Jesus is your Mediator, and His blood can cleanse you from every vile thing or thought or feeling, and He wants to because He is merciful. Calling upon His power and claiming His promises to provide is the only way we’ll get out of this thing alive.