Thirsty Thursday's and Frutiful Friday's Combo-Vol.#2: Meditations on The Lord's Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer

 5"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

 7"And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:

    "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done,

    on earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12and forgive us our debts,

   as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13And lead us not into temptation,

   but deliver us from evil.

 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

When I was teaching Bible Study Methods, the first rule of thumb when you are beginning to study a passage is to read it over and over again.  The second step is to ask questions of the passage, to begin to analyze what it is saying.  This passage is a very familiar one to all.  We learned it as children, and some of us recite it every week at church.  Sometimes studying a familiar passage is much more difficult than studying one that you might never have read before.  You must ignore the thoughts of familiarity and approach it with new eyes and ears, but also drawing on what you have learned about it in the past.  The perspicuity of Scripture is amazing to me.  You can never ever plumb its depths, but it is understandable to a little child.  

I am still in the question answering stage with this passage.  Bear with me as I begin this phase of study.  

Questions:

1. What does Hallowed mean?
2. How do we know that we are doing this?  
3. Is it an activity or is it an attitude or both?
4. If God's will is to be done as it is in Heaven and we have to pray that it is done, how come God tells Job that nothing can thwart God's plan?
5. Is bread only daily?
6. Is bread a metaphor?
7. Does this symbolize our dependence?
8. What does dependence look like?  And how can I know that I have achieved it?
9. Forgiveness is to be granted by God as well as it is to be given by us.  Are we always to forgive?  What about the people that do not ask to be forgiven?   What about the justice of God, how does it come into play in this process of forgiveness?
10. Does God do the leading into temptation?  Why is it written that way?  Are we led by God into evil?

This is just a sampling of questions that I have of this passage.  What are your questions?  Let me know by email or on the comments section.  Dwell on the Scripture today.  Mull it over, and over, digesting it, chewing on it, wondering about it.