总共有两卷福音书记载了这篇「主祷文」。按照路加福音的记载，基督是回应门徒的要求：「求主教导我们祷告」，而说出这篇祷文，借此教导门徒如何祷告。一位作者曾经说过：「就我们所知，门徒只求过主教导他们祷告，除此之外便没有再求甚么了。他们没有求主教他们行神迹或组织教会。究其原因，可能是因为他们见过耶稣祈祷之后，他们就明白只要他们学会祷告，其他一切事情就能迎刃而解。」

请记着，我们开始研读「登山宝训」的时候曾经指出，基督这番讲论主要是面向门徒的(太五12)，群众只是在旁聆听；因此，这篇祷文实在是「门徒的祷文」。

这篇祷文，可说是基督教导门徒祷告的范例。我们要细读每一句，再停下来反复思考，明了每句话对我们的含意。

例如，「我们在天上的父」这句话，可以理解为「亲爱的神，我很高兴能称你为父。你是至大威严的神，但同时却又是我的父。你虽然是在天上，但我却知道你在我的身边。」

此刻，让我们仔细思考祷文的每一句，再理解它对自己的意思，相信必能深得启发。这是一篇群体的祷文，留意当中经常用到「我们」这个复数代名词。我们相信，这是基督教导门徒祷告的祷文，祂却不会用这篇祷文祷告。因为祂虽然经常称神为父，可是祂却从来没有犯罪，当然不用求父神的赦免。

留意祷文是以「因你的国度…」这段认信作为结束，信徒在此承认基督的主权。在神的眼中，基督如今已是王；我们信徒当然应视祂为王。终有一天，整个世界都要承认祂的主权；信徒如今的责任，就是要在世人面前，见证活在祂主权之下的实际含意。

愿我们都一再细读这篇祷文，反复思考它的含意，并且像昔日的门徒一样，求基督教我们祷告。

The Lord's prayer is recorded twice in the gospels. In Luke it was given to the disciples in answer to their request 'Lord teach us to pray'. One writer has said 'As far as we know this was the only thing the disciples ever asked the Lord to teach them. They never asked him how to perform miracles or how to organise churches. After they had seen Jesus praying, they realised that once they learned how to pray, all of these other things would come!

Remember what we said when we started our readings in this Sermon on the Mount-Christ was speaking to the disciples first of all (Matthew 5:1-2) with the crowd listening in. So this was really the disciples' prayer.

Christ gave them these words as a model for their prayer life. Stop and think about each phrase. Read them over slowly and then try and put each thought into your own words.

For example 'Our Father which art in heaven' could be put this way 'Dear God, I am glad I can call you my Father. You are a great God but you are also my Father. I know your name is in heaven but I also know you are here with me right now.'

Take each phrase and pray it over in your own words. Each one can be the text for a sermon or for a personal message for yourself. This is a family prayer. Notice how many times the word 'our' is used. Christ did not include himself here for several reasons. He always spoke of the Father as 'My Father'. Then he could never have said 'Forgive us our trespasses' because he never sinned and never needed forgiveness.

Notice the closing words 'Thine is the kingdom ...'. Here we recognise the Lordship of Christ. He is king now in God's sight and should be the same for us. One day all the world will recognise his Lordship. We can show the world just what this means.

Spend time on this prayer. Think it through. Ask Christ to help you. Pray the disciples' petition again 'Lord teach me to pray'.