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"This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven." -Matthew 6:9 In this Scripture are two things observable: the introduction to the prayer-and the prayer itself. The introduction to the Lord's prayer is, "This, then, is how you should pray." Our Lord Jesus, in these words, gave to his disciples and to us a directory for prayer. The ten commandments are the rule of our life, and the sum of our faith-and the Lord's prayer is the pattern of our prayer. As God prescribed Moses a pattern of the tabernacle (Exod 25:9), so Christ has here prescribed us a pattern of prayer. "This, then, is how you should pray," etc. The meaning is, let this be the rule and model according to which you frame your prayers. [We ought to examine our prayers by this rule.] Calvin. Not that we are tied to the exact words of the Lord's prayer. Christ says, "This, then, is how you should pray" that is, let all your petitions agree and harmonize with the things contained in the Lord's prayer; and well may we make all our prayers consonant and agreeable to this prayer. Tertullian calls this prayer, "a breviary and compendium of the gospel!" It is like a heap of massive gold. Thomas Watson was an English preacher and author who obtained great fame preaching until the Restoration when he was ejected as the vicar of St. Stephen's Walbrook for noncomformity. Watson continued to exercise his ministry privately and upon the Declaration of Indulgence in 1672 he obtained a license to preach at the great hall in Crosby House.

About the Author

Thomas Watson is a poet, writing since age ten, and a young Christian at the age of sixty-three. Retired from the Air Force and currently employed as a County Legal Clerk, Thomas enjoys his new found love for Christ in his writings and through the fellowship of his friends at Valley Baptist Church of San Rafael, California. He has been blessed with a step-daughter, two grand daughters, and three great grandchildren who, though distant in miles, are always close in his heart. He also has a sister who knew the secret of the mighty love of Christ as a child, and has shared it with those she has known through her compassion and beautiful heart. Professing that the words he writes belong to God, Thomas enjoys reading to the congregation an occasional poem, wishing to glorify Him. Tom currently lives in Novato, California, with his dog, Tippie.