The Lord’s Prayer, also known as the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central prayer in Christianity. It was taught by Jesus to his disciples as recorded in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4. The prayer consists of an address to God the Father, a petition for the coming of God’s kingdom and the fulfillment of His will, requests for daily bread and forgiveness, and pleas for deliverance from temptation and evil.
While the Lord’s Prayer covers crucial elements like praising God, seeking provision, and requesting forgiveness, it notably does not include thanksgiving or expressing gratitude. This omission has led some to wonder why thankfulness is not part of this foundational prayer. There are several factors that may contribute to why thanksgiving is not explicitly included in the Lord’s Prayer:
1. The prayer is intended to be succinct and uncomplicated. At only 55-65 words in most English translations, the Lord’s Prayer eloquently captures the basic elements of prayer in a compact and easily memorized form. Adding a section on giving thanks could disrupt the simplicity and brevity of the prayer.
2. Thanksgiving was likely assumed or implicit. In first century Jewish culture, gratitude to God was ingrained. Ancient prayers like the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) and the Psalms reflect extensive thanksgiving to God. Jesus and his original audience potentially did not feel the need to state the obvious by including thankfulness in this concise prayer.
3. It focuses on petition and supplication. The Lord’s Prayer centers on requests made to God – for daily bread, forgiveness, deliverance, etc. The majority of the prayer consists of appeals made to the Father for needs and desires. Expressing thanks does not fit the overall petitionary nature and flow of the prayer’s content.
4. Jesus had already emphasized gratitude. In Luke 17:11-19, Jesus healed 10 lepers and only one returned to thank him. Jesus asked where the other nine were and highlighted the importance of gratitude. Given that He had already stressed thankfulness in His teachings, Jesus may not have felt compelled to reiterate it in the Lord’s Prayer.
5. Thanksgiving is embodied in God’s holiness and kingdom. By addressing God as holy and seeking His kingdom, the Lord’s Prayer intrinsically expresses awe, honor, and thankfulness towards God. His holiness elicits grateful worship, and seeking His kingdom repents from worldly values – implicitly giving thanks for God’s eternal truth.
6. Later prayers expand upon it. While not containing explicit thanks, the Lord’s Prayer established a succinct model. Later Christian prayers like the Jesus Prayer (“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”) and the Angelic Salutation (“Hail Mary, full of grace…”) followed its streamlined lead but added more context, theology, and thanksgiving.
7. It focuses on spiritual needs over physical ones. The prayer seeks metaphysical needs – God’s will, forgiveness, deliverance from evil – over physical provisions. Centering on spiritual salvation over earthly blessings manifests thanks for God’s eternal care over temporal things. The depth of its petitions implicitly honors God’s heavenly priorities.
8. Thankfulness comes from the heart, not words. An absence of gratitude terminology does not necessarily indicate a lack of thankfulness in the heart of the pray-er. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says to “give thanks in all circumstances,” so believers should maintain an attitude of thankfulness even when not expressed in specific words.
9. Lack of gratitude reflects fallen humanity. As evidenced throughout the Old Testament, humans often neglect to thank God and take His blessings for granted. Failing to first thank God before bringing petitions exposes mankind’s self-centeredness and illustrates the deep need for God’s grace and forgiveness.
10. It emphasizes God’s glory over man’s needs. Centering entirely on reverence, requests, and worship of God the Father, the prayer omits any self-focused thanksgiving. This reveals that the ultimate purpose is to hallow God’s name and bring Him glory – not just to satisfy human physical or emotional needs.
In summary, the profound brevity, succinct power, and spiritual depth of the Lord’s Prayer outweigh the lack of an explicit thanksgiving section. Its capacity to be memorized and retained for constant use and meditation would have been hampered by verbosity or unnecessary additions. While giving thanks is vital in the Christian walk, this foundational prayer maintains laser focus on glorifying God the Father and seeking His eternal will over earthly blessings. Clearly, the absence of thanksgiving verbiage does not imply ingratitude or diminish the significance of the Lord’s Prayer. Its streamlined eloquence has allowed it to endure through the centuries as the quintessential form and pattern for Christian prayer.
1 Timothy 4:4-5 says, “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.” This verse reminds believers that thanksgiving is meant to be a part of our regular prayers. Here, Paul instructs Timothy that all God’s good gifts are to be received with gratitude, which in turn sanctifies them for our use. This principle of giving thanks applies to blessings like food but also to God’s spiritual gifts and answered prayers. Even though the Lord’s Prayer does not specifically mention thanksgiving, its requests imply that any prayer answered by the Father should be met with hearts of gratitude.
Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” According to this verse, making requests to God in prayer is meant to be accompanied by thanksgiving. The fact that the Lord’s Prayer is comprised entirely of petitions and supplications implies that any prayer based on its model should also contain thankfulness. Though unspoken, thanksgiving is implied in the Lord’s Prayer through the act of approaching God the Father reverently and depending on Him for provision and forgiveness.
In Colossians 3:15, 17 Paul exhorts believers, “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful…And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” These verses reveal that Christians should cultivate an attitude of thankfulness as part of their new lives in Christ. This inner posture of gratitude is not dependent on speaking exact words but rather on the state of one’s heart and mind. The Lord’s Prayer reflects a heart oriented toward depending on and trusting in God, which implicitly contains thankfulness even without specific terminology.
Overall, while the Lord’s Prayer itself does not include words of thanksgiving, its Kingdom focus, humble dependence on God, and acknowledgment of God’s holiness certainly reflect a heart of gratitude. The absence of thankfulness terminlogy does not diminish its significance but allows it to remain the profoundly concise model for prayer that Jesus intended. As His followers pray this iconic prayer, they can be confident that thanksgiving is implicitly included as they align their hearts with God’s will and glory. Through Christ’s atoning work on the cross, believers have endless reasons to be thankful every time weapproach our Heavenly Father in prayer.
Ephesians 5:20 says, “Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This shows us that giving thanks is to be a consistent part of the Christian’s life and prayer. No matter the circumstance – whether abundance or need, joy or sorrow – we are to be thankful. This would include both spoken blessing for food and drink as well as the inner gratitude to God at all times for all He has done, especially our salvation through Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” These verses clearly connect prayer requests with thanksgiving. As we bring our petitions and supplications before God, it is to be done in an attitude and spirit of thankfulness for who He is and how He has already blessed us rather than simply asking for more benefits from Him.
Psalm 100 provides a beautiful picture of a thankful heart inclined to praise God. Verses 4-5 say, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” Our prayers are to begin with thanksgiving as we enter God’s presence. His eternal goodness, unfailing love, and limitless faithfulness lay the foundation for endless praise and gratitude in prayer without ceasing.
Jesus assumes an attitude of thankfulness will accompany prayers modeled after his example in the Lord’s Prayer. In teaching his disciples this pattern for prayer, his focus is on the proper approach and posture of the heart before a holy God. Thanksgiving is to be the overflow of humble dependence and godly reverence – not merely words to be recited. As we mature in the Christian walk, our prayers should increasingly be marked by thanksgiving coming from a place of love, awe and gratitude toward our gracious Father.
Colossians 1:11-12 says, “May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” Here Paul connects the believer’s thankful prayer life with their identity in Christ. Because God has graciously qualified us to receive eternal life, our prayers are to be filled with joyful thanksgiving for this incredible gift. The Lord’s Prayer models a reverent humility as adopted children approaching a holy God, for whom thankfulness is second nature.
Fourth, beyond not being explicitly mentioned, the absence of thanksgiving terminology also allows the Lord’s Prayer to retain its brevity and succinctness. Jesus’ intention with this foundational pattern of prayer was to provide his followers with a straightforward, easily memorized model that captured the basic essentials for fostering intimacy with God. The inclusion of thanksgiving language would likely have made the prayer longer and more complex, hindering its capacity to be frequently used and deeply ingrained.
Though thanksgiving is not directly stated, the implicit focus on God’s holiness, provision, and forgiveness lays a framework of gratitude for all that He is and does. Believers who sincerely approach the Lord in prayer according to Christ’s example will have hearts overflowing with thankfulness, even if specific words of thanks are not pronounced. The simple elegance of the Lord’s Prayer reveals that sincerity of heart is more important than verbosity of speech when humbly entering God’s presence.
The brevity and power of the Lord’s Prayer testify to the truth that though thanksgiving is vital to the Christian walk, it flows from the state of one’s heart and one’s view of God, not the repetition of certain key words. Jesus’ purpose was not to give his followers a rigid script but rather to teach them to pray with humble reverence. As one commentator notes, “For Jesus, prayer was something that arose spontaneously out of a life lived in dependent communion with the Father. The words were important, but not nearly so important as the heart attitude.” As Christians model their prayers on Christ’s pattern, thankfulness will be the natural outflow of hearts aligned with God. Thanksgiving terminology is not needed to express a grateful heart resting in God’s grace. Through this profound prayer, Jesus reminds believers to maintain a humble, dependent posture before their Heavenly Father, from which sincere thankfulness will readily bloom.
In summary, the absence of explicit thanksgiving language in the Lord’s Prayer does not imply that thankfulness has no place in believers’ communication with God. Thankfulness is a natural response to God’s grace and an essential part of a flourishing spiritual life. However, the brevity and succinctness of the prayer indicate that Jesus’ primary aim was to give his followers a simple, memorable pattern for approaching the Father with reverence and trust. As Christians pray according to Christ’s model, they can have confidence that a heart of gratitude pleases God more than verbosity and repetition. Through the Lord’s Prayer, the Savior distills prayer to its essence – dependent children humbly approaching their loving Father – from which sincere thankfulness joyfully flows.
