Praying through the Lord’s Prayer with Meaning and Significance: Mother-tongue Theological Hermeneutical Study of Mathew 6:9-13

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There are many prayers and several ways of praying portrayed in the Gospels.Matthew's presentations about prayer include what has come to be known as the Lord's Prayer (Matt.6: 9-13).The shorter version of this prayer can also be found in Luke 11:2-4 where Jesus responds to his disciples' request to teach them how to pray as John had taught his disciples. 5Comparing the two Gospel accounts of the Lord's Prayer, Robert H. Mounce observes that, "The differences between the two accounts argue that the Lord's Prayer was intended as a guide rather than a liturgical chart to be memorized." 6ollowing Dube's observation, the Lord's Prayer appears to be the commonest prayer among Christians, especially in the African context.It is undoubtedly the most familiar and memorized text of the New Testament among others such as John 3:16 and Matthew 6:33.Significantly, before many Christian children are introduced to the Bible, they have already been taught to learn and recite the Lord's Prayer at home, church and in some contexts, at school. 7The popularity of the Lord's Prayer has both positive and negative dimensions.On a negative note, Dube explains that the popularity of the Lord's Prayer means that many people say it without reflecting on its meaning and its implications.On a positive note, however, she observes that: The popularity indicates its importance to the Christian faith.It indicates that the vision of the Lord's Prayer is probably regarded as the nearest articulation of God's will for the world, that the Lord's Prayer is the clearest statement on the role of Christian men and women in their partnership with God on earth, and that in praying the Lord's prayer, Christian individuals and communities at large repeatedly pledge their counteract and responsibility to the realization of God's will on earth. 8 light of the above significance of the Lord's Prayer, it is imperative for theologians, and for that matter, African Biblical scholars, to theologize using insights from the mother-tongue categories that will enhance a better understanding of the text.The main purpose of this article, therefore, is to offer a mothertongue theological reading of the Greek text of the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) using insight from the Akan mother tongue (Asante Twi).
The procedure to be followed in this mother-tongue theological hermeneutical study is, first, a scholarly discourse on Matthew 6:9-13.Here, attention is placed on the scholarly views on the socio-cultural context, genre and interpretative approaches of the passage.Thereafter, there is a translation of the Greek text or phenomenon into the Asante mother-tongue as it critically dialogues with other existing translations.Next is the discourse analysis of the text with the critical engagement of the sociocultural worldview, mother-tongue and other existential realities of the reader.This is followed by a theological interpretation and application of the text to the glocal (both local and global) context as synthesis. 9

METHODOLOGY
Studies on the Lord's Prayer within Ghanaian biblical scholarship, in more recent times, have been conducted using different approaches ranging from traditional exegesis, 10 Mother-tongue biblical hermeneutics 11 that is focused on engaging critically mother-tongue Bibles to identify translational challenges and African biblical 12 5 Grant R. Osborne, "Moving Forward on our Knees: Corporate Prayer in the New Testament," ETS 53, no. 2 (June 2010): 249. 6Robbert H. Mounce, New International Biblical Commentary: Matthew (Massachusett: Hendrickson Publishers, 1991), 55. 7 Dube, "To Pray the Lord's Prayer in the Global Economic Era," 611. 8Dube, "To pray the Lord's prayer in the Global Economic Era," 612. 9 Michael J. Gorman, Elements of Biblical Exegesis, rev.and exp.ed.(Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009), 127-128.The use of synthesis as part of this exegetical procedure is meant a creative act of integrating all the various elements into some kind of a unif ied whole.Fosu has well observed that it goes beyond a summary to include a conclusion about the essential meaning of the text or phenomenon of investigation.See John Kwasi   2020): 67-86, has analysed how the Greek word ἄφες ("forgive") in Matt 6:12 has been translated into Dangme and argues that God does not "lend" us our sins as the Dangme translation indicates, but rather "forgives. 12Using a textual analysis from the perspective of African biblical hermeneutics to read Matthew 6:9-13, Isaac Boahen has embarked on a comparative study between the Lord's Prayer and Akan (Bono-Twi) libation prayers.Isaac Boahen, "An Akan Reading of and contextual hermeneutics 13 reading of scripture.It is needless to point out, however, that these approaches have been employed to read the biblical text (or phrases) of the Lord's Prayer depending on the research interest and objectives of the exegetes.This article, however, follows Fosu's methodological approach of mother-tongue theological hermeneutics in reading Matthew 6:9-13. 14This method, duly utilized, corresponds to the integrated approach to finding the meaning of a text as explained by W. R. Tate in his book, Biblical Interpretation. 15Thus, by employing mother-tongue theological hermeneutics, the insight of the Akan 16 mother-tongue category is used for both the translation of the Greek text and its corresponding exegetical discussions. 17This study demonstrates that, by using this method, sound theological reflections on the Matthean version of the Lord's Prayer that take into cognizance the Akan worldview 18 and their existential realities for a meaningful application to a wider glocal context are achieved.
Perspectives on the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) within New Testament Scholarship Scholarly discourses on the Lord's Prayer have traditionally focused on either its setting or theology.Those scholars who emphasize the setting observe that the Lord's Prayer appears to be similar to the first-century synagogue prayers.James Dunn, for instance, notes that the uniqueness of the Qaddish is of special interest to Christianity in that Jesus might have used it in formulating the Lord's Prayer. 19Similarly, an allusion is made to the Jewish synagogue prayers known as The Eighteen Benedictions as having an impact upon the Lord's Prayer. 20In addition to situating the Lord's Prayer in the context of Jewish prayers, Rick W. Byargeon has argued that the overall setting of the sermon on the mount should be understood in the context of the wisdom literature of the Old Testament and that the Lord's Prayer should also be viewed in that context. 21From this perspective, he demonstrates that significant reflections on the wisdom of Proverbs 30:7-9 can be heard in the Lord's Prayer. 22It could be argued, however, that while the Lord's prayer shares certain elements of both Jewish wisdom and the synagogue prayers, the content of the prayer cannot be limited to those contexts.This then makes theological reflections on the Lord's Prayer imperative.
On interpreting the Lord's Prayer from a theological perspective, Luz has drawn attention not only to its dogmatic and ethical perspectives but also to its eschatological dimension. 23According to Luz, these perspectives have traditionally shaped its interpretation. 24Contrary to the historically exclusive use of the Lord's Prayer for liturgical and catechetical purposes, 25 some contemporary scholars argue that by the Lord's Prayer, Jesus is not giving words to be repeated verbatim, but as a model to shape all Christian prayer.Tim Chester, for instance, points out that, Οὕτως οὖν προσεύχεσθε ὑμεῖς (this is how you should pray) is literary "pray in this manner" and implies an example to adapt rather than a 'mechanical formula.' 26 Similarly, Mounce argues that the difference between the two accounts of Luke and Matthew indicates that the Lord's Prayer was intended as a guide rather than a liturgical chant to be memorized. 27he Lord's Prayer became part of the 'Liturgy' of the Early Church, at least in the sense of being taught as a model prayer. 28As a model prayer, "according to the Latin Fathers and the Lutheran Church, the petitions of the Lord's Prayer are seven in number, according to the Greek Fathers, the Reformed Church and the Westminster Divines, they are only six; the two last being regardedwe think, less correctly -as one." 29hereas the first three petitions focus exclusively on God, the remaining four petitions have to do with ourselves.As noted by Ekem, the line for the doxology was an early tradition.A tradition that can be traced to Paul and was adopted by St. John Chrysostom. 30mong the scholars who interpret the Lord's Prayer from an eschatological perspective, Raymond Brown's assertion stands out. 31Brown approaches the Lord's Prayer solely from an eschatological perspective and supports his assertion by the theological content within the Lord's Prayer periscope.N. T. Wright and Mounce also interpret the entire prayer from an eschatological perspective.Wright, for instance, describes the Lord's Prayer as "the 'true Exodus' prayer of God's people.Set originally in a thoroughgoing eschatological context, it every clause resonates with Jesus' announcement that God's kingdom is breaking into the story of Israel and the world, opening up God's long-promised new world and summoning God's people to share it." 32urther, Mounce alludes to the daily bread content in the Lord's Prayer to be the messianic banquet and the temptation referring to the time of severe persecution at the end of the age. 33Chester also argues that although the Lord's Prayer is a prayer Christians pray in the present, it is a prayer for the future.He writes that: In the Lord's Prayer Jesus invites us to pray for the coming intervention of God in its different dimensions.Every line of the prayer is steeped in the Old Testament, but each time it is the expectation of the Old Testament to which Jesus refers.It is a thoroughly eschatological prayer just as Jesus is an eschatological figure and the Gospel is an eschatological word of promise. 34hester follows Wright's argument that if the eschatological context of the Lord's Prayer is marginalized, then the prayer loses its particular effect and remains a generalized request for things to be better. 35hester advances his argument that, The Sermon on the Mount, in which Matthew's account of the Lord's Prayer is set, is the first of five blocks of teaching by Jesus in the Gospel.Matthew's five books of the Torah (the Pentateuch).The fact that the first is given on a mountain suggests Matthew intends us to see Jesus as a new Moses, and in Matthew 5:17-48, Jesus presents himself as the new lawgiver.Jesus gives a new law for a new age.The Beatitudes too, with which the sermon reigns, one explicitly eschatological.They resonate strongly with Old Testament spirituality, but Jesus sets this in a framework of promised future blessings.The context then, of the Lord's Prayer is one of eschatological expectation. 36on analyzing the above scholarly views on the intention of the Lord's Prayer, it can be said that while repeating the words of the Lord's Prayer is to some extent relevant, the more important thing is that Christians use the content of the Lord's Prayer as their paradigm prayer. 37Thus, whatever reason it is for which a Christian prays, these priorities must be prayed through.This position is supported by Luther's statement that "a Christian has prayed abundantly who has rightly prayed through the Lord's Prayer." 38ith regard to its implication, the three petitions could be related to future consummation and the next four as connected to God's action in human lives at present.This is because, whatever may be the primary focus, however, each petition has implications for both the present and the future.

A Translation of the Greek Text of Matthew 6:9-13 into Asante-Twi and its English Back translation. Translation into Asante Twi 39
Discourse Analysis of the Greek Text of Matthew 6:6-13 with Insights from the Akan (Asante Twi) Mother-tongue and Other Existential Realities Discussions on Οὕτως οὖν προσεύχεσθε ὑμεῖς, as stated, have been as to whether by the Lord's Prayer, Jesus is giving words to be repeated verbatim, or a model to shape all prayers. 44The opening pronoun of Matthew's version of the prayer, ἡμῶν is plural and brings out the idea that the Lord's Prayer was designed for communal, instead of private worship.To put together the first two words, Πάτερ ἡμῶν (yεn agya) is used as a title in both the New Testament and Jewish literature to describe God.As rightly observed by Mounce, when Jesus says, Our Father, he shows a new relationship that exists between God and humans. 45The Aramaic abba that describes the cognate Greek Πάτερ (father) was a close and loving title that children used to call their father. 46n this case, to pray Our Father draws attention to the fact that, metaphorically, the Christian faith is best understood within the context of a family.This concept of communality is very much at home with the worldview of the Akans where communality and unity in worship are eschewed.
In the opinion of Dube, the Lord's Prayer opens by describing the heavens as the realm of patriarchal authority. 47The Greek Πάτερ (father), however, brings out a particular culture and time and the limitation of human language in describing God.It has been suggested by biblically gender-sensitive scholars that, the use of masculine pronouns to represent God does reinforce the exclusion and subordination of women in society. 48nce, the author's second translation of the Πάτερ into Asante Twi as cwofoc (parent) according to the Akan cosmology does not lose its meaning to Christian worshippers.This position is also championed by Dube who writes that, "By designating God as a parent, the Lord's Prayer is not only gender neutral, it also confronts all the Christian communities and individuals of different persuasions and nations with an image of a family." 49urther, the concept of God's universal Fatherhood and Motherhood is strongly rooted in the worldview of the Akan which is supported by the Akan adage: Obi nnkyerε abcfra Nyame (No one points out God to a child).
The notion of ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς 'translated as heavens (csorosoro) raises a theological issue worth discussing.Here, the Father to whom believers pray is in the heavens.Since God is a parent (father) and is in heaven, it remains true, therefore, that God is the mighty creator and sovereign.In the words of Chester, "He has not become some domestic deity." 50Implying that, from the Akan context, God is beyond all intermediaries or divinities (abosom) and that God is the almighty creator (Otweadeampcn cbcadeε Nyame).As a parent, God delights to hear the concerns of God's children, and as the one in heaven, God can respond in power and wisdom.Some of the ways in which the scripture uses the Greek οὐρανοῖς (heavens) connote the sky which includes the stars, moon and planets.It pictures the dimension of the universe which is indwelt by the spiritual world both good and evil.It describes the unmediated presence of God and the place from which believers look forward to the future. 51aving opened, the prayer begins by hallowing the name of God, ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου (May your name be handled in holiness and reverence) and then goes on to express hope that God's will and kingdom will be manifested.ἁγιασθήτω is an Aorist Imperative 3rd person singular passive form of the Greek ἁγιάζω which carries the idea of making holy and regarding as sacred for reverence.Luz rightly draws attention to the Old Testament, 52 Jewish 53 and Aramaic backgrounds to the fact that in hallowing God's name, both God and the people can become the subject of the action. 54Thus, on the part of humans serving as the subject of hallowing God's name, to handle God's name in reverence is to recognize that his name is holy and that God's name is to be glorified. 55This is an invitation to all believers to honour and revere God's name. 56Here, those who represent the eschatological meaning use the Lord's Prayer to describe their view about the end times when God's name, would be universally honoured. 57t is important to note that people's names in Hebrew thought often represented the people themselves and their character (1 Samuel 25:25).Hence, the name of God in Judaism is of extreme significance and honouring it is central piety.Ekem rightly expresses, "If God is the Majestic 'Wholly Other' who is concerned about creation, then those who approach Him must do so reverently not only from a liturgical but also from an ethical perspective." 58Therefore, to hallow (sanctify) God's name is to treat with high regard as one would treat the person of God himself.This Hebrew concept of a name and hallowing of God's name is not different from the thought system of most communities, especially within sub-Saharan Africa and Akans in particular where names are concrete expressions of a person's general character.Along this line of observation, Ekem notes that this "explains why diligent care is taken to name children after people who have played an outstanding role in society and impacted people's lives positively.The expectation is that these children will emulate their noble example." 59he next petition, ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου (Ma w'ahennie mmra na nna adi): Let your kingly rule come and be manifested is an urgent request that God will establish in a full and final sense, God's rule on earth.Jamieson, Funsset and Brown refer to the kingdom of God as "that moral and spiritual kingdom which the God of grace is setting up in this fallen world, whose subjects consist of as many as have been brought into hearty subjection to his gracious sceptre, and of which His son Jesus is the glorious Head." 60 In spite of the notion that the kingdom came in the life and ministry of Jesus, 61 it awaits the παρουσία (1 Cor.15:23). 62It is worth mentioning that humans live now in those days between the beginning of the age to come and the end of the age that is present.Thus, God's sovereign rule is realized in the hearts of God's followers, but it will one day be openly acknowledged. 63nother prayer item is γενηθήτω τὸ θέληµά σου, ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς (may your will come to pass, just as it happens in the heaven, even so on earth).The heart of this prayer is that just as God's will is done in heaven, so also should it be on earth (verse 10).There have been two main views regarding how this will of God here could be realized: 64 That is, should it be seen as the work of humankind or the act of God pushed through humankind?Luz thinks that the latter view represents an attempt to give it an eschatological meaning. 65ome scholars take the final clause ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς (Just as it happens in the heaven, even so on earth) as qualifying all three of the preceding petitions.For instance, Dube writes that " …God's name will be hallowed if God's rule and will are established on earth as it is in heaven." 66This perspective appears convincing only if "Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" invites all to make the earth and its creatures be devoted to God.
The second half of the prayer shifts to the concrete manifestation of God's will and the presence of the Kingdom.The first, Τὸν ἄρτον ἡµῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡµῖν σήµερον (Ma yεn nsa nka yεn daadaa aduane (adehiadeε) nnε (Give to us today our daily bread for our existence or provision), concerns daily bread.The meaning of the Greek ἐπιούσιος which is normally translated as daily is slightly obscure.The background of God's daily bread seems to describe how God supplied daily manna to the Israelites as they were in the wilderness (Exodus 16:15-21).They needed to rely on God to provide new bread each morning because they could not keep any manna overnight.Etymologically, "ἐπιούσιος" pertains to the Greek words ἐπί and οὐσία referring to substance.This literary carries the sense, as Luz cites Origin and the Vulgate to point out, "das Brot, das sich mit unserer Substanz vereinigt oder über alle Substanzen hinausreicht" (the bread that unites with our substance). 67Significantly, it could be observed, however, that the extent that this may be in reference to the Lord's Super and Christological sense of providing bread (John 6) cannot be well substantiated.ἐπιούσιος can also be understood as existence that is the bread that was essential to survival. 68In that era, bread was the most important survival food.
Thus, in the author's view, the common translation of daadaa aduane ne adehiade nne (daily bread and basic necessity) appears to be a translation that is conveniently close in meaning.This is, therefore, in support of some scholars such as Ekem who translates it as "ma yεn nsa nka yεn daadaa aduane εnε," and that of Mounce. 69This position (and the author's stand), however, disagrees with other scholars such as Chester 70 and Luz 71 and for that matter Christians who read the Lord's Prayer as solely eschatological.They view ἐπιούσιος as describing the Second Coming reading for tomorrow (and spiritual bread) in a metaphorical sense.This objection is valid in that Jesus is portrayed in John 6, for instance, as caring for the everyday needs of his followers. 72oreover, this prayer request of daily provision of bread for existence is most probably at home with the Akan context since they are positioned in Africa where bread for food is an indispensable need in life.Thus, the Lord's Prayer gives the Christian community (Akans) and human institutions the commitment of being responsible sons and daughters of God, thereby emulating God by remembering those members of the family who cannot afford their daily bread and at the same time cannot go without it (Acts 2-4, 6). 73oreover, the Greek, καὶ ἄφες ἡµῖν τὰ ὀφειλήµατα ἡµῶν, ὡς καὶ ἡµεῖς ἀφήκαµεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡµῶν could be translated: Na fa yεn aka (bcne) kyε yεn, sεdeε yεn nso de akyε wcn a wcde yεn aka anaa w'afom yjn (And forgive us/cancel our debts, even as we have forgiven our debtors/those who owe us).The translation of the Greek ἄφες into Asante Twi as kyj (forgive) is in opposition to the translation of the Bible in Asante Twi, published as Twerj kronkron Asante by The Bible Society of Ghana, 1964 which is translated as firi (loan). 74his translation presupposes that sins or debts are loaned and not forgiven.When ἄφες is translated as kyj that behind the Greek ὀφείλημα (debt/one's due) is the Aramaic hôbâ, which was used figuratively of sin as a moral debt. 77In addition to the forgiveness of sins, other scholars also argue that forgiving debts in the Matthean context had something to do with the economic structure of the day.Dube observes that in the context of Matthew's Gospel and that of the Roman Colonial Empire, the average Palestinian Jew had debt.The debt emanated from the Imperial Tax (Matt.22:15-22) and Temple Tax (Matt.17:24-27).In addition, many lived in crowded, inadequate and infertile lands, leading to unemployment and indebtedness. 78In favour of this position, Chester also contends that "our acts of mercy include not only the forgiving of wrongs done to us but economic generosity." 79t could be said that although the request is not for the forgiveness of 'supposed loans' granted by God since the Greek ὀφείλημα has a connotation in the direct context of the economic structures of the Roman Empire and Palestine, it is most probable that the Lord's Prayer is suggesting that debts due to loans must be dealt with.Although paying off one's debts is central to the Christian faith, the Lord's Prayer, however, challenges the "systematic structures" that lock many responsible, hardworking individuals and nations into a vicious circle of poverty and debts. 80The very fact that the location of Akans is in the region of West Africa (with its varying forms of poverty, oppression, hunger and indebtedness) authenticates this argument in that the situation of Africans today can, in a sense, be identified the Jews in the Matthean context.Yet forgiveness according to this prayer is a two-way exercise.The request for forgiveness is based upon the willingness to forgive others.The person who does not forgive is unable to receive forgiveness.This demonstrates that both the spiritual and physical dimensions are needed to be forgiven.
Interpretations of the petition, καὶ µὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡµᾶς εἰς πειρασµόν (Na nnya yεn nkc nschwε muand lead us not into temptation) of the Lord's Prayer vary considerably.According to the Fitz Rienecker's The Linguistic Key to the New Testament, πειρασμός can mean "test" or "temptation." 81However, it has traditionally been translated as "temptation."Since this would seem to imply that God leads people into sin, individual scholars who are uncomfortable with that implication read it as a test of character.For instance, Mounce interprets verse 13 to mean "Do not let us fall into a trial so difficult that we will fail." 82In this sense, in the thought of Mounce, this petition serves as a plea against hard tests described elsewhere in scripture such as those of Job.Other scholars, on the other hand, see this as a preventive prayer from temptation as used in the context of James 1:14 since all people are vulnerable.This position is strengthened by the fact that Jesus demonstrated to his core disciples, a group of people that should be among the best of his followers (Matt.26:41) that they should pray that they do not enter into temptation.It is important to note that some other exegetes also interpret it eschatologically with the explanation that the hour of trial is the intensely difficult time of suffering that immediately precedes the second coming of Christ. 83However, it is least probable that the term πειρασμός is connected to such an event in the New Testament.
Translators and scholars on the prayer item, ἀλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡµᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ (Na emom, gye yεn firi bcne/cbcnefoc no nsam): But deliver us from evil, are divided in opinion as to whether the notion of evil identified in the final petition describes evil in general or the devil in particular.The Greek adjective τοῦ πονηροῦ could be either neuter (evil in general) or masculine (the evil one) gender.In favour of the neutral interpretation, Luz, for instance, appeals to the Hebrew thought and the Didache to argue that τοῦ πονηροῦ does not designate Satan but as evil in general. 84Also, Mounce comments that since in Hebrew thought, Satan is not designated as 'the evil one,' many interpreters prefer the neutral meaning which is the difficult circumstances that often plague human lives. 85On the other hand, it has been argued that since the expression τοῦ πονηροῦ flows closely from the subject of temptation, the Devil is intended. 86It could be argued, however, that Luz's suggestion that the parallel verses in the New Testament (2 Tim 4:18) and the Hebrew thought on τοῦ πονηροῦ hardly designate Satan is untenable considering the role of Satan in the Gospels with particular reference to the special role of Satan in the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4. Thus, in the author's view and from the Akan thought and context, the final petition could be better understood as a prayer for deliverance from the evil one and from all evil of whatever kind as well.Hence, the primary translation, gye yjn firi cobcnefoc no nsam (deliver us from the evil one) and the second translation, gye yjn firi bcne mu (deliver us from evil) is contextually meaningful.

Theological Interpretation and Application of Matthew 6:9-13 to the Glocal Context as a Synthesis
A critical look at the issues raised in the above exegetical and theological discussions on the Lord's Prayer identifies some issues that call for careful consideration in relation to the Christian faith and practices in the church as well as biblical interpretations in the African context.To begin with the phrase "our Father" (parent) that commences the prayer, it can be said that the use of the plural pronoun "our" by Jesus classifies all human beings irrespective of one's race, skin colour, financial status, position and language or culture as belonging to one family in that it is an indication that the Lord's Prayer was for all.This strengthens the African concept of communality.Similarly, the use of the Father and his position as in the heavens above, as the universal parent also has a theological implication in the context of Africa.This can be seen from the fact that this prayer attempts to blend the Judeo-Christian concept of God with the African notion of God as one in heaven above, who is simultaneously and graciously found in the midst of His (God's) children and attends to their needs.For example, although the Akan concept about God shows that God is in heaven above, 87 the proverb, "aboa a onni dua no, Onyame na pra ne ho" (It is God who protects the tailless animal) shows that God is gracious with God's children.That God is present with humans to protect and help, is a way of identifying the concept of God's graciousness.Thus, God's grace is identified in this prayer and God is seen as the one who answers prayers.
A further critical observation on the content of the Lord's Prayer reveals that prayer is theology, and to theologize is to pray.This is in line with Karl Barth's affirmation that, "The first and basic act of theological work is prayer." 88Leander E. Keck also argues in this same direction in his reflections on the Lord's Prayer by pointing out that, "Matthew's decision to place the Lord's Prayer at the centre of the instruction of the Sermon on the Mount bridges the gap between worship and theology. 89Thus, prayer is a theological exercise.This perspective provides a piece of information about the deep theological convictions on the attribute of God that Africans, and for that matter Akans have.A typical example is seen in the Akan traditional prayer in the form of pouring of libation where God is ascribed as "Otwedeampcn Nyame" meaning "the dependable God."Thus, theology can be seen in some traditional prayers.This can be used as a means of dialogue between Akan Traditional religious partners and Christians in an attempt to establish a common ground for religious tolerance and peaceful co-existence.Moreover, with regard to Christian prayers, there is a need for deeper teachings as to how Christian prayers should be.God's word should be reflected upon in Christian prayers.What this means and implies is that African Christian worship and thus prayer in the churches and individual lives should not be separated from theology.Theology should be reflected in songs and prayers.For example, where would the place of God be when some Christians pray that those who offend them be cursed and killed? 90nother aspect of the Lord's Prayer that is worth reflecting on is that it is an expression of faith that is not solely based on what it says but on what it assumes.This assumption is that human beings are not independent, and thus indicates a sign of genuine humanity.In this light, Keck remarks that "it is not a sign of weakness to pray, but a sign of genuine humanity.Prayer is not merely for emergencies, but a thankful praise that acknowledges our true dependence on God." 91 Thus, an examination of the Lord's Prayer in the context of Africa calls for a renewal of mind and worldview on the part of African Christians who are from the traditional religious background that worshippers turn to their object of worship or the Supreme Being and for that matter the intermediaries (gods/divinities, ancestors, magical powers) only when they are in need. 92The praise and petitions identified in the Lord's Prayer suggest that prayer seems to be one of the normal ways of relating to God and must be done regularly and not only when in need.
The content of the Lord's Prayer in general has implications for Christian practice.Through the Lord's prayer, Jesus teaches believers to live out prayers or talk to God.By praying the Lord's Prayer, Christians are reminded of their obligations to God and one another.In the words of Luz, Gebet und menschliches Handeln schließen sich nicht aus, im Gegenteil: Gebet ist ein Sprechen des aktiven Menschen mit Gott 93 (Prayer and human responsibility are not mutually exclusive.On the contrary, prayer expresses human actions with God).In this case, prayer goes with responsibility.This can be illustrated by the content of the Lord's Prayer that even as Jesus teaches believers to pray for forgiveness from God, he also asks them to forgive others.Again as Jesus teaches believers to pray for daily needs, it gives a sign of overcoming any form of greed and thereby relying on God daily.

RECOMMENDATIONS
This study suggests that biblical scholars are to consider mother-tongue theological hermeneutics as a crucial enterprise of relevance.The translation and discussions of the Greek text from the perspective of one's mother tongue are necessary in bringing about the original meaning and thus its relevant application to the existential realities of the reader.
This study further recommends that, whilst affirming the continuity of including the Lord's Prayer in the liturgical context in evangelical Christian traditions, on the one hand, the emphasis on its theological content as a model should be given maximum attention than its mere recitation as an acquired liturgical tradition to be followed.On the other hand, the study recommends that contemporary Christian Churches that do not include the Lord's Prayer in their liturgies or order of service should reconsider its relevance and theological roles most importantly in order to share in the faith and practice of the wider global ecumenical Christian context.
On the note of bible translation, this study recommends that the translation of ἄφες in Matthew 6:12 into Asante Twi as firi (loan) of the United Bible Society, Twerj Kronkron Asante should be revised to be kyj (forgive).The theological significance of this is that debts and for that matter sins are to be forgiven and not loaned.This alternative translation would be more theologically liberating without subjecting the one praying to perpetual enslavement.

CONCLUSION
By the Lord's Prayer in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus appears not only to teach his earliest disciples and the immediate generation of Christians at his time.He rather teaches Christians of all generations and cultures what it means to pray.The Lord's Prayer should thus be a pattern for Christian prayers in the aspects of offering praise to God, prayer for God's work in the world, daily needs and help in daily schedules.It has been observed that the phrase, "our Father in heaven" indicates that God who is majestic is also personal and loving and that the Lord's Prayer is intended not only to be communal but ecumenical.The first line of the prayer is also a statement of praise to God and a commitment to revere and honour God's name.For Christians to pray for God's kingdom to come and be manifested is a prayer for God to reign both in the believers' hearts and where God establishes the new heaven and earth.This will take place as believers pray for God's purpose to be established on earth.By praying for daily bread and needs, Christians acknowledge their humanness and God's ability to sustain and provide for them.Belonging to the request for daily needs is the forgiveness of debts that brings about peaceful co-existence between God and humankind.Then the prayer ends by requesting for God's deliverance from evil in general as well as the evil one, who is Satan.Acheampong has discussed at length that the traditional religious Akan sees the Supreme Being and the intermediaries as interventionists and thus turns to them in the form of abisa (prayer) only when they are in need. 93Luz, Das Evangelium nach Matthäus, 453.
Fosu, Experiences of Pneumatic Phenomena in Contemporary Ghanaian Christianity as Appropriations of 1 Cor 12 -14: A Critical Analysis (Hamburg: Missionshilfe Verlag, 2019), 146. 10 In his published doctoral dissertation book, The Lord's Prayer in the Ghanaian Context: A Reception-Historical Study, Michael Wandusim, for instance, has studied the text of Matthew 6:9b-13 from the perspective of historical-reception with a particular focus on the Ghanaian context.Wandusim's approach to studying the Lord's Prayer has been helpful, especially in bringing to light the traditional critical exegesis of the text as well as its paradigmatic receptions and relevance in Ghana.Michael Wandusim, The Lord's Prayer in the Ghanaian Context: A Reception-Historical Study (Berlin: De Gruyter, 2021). 11Employing the insight of the Mother-tongue biblical hermeneutics, Eric Nii Bortey Anum and Jonathan Kuwornu-Adjaottor, "New Testament Concepts of Forgiveness in the Gospels in the Context of the Dangme Translation and Usage," American Journal of Biblical Theology 12 (2011): 1-19, have among others, questioned the translation of the rendering of forgiveness in Dangme Bible.Similarly, by engaging the mother-tongue Scripture, Jonathan Kuwornu-Adjaottor, "A Critical Study of the Translation of Matthew 6:12 in the Dangme Bible," Neotestamentica 54, no. 1 (