The Pattern of Prayer - Benediction

"[For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]" Matthew 6:13c (HCSB)

We come to the Benediction of this prayer. A benediction according to Merriam-Webster online is the invocation of a blessing; the short blessing with which public worship is concluded. This is how we end - invoking a blessing.  The brackets in the HCSB means that Biblical scholars and the HCSB translation team do not believe that this was part of the original text. Still, in many ways as we consider the Model that this displays, it is important. If we leave it out - we start with the Father and end with the Devil. It would be moving from Heaven to Hell. we are starting with the Father, staying with the Father, and ending with the Father.

Warren Wiersbe* says that even though this is not part of the original text, it is believed to be "added when churches began to pray the Lord's Prayer together in public worship. In the Didache, a second-century local church manual, it reads, 'For thine is the power and the glory forever.'" It is believed that this is based upon the Benediction that David gave at the commissioning of Solomon to build the Temple. Consider the words of 1 Chronicles 29:10-13

"Then David praised the Lord in the sight of all the assembly. David said,
May You be praised, Lord God of our father Israel, from eternity to eternity. Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to You. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all. Riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler of everything. Power and might are in Your hand, and it is in Your hand to make great and to give strength to all. Now therefore, our God, we give You thanks and praise Your glorious name."

Let us consider some important words in Matthews passage. First, consider "kingdom" (Greek basile). Matthew's gospel is the Kingdom Gospel - it presents Jesus as the King. In this passage, the word refers to the reign of the Messiah. In the earlier statement, we saw the request for "Your kingdom come.

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." In these closing words, the one praying is acknowledging that the Kingdom already belongs to the Messiah - the Christ - God.

Then we have the word "power" (Greek dunamis). This word carries the meaning of strength and ability. we get our words dynamite and dynamo from this word. Paul shows us a glimspe of this concept in Ephesians 3:20-21 - "Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

The next word to muse over is "glory" (Greek doxa). It means the opinion or estimate that brings to one honor resulting from this. The glory of God is who or what He demonstrates Himself to be. We give the praise and honor to God - thus giving to Him glory. Not that He needs our opinion or honor, but it our way of ascribing to Him Who He Is. 

Consider the word "forever" (Greek eis tous aiṓn). It means literally "unto the ages." It marks an unending period of time. Thus we see the picture of eternity present and future. Finally, see the word "amen" (Greek amḗn). It means - so be it, or may it be fulfilled. It was a custom, which passed over from the synagogues to the Christian assemblies, that when he who had read or discoursed, had offered up solemn prayer to God, the others responded Amen, and thus made the substance of what was uttered their own.

So to end this short study on the Model Prayer, today begin to muse over those five words - kingdom, power, glory, forever, and amen. Consider whether you are faithful as a child and servant to the King. Do you depend upon His power, is your motive to glorify Him, and is this with eternity in view? Can I truly say Amen to these thoughts and concepts in this Model Prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ?

Majesty

Jack Hayford

Majesty, worship his majesty

Unto jesus be all glory, power and praise

Majesty, kingdom authority flow from his throne

Unto his own his anthem raise

So exalt lift up on high the name of jesus

Magnify, come glorify christ jesus the king

Majesty, worship his majesty

Jesus who died now glorified

King of all kings.

  

* Warren Wiersbe, 2010. On Earth as It Is In Heaven, Baker Books, Grand Rapids Michigan.
 

The Pattern of Prayer - Discipleship - Delivering

"...but deliver us from the evil one." Matthew 6:13b (HCSB). 

Satan has been characterized and satirized until we as Christians take him very lightly. We take the biblical concept of him being a defeated foe, and turn a blind eye and deaf ear to what is going on around us. We take the power and warfare of this opponent as something to lightly disregard or make jokes about.

Unfortunately, this is exactly what he wants us to do. Satan persuades many people that there is no heaven, hell, judgment, or God. He causes many to think that he does not even exist, or that, if he does exist, he is nothing more than a little red cartoon character with horns and a pitchfork, who is mischievous but not dangerous. He causes some people to be bitter toward God. He causes many others to be deceived on how to be saved. He blinds their eyes. C. S. Lewis is quotes as saying

"There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors, and hail a materialist and a magician with the same delight." 

We need to continually seek God to deliver us from this evil one (Greek, ponērós). Satan seeks to have us develop a trust in ourselves - that we can resist and defeat him. But, we need to be aware of his many schemes and plans to divert us from being what God has planned for us. Some will say, "Wait, doesn't the Bible say we can resist the devil? Look at the full scripture - James 4: 7 states "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." We resist the devil when we are in complete submission to the Father. Even the archangel understands the power of Satan - "Yet Michael the archangel, when he was disputing with the Devil in a debate about Moses’ body, did not dare bring an abusive condemnation against him but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” Jude 9 (HCSB)

Satan has a variety of schemes that he uses to delude and seduce a believer from staying true to God. A. W. Pink says, "Satan is not an initiator but an imitator. "He takes what God has created in beauty and twists it into something evil. The evangelist Dr. John R. Rice is quotes as saying, "I do not deny that the Devil has some pretty apples; I just say that all of them are fakes and that after you bite into them, you will find they have worms. All Satan's apples have worms." When we are confident that we have him all figured out - he has us where he wants us. He then leads us astray - and even though he can't take our salvation away - he will destroy our usefulness and testimony. and, we need to beware of how he will steal away our relational time with the Father. The late Adrian Rogers once stated - "If Satan can't make you bad, he'll make you busy." Once we replace our time with the Father with busyness, we open ourselves to Satan's deceptive lies.

Jesus knew that we need to pray for continual deliverance from the deceptions and power of the evil one. Today, muse over whether you have become complacent about our enemy.  Spend time getting close to the Father, submitting to Him, and letting Him fight the battles.

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

Martin Luther

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;

Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:

For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;

His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,

On earth is not his equal. 

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;

Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:

Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;

Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,

And He must win the battle. 

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,

We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:

The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;

His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,

One little word shall fell him. 

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;

The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:

Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;

The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,

His kingdom is forever.

 

The Pattern of Prayer - Discuipleship - Leading

"And do not bring us into temptation...." Matthew 6:13a (HCSB).

Here we come to the last two request dealing with us as believers. And they both deal with the area of discipleship in our lives. What is discipleship?

Rick Warren gives this definition of discipleship. 

"Discipleship is the process of transformation that changes us to be increasingly more like Christ through the Word (John 17:17), the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18), and circumstance (Rom. 8:28-29). Growth is both mystical and practical; God has a part (“Only God makes things grow” 1 Cor. 3:7)  but we have a part as well (“…put off…and put on”Eph.4:22-23).  Discipleship is based on continual repentance (“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind”  Rom. 12:1-2).  It takes far more than Bible study to grow a disciple – it takes a balance of worship experiences, fellowship experiences, engagement with the Word, ministry experiences, and evangelism/mission experiences. Without balance there is no health, and without health, there is no growth. Jesus modeled both the method and goal of all discipleship, moving the 12 from “Come and see” to “Come and die!” over a period of three years....  If you don’t have a process, you aren’t making disciples, because spiritual growth is not automatic. Discipleship is intentional, incremental, relational, covenantal, habitual, and incarnational." www.rickwarren.com

First, Jesus here speaks of asking God not to lead us into temptation. The word temptation used here (peirasm) can mean trial or testing. We know from James 1:13 that "No one undergoing a trial should say, 'I am being tempted by God.' For God is not tempted by evil, and He Himself doesn’t tempt anyone." God never tempts us to do evil, however He will test our faith. When a teacher administers a test, it is not to make a student fail, it is to see what they have learned and how proficient they are in the subject matter. Faith is only as good as the object of that faith - self or God. How we respond to these tests will determine whether they build us up or tear us down. It will disclose whether we place our faith in God or in something else.

In Hebrews 11 - the Hall of Faith chapter, we see that all believers have been tested. Everyone who trusted in God through these tests were mightily used of God. To the glory of God they were able to do what to most seemed impossible. It is serious and dangerous to play lightly with sin and tempt ourselves. We do not need to see how close to the edge of the cliff we can stand and not fall, but to be safe and not play that game.

When God allows tests to come into our lives, they are not designed to make us fall - they are there to strengthen us in our walk. This will only happen when we place our faith in the proper object - Jesus Christ. And, when we successfully complete the test - we will have grown in our walk with the Lord.

Today, muse over where you truly place your faith - in God or in something else (some people place their faith in faith). What can you do to place it in the proper object? So, why not do it now.

Trusting Jesus

Edgar Page Stites

Simply trusting every day,

Trusting through a stormy way;

Even when my faith is small,

Trusting Jesus, that is all. 

Refrain 

Trusting as the moments fly,

Trusting as the days go by;

Trusting Him whate’er befall,

Trusting Jesus, that is all. 

Brightly does His Spirit shine

Into this poor heart of mine;

While He leads I cannot fall;

Trusting Jesus, that is all. 

Refrain 

Singing if my way is clear,

Praying if the path be drear;

If in danger for Him call;

Trusting Jesus, that is all. 

Refrain 

Trusting Him while life shall last,

Trusting Him till earth be past;

Till within the jasper wall,

Trusting Jesus, that is all. 

Refrain

The Pattern of Prayer - Fellowship

Matthew 6:12 (HCSB) - And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

As we continue in our study of Jesus' Model Prayer, let us consider this phrase. We have seen Jesus challenge us in our prayers to consider our relationship (Matthew 6:9b, HCSB), our worship Matthew 6:9c, HCSB), our citizenship (Matthew 6:10a, HCSB), and our partnership (Matthew 6:10b, HCSB) - in other words our focus on God first. We next moved into our Stewardship (Matthew 6:11, HCSB). Now, let us consider our fellowship with God and each other.

He begins by reminding us about what has divided our fellowship. Sin. The Aramaic word for sin (opheílēma) is also the word for debt - for something owed. A debt is a legal obligation. We are obligated to observe God's law and do His will. However, we fail. Plain and simple. We are in debt to God. The glorious message of the gospel is that God forgives the sins of those who repent and trust Jesus Christ! But, what if we sin after we are saved? First, we can never lose our salvation - it is final. John 10:28 (HCSB) - "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish—ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand." That is Jesus speaking, and He never lies. Paul taught in Romans 8:38, 39 HCSB) - "For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers, height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!"

Realize that our disobedience does not make us unaccepted by God, it means we are unacceptable to our Father. What a difference those two little words make. When we sin, we don't need forever forgiveness, we need fellowship forgiveness. (Take time today to read 1 John 1:5-10). We may feel unworthy to come to the Throne, but we need to remember that we are not unwelcome at the throne. This does not mean that we take sin lightly - no, we need to consider the horrendous way we appear to our Father with our sin. Thanks be to Christ we delivered us form this separation.

As forgiven sinners, we MUST be forgiving to those fellow Christians who have been seduced and fallen into sin. If we refuse to forgive our brothers, we must watch that we ourselves do not fall into further sin - Galatians 6:1 (HCSB) - "Brothers, if someone is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual should restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so you also won’t be tempted." We must seek to restore the fellowship between the Father, other believers, and ourselves.

When God stores, He forgives. But there are consequences to sin. It is like he pulls the nails out of the boards - but the holes remain. In Joel 2:25 (HCSB) we find a beautiful promise from God - "I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust ate, the young locust, the destroying locust, and the devouring locust—" God can cleanse and He can restore. Charles Spurgeon preached these words on this passage - "LOST years can never be restored literally. Time once past is gone forever. Let no man make any mistake about this or trifle with the present moment under any notion that the flying hour will ever wing its way back to him. As well call back the north wind or fill again the emptied rain cloud, or put back into their quiver the arrows of the lord of day. As well bid the river which has hastened onward to the sea bring back its rolling floods, as imagine that the years that have once gone can ever be restored to us. It will strike you at once that the locusts did not eat the years—the locusts ate the fruits of the years' labor—the harvests of the fields."* Yet, God can still bless us. Do we deserve it? Not on your life. This is pure grace - plain and simple.

Restore our fellowship with You, Father, and with each other.

Muse today over what needs to be repented of before God, and are their those who you are refusing to forgive? Then do something about it.

Lord, I'm Coming Home

William J. Kirkpatrick

I’ve wandered far away from God,

Now I’m coming home;

The paths of sin too long I’ve trod,

Lord, I’m coming home. 

Refrain 

Coming home, coming home,

Nevermore to roam,

Open wide Thine arms of love,

Lord, I’m coming home. 

I’ve wasted many precious years,

Now I’m coming home;

I now repent with bitter tears,

Lord, I’m coming home. 

Refrain 

I’m tired of sin and straying, Lord,

Now I’m coming home;

I’ll trust Thy love, believe Thy Word,

Lord, I’m coming home. 

Refrain 

My soul is sick, my heart is sore,

Now I’m coming home;

My strength renew, my hope restore,

Lord, I’m coming home. 

Refrain 

My only hope, my only plea,

Now I’m coming home;

That Jesus died, and died for me.

Lord, I’m coming home. 

Refrain 

I need His cleansing blood, I know,

Now I’m coming home;

O wash me whiter than the snow,

Lord, I’m coming home. 

Refrain

* http://www.ccel.org/ccel/spurgeon/sermons35.xx.html

The Pattern of Prayer - Stewardship

We are now shifting in this Model Prayer from acknowledging God to specific needs. We need to focus on God before we pray. When we come to Him with our requests, we need to seek out His priorities. Jesus taught, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you." Matthew 6:33, HCSB. Consider this - if God gave us what we asked, would it glorify His name, advance His kingdom and accomplish His will on earth? If not, why should we ask.

This phrase in the prayer we are looking at is "Give us today our daily bread." Matthew 6:11 (HCSB). The word bread in that culture referred to both food in general and to the loaves made from wheat or barley flour. Basically, it stands for all that is necessary to sustain life. We are the stewards of the daily supply that God provides. Let us muse over this phrase in the prayer.

First, consider "give." This reminds us that everything we need for life comes from the Hand of God. He gives according to His grace - James 1:17 (HCSB) - "Every generous act and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights; with Him there is no variation or shadow cast by turning." That's what stewardship is all about. God is not obligated to give us anything. Yet, we see HIs grace in what He gives us, and how He gives it. If we stop to think for just a moment, to have a slice of bread it requires the cooperation of the whole universe. And that is under the controlling hand of God.

Too many people in churches today have become consumers and not stewards. Churches are looked at like "shopping malls," and we are "doing church" instead of worshipping God. The "Hey, what's in it for me" attitude has taken over the "How can I be like "Christ" attitude. If we are true to pur prayers, we will be stewards of God's grace, not greedy consumers.

Notice also, the two words us and our. We are joint stewards. The Model Prayer is a family prayer, and not a solo act. He also called it daily bread - to the Jewish mind of that day they would have recalled the account of Manna in the Scriptures. God provided daily exactly what each person needed to survive. The Manna sustained life. The Word of God sustains our spiritual life, and it is needful to be taken daily. Consider what Jesus taught in Matthew 4:4 (HCSB) - "But He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” we are reminded in what Jesus is saying that God provides our daily sustenance both from our physical food and our spiritual food. And both are needed daily.

We need to remind ourselves over and over again that we are God's stewards, and our supply comes from the Grace of God, and will bountifully supply it.

Break Thou the Bread of Life*

Mary Artemesia Lathbury

Break Thou the Bread of Life,

Dear Lord, to me,

As Thou didst break the loaves

Beside the sea;

Beyond the sacred page

I seek Thee, Lord;

My spirit pants for Thee,

O Living Word.

Thou art the Bread of Life,

O Lord, to me,

Thy holy Word the truth

That saveth me;

Give me to eat and live

With Thee above;

Teach me to love Thy truth,

For Thou art Love.

Oh, send Thy Spirit, Lord,

Now unto me,

That He may touch my eyes,

And make me see;

Show me the truth concealed

Within Thy Word,

And in Thy Book revealed

I see the Lord.

Bless Thou the truth, dear Lord,

To me, to me,

As Thou didst bless the bread

By Galilee;

Then shall all bondage cease,

All fetters fall,

And I shall find my peace,

My All in all.

*http://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/806#ixzz31pIVf55K

The Pattern of Prayer - Partnership

Warren Wiersbe is quoted as saying, "Prayer is a 'patnership' between God and His church that enables Him to accomplish His will on earth through the witness of His obedient people." So, we now come to the phrase in the Model Prayer - "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10b (HCSB)

Consider the message that Paul is telling us in Romans 11:33-12:2 (HCSB).

11:33 "Oh, the depth of the riches

both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God!

How unsearchable His judgments

and untraceable His ways!

34 For who has known the mind of the Lord?

Or who has been His counselor?

35 Or who has ever first given to Him,

and has to be repaid?

36 For from Him and through Him

and to Him are all things.

To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

12:1 Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. 

2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God."

Paul gives 4 admonitions here -

1) Don't try to explain God's ways (v.33) Just do what He says in faith.

2) Don't try to change God's mind (v.34) You will only be the loser.

3) Don't try to buy God off (v.35) You can't bargain for God's blessings.

4) Don't try to steal God's glory (v.36) He will give you all that you need, 

     but He will never share His glory or praise with anyone.

"Therefore -" by considering what he has said, one can then do "what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God."

We are not responsible to see that the whole world obey God - we are responsible to see that we obey Him. we can either encourage others or provide them with an excuse. Which are you doing?

Trust and Obey

John H. Sammis

When we walk with the Lord

in the light of his word,

what a glory he sheds on our way!

While we do his good will,

he abides with us still,

and with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain: 

 Trust and obey, for there's no other way

to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear,

not a sorrow we share,

but our toil he doth richly repay;

not a grief or a loss,

not a frown or a cross,

but is blest if we trust and obey.

(Refrain)

But we never can prove

the delights of his love

until all on the altar we lay;

for the favor he shows,

for the joy he bestows,

are for them who will trust and obey.

(Refrain)

Then in fellowship sweet 

 we will sit at his feet,

or we'll walk by his side in the way;

what he says we will do,

where he sends we will go;

never fear, only trust and obey.

(Refrain) 

The Pattern of Prayer - Citizenship

We have mused over the beginning of this Model Prayer. We have seen that Father shows us to whom we pray, the word our refers with whom we pray - God's family of faith. Why do we pray was answered by one word - Worship. Now we consider that the church is to be "heavenly minded" not earthly bound. You see, God designed that His family members were to understand that they are a "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:9, HCSB). Today, often the church is converting to the world's ways instead of converting the world to God. So, we come to - "Your kingdom come." Matthew 6:10a.

Jesus was born a King (Matthew 2:2) and He was crucified as a King (Matthew 27:37). But as He told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world,” .... As it is, My kingdom does not have its origin here.” (John 18:36, HCSB).  P.P. Bliss charges us in his hymn Hallelujah, What a Savior! 

“Man of Sorrows!” what a name

For the Son of God, who came

Ruined sinners to reclaim.

Hallelujah! What a Savior! 

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,

In my place condemned He stood;

Sealed my pardon with His blood.

Hallelujah! What a Savior! 

Guilty, vile, and helpless we;

Spotless Lamb of God was He;

“Full atonement!” can it be?

Hallelujah! What a Savior! 

Lifted up was He to die;

“It is finished!” was His cry;

Now in Heav’n exalted high.

Hallelujah! What a Savior! 

When He comes, our glorious King,

All His ransomed home to bring,

Then anew His song we’ll sing:

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

One of these days, Jesus will return as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. When we pray the words, "Your kingdom come," we should be giving our complete devotion  and dedication of our entire being to Jesus as we anticipate His return. when we say this, we need to take stock of our lives and consider if we would really be happy if Jesus came back today. Someone has written that the secret of happiness is having someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to. We have that in our Savior, Jesus Christ. Someone to love means we worship Him, something to do means we work and witness, and the something to look forward to means we are waiting, watching, and eagerly anticipate His return. We may look upon the things here on earth, "but our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." (Philippians 3:20, HCSB). Harriet Buell gives us some understanding in A Child of the King.

My Father is rich in houses and lands,

He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands!

Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold,

His coffers are full, He has riches untold. 

Refrain:

I’m a child of the King,

A child of the King:

With Jesus my Savior,

I’m a child of the King. 

My Father’s own Son, the Savior of men,

Once wandered on earth as the poorest of them;

But now He is pleading our pardon on high,

That we may be His, when He comes by and by. 

I once was an outcast stranger on earth,

A sinner by choice, an alien by birth,

But I’ve been adopted, my name’s written down,

An heir to a mansion, a robe and a crown.

 

A tent or a cottage, why should I care?

They’re building a palace for me over there;

Though exiled from home, yet still may I sing:

All glory to God, I’m a child of the King.

 

The Pattern of Prayer - Worship

We have mused over the beginning of this Model Prayer. We have seen that Father shows us to whom we pray, the word our refers with whom we pray - God's family of faith. And now the question arises, why do we pray.

And the answer is - WORSHIP. "Your name be honored as holy." Matthew 6:9c (HCSB) When we say these words, we should pause to worship God. I have heard that preaching should express, not impress. The same is with our prayers to God. We start with the concept here of "name." 

God's name is special. Jehovah or Yahweh is the name that He gave Moses in Exodus 3:13-15. We see that translated as "I AM WHO I AM." This is the name of the Self-existent One. He has always been, is now, and will always be.  The other names for God in the Scriptures denote His actions and what He does - this one denotes Who He Is. His person and attributes. This phrase shows us that we do not only know the name of God, but we reverence the name of God. Consider what Paul challenges us to do in 1 Corinthians 10:31 (HCSB) - "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God’s glory."

To hallow something means to set it apart as special, to dedicate it or consecrate it. This is especially done to set something aside for God and His Glory. We see that God's name is majestic and glorious. We should give God all the glory for all things. We rob God of glory when we magnify ourselves for what God has done. We rob God of glory when we say one thing and practice another. 

As one author has said, "God's name is glorified when God's people know His name, reverence His name, and magnify His name before an unbelieving world by trusting Him to accomplish His work in them and through them."* Consider the teaching in Acts 4:12 (HCSB) - "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people, and we must be saved by it.” We look forward to wearing His name in the future, so we need to glorify His name today. Let us pray "Your name be honored as holy" and really mean it.

Holy, Holy, Holy!

Reginald Heber

 

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee.

Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty,

God in three persons, blessed Trinity! 

Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee,

casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;

cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,

which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be. 

Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee,

though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see,

only thou art holy; there is none beside thee,

perfect in power, in love and purity. 

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!

All thy works shall praise thy name, in earth and sky and sea.

Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty,

God in three persons, blessed Trinity.

* Warren W. Wiersbe, 2010, On Earth as it is in Heaven, Baker Books.

The Pattern of Prayer - Relationship

We are presently musing over the Model Prayer that our Lord gave to his disciples. What I am musing over is just the very beginning of what can be gleaned from the depths of this mine. The precious gems and concepts are plentiful as we mine the truths and encouragements that Jesus develops here. This prayer is so simple a child can learn it, and so profound that theologians have been delving into the deep wells of truth. Today, consider the statement - "Our Father in heaven...." Matthew 6:9b (HCSB).

The opening statement that Jesus gives for this model is one of relationships. He starts by drawing our attention to God Himself as a Father. In the Old Testament, the Father was mainly know to His people as Jehovah or Yahweh.  This was His covenantal name that He gave to them through Moses. The many names of God in the Scriptures are there as facets on a diamond to give us a deeper understanding and clearer picture of Who He is. Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount uses the term Father seventeen times (10 with the modifier heaven or heavenly). He is showing us the privilege and responsibility that we hold as children of the Father. It also let's us know of the immanence (nearness) and the transcendence (He is beyond us) of God. He is beyond us, yet we have the opportunity of coming directly into His presence. The whole reason we have the ability to make the other statements in this Model Prayer is grounded in this truth - God is our Father.

Included in this idea of relationships is our relationship with one another. Notice the word - our - a clearly plural possessive pronoun. So, who is this our? Some believe it is everyone - since God created everyone. Yes, in a sense God is the Father of all men and women because He created them, but being a member of the human family does not automatically make us a member of God's family, nor does it give one the the privilege of prayer. God's goodness and grace does come upon all people because He created them, but the privileges of being a child of God only comes to those who are re-birthed by the Holy Spirit of God. Because of this, we are to pray with and for one another in our "family." We lose sight of the fact that God usually starts to answer prayer by working first in the pray-ers. Often we will say, well at least I can pray for you. The most we can do is to pray for others. Why? Because if we truly pray for others, then God works in our hearts to get involved in meeting their needs.

I was thinking of the old Hymn - Blest Be the Tie That Binds and thought of the words that John Fawcett penned - let me close todays devotion with them. Take time today to muse over the words of this great hymn.

Blest be the tie that binds

our hearts in Christian love;

the fellowship of kindred minds

is like to that above. 

Before our Father's throne

we pour our ardent prayers;

our fears, our hopes, our aims are one,

our comforts and our cares. 

We share each other's woes,

our mutual burdens bear;

and often for each other flows

the sympathizing tear. 

When we asunder part,

it gives us inward pain;

but we shall still be joined in heart,

and hope to meet again.

The Pattern of Prayer - The Model Prayer.

Consider with me about the Model Prayer of Jesus, the one we call the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6 and Luke 11. Jesus gave us this prayer as an outline and pattern that we should build our prayer life around. It doesn't hurt for us to recite this model, but to only recite it without applying the precepts in our personal prayers - makes it just a recitation of redundancy.

Both places we can see that Jesus was not teaching us to just say these words. In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:9, we see Jesus say - Therefore, you should pray like this:...." And in Luke 11:1 we see the disciples coming to Jesus and asking Him to teach them to pray. He then gives this pattern for us to us to develop our own personal prayers to the Father.

The disciples had clearly seen the import that Jesus had placed upon prayer, and wanted to be able to pray - to speak to God - just as He did. Jesus understood the need to speak with the Father - to have communion with God - to connect with God in a personal way. We often miss the importance of this spiritual discipline in our lives.

Do you feel like your spiritual journey has stagnated? You pray - but it is only rote words that you speak over and over again? Do you fell that there should be much more in your relationship with God the Father?

God wants our fellowship, He desires our connection with Him, and has given us the pattern of thoughts to use in speaking with Him. Let us reflect upon the phrases and their directives of maturing faith they provide. But, most of all, let us not just read these words, let us muse over them and even more importantly - let us apply them to our lives.

National Day of Prayer Points - 5

Greetings:

REVERENCE, RESPONSE, REQUESTS, READINESS, and that brings us to the last point - REVERENCE.

"[For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.] Matthew 6: 13 (HCSB).

Many versions drop this last sentence. But, as we consider it, it does bring us full circle in our prayers.

We began by seeing that the focus of our prayers should be on God. When we focus upon Him, we see that our response will be to defer to His will when we make our requests. We will seek to be ready to be a part of His plan. When all of this comes to be - the circle is completed by focusing on God. Everything that we pray is made possible by the Kingdom, power, and glory of God Himself. Take a moment today to read David's prayer in 1 Chronicles 29: 11 -13.

This week, as we have thought about the lesson on prayer that Jesus gave, I pray that this has challenged you to dig deeper and to strengthen your prayer-life.

For Kingdom Education,
Doc

National Day of Prayer Points - 4

Greetings:

Today is the National Day of Prayer. We are to spend time today praying for our Nation, our leaders, our people and the future of our Country. Join me in praying today that God will once again be the focal-point of our nation. We have looked at the Lord's Prayer this week, and see that we are to focus upon God in REVERENCE, defer to His will as our RESPONSE, give our REQUESTS, and today consider that we are to pray for our READINESS to fulfill God's plan.

"And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." Matthew 6: 13 (HCSB).

If we pray with God as our focus, if we seek to do His will, if we seek a clear conscience before Him, then we are going to be in the battle. And, we need God to win the fight. So, we need to be ready for the fight, this means we need to know the battle-plan, understand our enemy, and be ready for the fray.

Our nation is moving farther and farther away from the truths that God established. If we believe in what we say we believe - we are in for a fight. Pray for God to direct away from the false problems, and to give us wisdom to see the real needs. We can be side-tracked by all the little issues and miss the main thing. The main thing is people need Jesus as their personal Savior. Without that, all the little skirmishes will keep changing and never be settled.

Spend time today praying to be ready for the main thing. Pray to be in the right units fighting the right battles. Pray that our nation will have a revival of God's Truths.

For Kingdom Education,
Doc

National Day of Prayer Points - 3

Greetings:

Focus upon God (REVERENCE), defer to His will (RESPONSE), and now we can come to our REQUESTS.

"Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." Matthew 6: 11, 12 (HCSB)

Notice that Jesus gives two requests - one is physical, and the other is spiritual. God wants us to trust Him for our physical needs. We become so centered on our personal needs that we often do not succeed in fulfilling God's mission for us. We should trust God, He will not let us down. Matthew 6 later talks more on this subject - Matthew 6: 33 (HCSB) states: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you."

The second area of requests is about our spiritual side - forgiveness. We need to daily remember that even though we have eternal life, it doesn't mean that our sins are not important. As we remember who we are sinning against, we become more attuned to keeping a clear conscience with Him. And, we are to forgive those who have committed sins against us - "For if you forgive people their wrongdoing, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. But if you don't forgive people, your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing." Matthew 6: 14,15 (HCSB).

Today, focus upon God, defer to His will, and seek Him to provide all you need in all areas of your life.

For Kingdom Education,
Doc

National Day of Prayer Points - 2

Greetings:

"But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret." Matthew 6: 6 (HCSB)

Yesterday, Jesus taught us that the primary purpose and focus of prayer is to see God - that is REVERENCE. The next point in His prayer tells us about our RESPONSE - "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6: 10 (HCSB).

When we focus upon God, then all of our prayer time will be devoted to what He wants. We know that all of heaven exists and consists of doing what God wills. However, here on earth in this present time, not all are following God. We need to first focus upon God, and then prepare ourselves to do His Will. "Jesus, what I want is....., however, what you want is what I want."

Often, and I speak from many personal experiences, what we pray for is not answered the way we want it - nevertheless, upon looking back (as they say, hindsight is always 20/20) we see that what God did is really the best. When my Dad was in the hospital, I prayed for his healing. He died. I asked God why He didn't answer my request. He told me He did - my Dad's health is the best that it ever was, and will be that way forever.

This week as you pray and focus upon God, also turn everything over to His will.

For Kingdom Education,
Doc

National Day of Prayer Points

Greetings:

Thursday this week is The National Day of Prayer. Recently I read a sermon on The Lord's Prayer, and I would like to consider the 5 main points that were made in that sermon.

Matthew 6:9 (HCSB) - "Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy."

The first concept to consider in prayer is REVERENCE. Jesus in teaching his disciples how to pray made it clear that the primary purpose of prayer is for us to focus on God. Too often we rush into a time of prayer with God and are entirely focused upon what we want. Jesus taught us to see God. Think about the awesome Creator of the Universe who invites us to talk with Him.

Holy means to be set apart, separated. This is exactly what God is. He is beyond anything that is. Yet, He invites us to talk with Him. To communicate. To seek Him. 2 Chronicles 7:14 tells us to "pray and seek my face...." We need to remember that when we come to a time of prayer - it is not me-focused, it is God-focused. As they say, it's not about me, it's all about God.

This week, focus you prayers on the awesome God of Creation. The One in heaven who loves and listens to us - especially when we seek Him.

For Kingdom Education,
Doc