November 16, 2009
Model Prayer
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, he gave them a sample prayer - The Lord’s Prayer. Even today this prayer plays a role in the believer’s life, although we are more likely to recite it in unison as a congregation than we are to use it as a personal prayer. No doubt when some of Jesus’ followers stood at the foot of the cross they were at a loss for words. I wonder if perhaps in their time of grief they turned to this prayer, which seems to me, very prophetic. “…Father…Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors…deliver us from evil.” (Matt 6: 9-13 ESV)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Gail;
-----Jesus did not say, “Recite this prayer verbatim.” He said pray like this. I understand the importance of ritual. But the Lord’s Prayer is meant to be a pattern rather than a ritual. Even as a ritual though, it carries much meaning to many hearts, so I refrain from deriding its ritualistic use.
-----I try to pattern my prayers after it. I find them to be much more meaningful than those that I do not. “Our Father Who art in Heaven,” recognizes to Whom I pray and where He is. Father is a special relationship, not just a progenitor, but also a particular, guiding and teaching function within a family having authority and control with the needs of each family member and of the whole family in mind. So my mind is set to approach Him as such. “Hallowed be Thy name,” realizes the nature of this father without flaw. God is hallowed in His perfection; He has no interest in wrong or self servitude. But He is also hallowed in that He sets Himself apart to serve His family only in this way. “Thy kingdom come,” certainly requests the coming of that special condition of perfection. It is a cry for the vanquishing of everything wrong, and the sole existence of everything right in peace and joy. Of course, we know this will be the condition after the Day of Judgment, but if our cry is sincere, we will recognize that His kingdom must be emerging today in our own hearts, first, as we learn to train behaviors and attitudes towards godliness. So it is a prayer that His kingdom keeps coming into my heart’s desire to do what is right, to be peaceful and joyful. And it is a prayer for the hearts of all who call upon the Lord to venture further into the kingdom. “Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven,” reflects upon His nature as Father and expresses our desire for Earth’s behavior to finally be that of Heaven’s. Again, the respect for sincerity recognizes this subjection as needing to begin in my own heart first. “Give us this day our daily bread,” certainly calls for the needs we have today, letting tomorrow’s needs be for tomorrow’s concern. But more importantly, the call is now made from a mind recognizing to Whom it prays, the need for His kingdom, and considering the responsibility of His will. The scope of His caring love, that He rains and shines on the good as well as the evil, is underscored by the request for our needs being set before the request for His forgiveness. “Forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors,” calls not only for His mercy, but also for ours. For to receive His mercy we must show our mercy. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” seeks from Him protection because we’re vulnerable to what originates from within us as well as from outside us. So, we have recognized Him as a perfect Father whose authority and direction we invite, whose care and mercy we invoke, and whose protection we need. Truly an all inclusive prayer.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
Post a Comment