(Christ’s 19th Command)
By Brother R. Michel LankfordMatthew 6:9-15 "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 'Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 'Give us this day our daily bread. 'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.' "For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. “But if you Do not forgive others, then your Father Will not forgive your transgressions. (Matthew 6:9-15 NASB)
Specific Commands in Today's Passage
#19 – “Pray, then, in this way.”Use Messiah's Teaching Prayer as a Template
Upon having demonstrated and commanded that we should not pray as religious hypocrites or in order to be seen and approved of by other human beings, and also that we should not use ongoing repetitions, or in a larger sense, we must not incorporate any pagan practices and methods into our prayers (Matthew 6:5-8), Messiah then moves on to what I have labeled Messiah’s 19th public command in the New Testament, "Pray then in this way." Please notice what the command does not say. Christ does not say pray exactly this, but instead He says, "Pray like this." Other English translations similarly render it: "Pray then in this way." Or, "In this manner then you should pray." This is a very important distinction because it clearly indicates that the verses of Scripture which will immediately follow are intended as a guide or a template for creating our own successful prayers to Yahweh. They were not intended to be a prayer that we should repeat verbatim over and over and over again, as some have fallen into the habit of doing (and in so doing they violate Matthew 6:5-8, which will in turn make their prayers much less effective because it's not exactly obedient to His principles and commands).
Remember, Matthew 6:9-15, was not intended to become a prayer in and of itself. It was intended to become our guide, our model, our outline template, so that we could create our own conversational prayers with God which He would hear and respect. As we look at the Lord's prayer template more closely, we will notice something else that is very important. The template that Yeshua gives us to use in creating our prayers points to some strong indicators about God's heart, His desires, and His priorities for His people. If we are wise, these will also become our own priorities in our relationship with God, and with other people as well. So with this renewed focus in mind let's look more closely at the prayer template that Messiah is provided for us, so that we can create prayers which are truly agreeable with God's heart and His priorities. So that when we pray, God will be pleased to hear Them and to positively affect the circumstances that burden our heart.
The Usefulness of Messiah's Prayer Teaching Template
I like this prayer model for several reasons. First, it has a greater possibility of success since it was specifically given by the Messiah, who still retains the function of praying for God's people At the throne of God to this day (Hebrews 7:25). So obviously Yeshua knows something about effective prayer. The second reason I like this prayer model is its versatility. The principles of the template can be applied to any prayer you want to make, whether you're praying for your own needs or the needs of others, the outline still works just as well. Third, Christ's teaching model or template on prayer reveals something about God's heart and about His priorities and His desires for people. Fourth, if we learn to use this prayer outline effectively, it really does cover everything that we or those we pray for will ever need. In other words, when we use this as an outline to pray for ourselves and others, we will not accidentally leave out anything vital. This prayer outline is so perfect because it focuses both on our eternal needs, and our temporary earthly needs.
"Our Father Who Is in Heaven..."
Yahweh’s first priority is our own personal relationship with Him. God wants a living, loving thriving relationship with us. He wants to be our Father. He wants us to be as close to Him as beloved children are to their parents.
Contrary to what some false religions in our world today choose to teach, God does indeed have children. Job understood this (Job 1:6, 2:1; 38:7). God told Moses that He had children (Genesis 6:2, 4). The psalmist understood that Yahweh has children (Psalm 7:7-12). Jesus illustrated that it was possible for ordinary people to become children of God (and they would be called such by God), if they allow God to transform their character so that they would be people loving, peacemakers (Matthew 5:9; Matthew 5:43-45).
The apostles who witnessed the resurrected Messiah continued explaining the same truth. John the apostle testified that those who received and accepted Christ the Messiah and Son of God, would themselves have the power to become children of God (John 1:12). John was told that there would be believers and children of God scattered everywhere (John 11:52). John was also told by the Spirit of God and then testified that we could identify who is a child of God and which people were children of the devil. Children of God love God, they practice righteousness, and they love other believers. Whoever does not do these is not a child of God, period. People who do not love in this manner are actually children of the devil (1 John 3:10 cf 1 John 5:2; Matthew 7:12; Matthew 22:36-40). Paul the apostle who also later witnessed the resurrected Messiah would later testify and explain that it would become natural for people who have been born again and transformed by the Holy Spirit of God to cry out to Him as our Father (Romans 8:15-16).
The verses above are not the only passages that speak about Yahweh followers being children of God, but you certainly get the idea. The point is that according to the teaching outline on prayer that Messiah has provided, having and maintaining proper relationship with God as our Father is our first prayer priority. Having and maintaining a correct and thriving relationship with God is our first priority in prayer because it should be our first priority in life. Quite simply, nothing else functions as well as it could in our lives unless our relationship with God is correct and thriving first. Any challenges we face in life are made even more difficult than necessary, whenever our relationship with God is out of kilter in any way. So when you are praying, you should do a relationship checkup. Depending on where you are situated in your own journey of faith, you may need to pursue any or all of the following questions:
1. How is my relationship with God? Do I know Him (John 17:3)? Have I believed that Yeshuah of Nazareth is the Messiah and Christ of God (John 1:12). If I do believe this, have I committed my life to Jesus the Messiah as my own Lord and Savior? If I have not, then I certainly must do so.
2. Once I know that I have believed and received Yeshua the Messiah as my Lord and Savior and my relationship with God has truly begun, then I can consider moving on to issues of growth and maturing in my relationship with God and Messiah. For example, “Am I really growing as Your child, God? Are my beliefs, attitudes, desires and behaviors growing to become more and more consistent with the Love attributes described in the above paragraphs? Do I have a growing desire to learn and to practice obeying Your Commandments (Deuteronomy 7:9; 1 John 2:3-4, 1 John 3:22, 24; 1 John 5:2-3)? If not, that needs to be a major focus in my prayer. If you are seeing some growth that is consistent with the above Scripture references, then we need to recognize that in praise God for that growth.
3. Once I know that I have a relationship with God, and that it is growing, I can then move on to questions with regard to growing into deeper intimacy and closeness with God as my Heavenly Father. In what ways do I wish I was closer in intimacy and friendship with Him? In what ways do I sense that this is weaker than it should be? In what ways do I see my intimacy growing etc.? Anyway, hopefully you get the idea that there is a lot more to the first six little words of our prayer outline then originally meets the eye. Our first priority in prayer is praying about our relationship with God before anything else.
“Hallowed be Your Name”
What does it mean to hallow God's name? Well, The Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (a source I would recommend for any serious student), hagiazo (ἁγιάζω, 37), “to make holy” (from hagios, “holy”), signifies to set apart for God, to sanctify, to make a person or thing the opposite of koinos, “common”; it is translated “Hallowed,” with reference to the name of God the Father in the Lord’s Prayer, Matt. 6:9; Luke 11:2. See SANCTIFY.
What that means in terms of practical everyday Christian living is simply this. We need to make sure that we elevate God, and His Holy Name as the head and superior over everything else in our lives. It means that we set Almighty God above; bringing honor and glory to His Name above any other common concern of this life. When we reach the, Hallowed be Your Name portion of the Lord's praying template for us, it's a reminder to pay deliberate attention to our worship.
1. It's a reminder that we want to separate and elevate God and His Holy Name to the place of Premier honor, respect, and ultimate authority in our lives. You are basically asking that God will help you to have sincere reverence and honor for God and His Name.
2. When we reach The Hallowed Be Your Name portion of the outline, it should remind us that we need to ask God to convert us, to transform us and to refine us into a person that truly worships God in spirit and in Truth, because those are the kinds of people with whom God The Father seeks to Fellowship, and I want to become and remain one of those people (John 4:24).
3. When one reaches this part of Messiah’s prayer template, we should really be asking God to transform every fiber of our being so that we will bring glory to God and bring joyful delight to His heart. For example, "Lord God, you are perfect in love, in righteousness, and in power, so help me to always respect and honor You as such, because You deserve no less. Help me never to bring any disgrace and dishonor to Your name. Instead, please take my spirit and immortal being, my desires and cravings, my mind and thinking, take my feelings and emotions and transform Them completely until everything within me brings You true worship, honor, joy and delight. Mercifully grant that I will be one of the worshipers who worships You in spirit and in truth, such as you are seeking. Help me to submit to You in every respect until this is fully accomplished, and You are genuinely honored and glorified by this life which I am 'renting' from You."
4. At this point, the devout student might reasonably ask, "Why is the 'Hollowed Be Your Name' portion placed second in God's prayer outline? Why is it not His first?" That is actually a terrific question. I'm so glad you asked. The answer is actually threefold: a) The reality is that God desires for every single person to be born again (to be born a second time spiritually; John 3:3,7; Ezekiel 36:25-27; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Corinthians 5:17). He only wants worship from people who know Him, love Him, and who desire to obey Him. b) Praise and worship is only fitting when it comes from those who have first received God's salvation and experienced this internal and eternal spiritual rebirth. Praise is only becoming; only fitting on those that are made upright with God (Psalms 33:1), because only those who are reborn spiritually can worship God in spirit and truth (John 4:24). c) We must first be transformed and brought into right relationship with God first, because the sacrifices of the wicked are actually disgusting to God (Proverbs 15:8; Proverbs 21:27). So right relationship with God must always be first, only then can we rightly bring our praise, our worship and our sacrifices that God will accept.
Your Kingdom Come Your Will Be Done, on Earth As It Is in Heaven
When we are creating a prayer that God will honor and respect, the third priority on God's agenda for us is that we would seek God's kingdom and God's will in all our daily choices and actions. This is that particular part of our prayer outline that whenever we bring any situation to God in prayer, we want to ask God to help us to seek, to help us to recognize, and then to help us do His will in whatever particular situation we are currently bringing before Him in prayer.
Scripture clearly tells us that we need to be intentional about making sure that we honor and glorify God in every aspect of our everyday ordinary lives (1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17; 1 Peter 4:11). At the same time, there is more to living as a citizen of God's kingdom than the everyday aspects of eating or drinking, or simply living our daily lives to honor God. Although that is infinitely valuable, the kingdom of God goes beyond this. Scripture tells us that God's kingdom is made up of righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). So that naturally means that as I walk through my daily life, my every choice needs to be directed and agreeable with God's Righteousness, His Peace, His Joy, and His Holy Spirit. That is our aim and our goal as we seek to live like kingdom citizens while we go through this life.
When we say, "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." This is both an intensely personal statement as well as a prelude to praying for other people and situations. Remember that human beings originated by God from the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7). So we need to be aware and intentional about the fact that in effect, when we pray, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven," we are really first asking, let Your Kingdom come in this piece of earth called Michel Lankford (in my case, you of course would use your own name)."Let Your Righteousness, Your Peace, Your Joy, and Your Holy Spirit (which is the kingdom of God), be firmly established in this piece of earth called Michel Lankford. Let all my desires and appetites, my thinking and decisions, my words, choices and my actions today come into agreement with Your Righteousness, Your Peace, Your Joy and the leading and direction of Your Holy Spirit.
At this point you might be thinking, well preacher, isn't this really the part of the prayer outline where we're supposed to remember to pray for our government and church leaders (1 Timothy 2:2)? Well good for you! Of course it is! At the same time, there is an age old godly principle that we cannot give away what we ourselves do not possess. God will not hear our intercessory prayers for other people until we make sure that we are submitted to God and making our choices according to His Character, His Word, and His Principles first. It is a very good thing to pray that the President, the legislatures, our judges, our media outlets, our schools and our churches would all be revived and restored into loving and obeying God so that the nation would do right, would be restored, and would be blessed. It's a very good thing, and I do pray for this. However, there is an unshakable principle in God's economy that those people who call themselves His followers must first pave the way.
2 Chronicles 7:14 "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV)
I can and I do pray for my leaders to develop a hunger and thirst for righteousness and to obey God and Jesus Christ so that they and our nation will be blessed. However, other than prayer I have no real control or authority to influence whether any other person obeys God or not. I do however have some measure of direct control and responsibility concerning whether I obey God or not. I cannot control or influence everything in my life, but what I do have authority and responsibility over, let me submit to and glorify God in these. Whenever I face a decision in the course of my daily life, let me make that decision according to His Righteousness, His Peace, His Joy, and the direction of His Holy Spirit. If I truly pray and seek after these things, then when I pray for others God will respect it.
Give Us Today Our Daily Bread
This of course is that part of Christ's prayer template where we are encouraged to bring our needs and desires before God (cf. Philippians 4:6-7). The major difference between us and God with respect to our needs and wants is that in prayer, our laundry lists of needs and wants usually rises nearer to the top of our prayer list, but in reality it ranks fourth on God's list of priorities for our lives. If I am praying for another, and I happen to know the needs involved with the individual, then I bring them specifically to God at this point. If I don't know the needs that the person may have, I generally ask God to meet the person's needs according to His riches and glory in Jesus Christ. At this point is also a good idea to ask that if God would like to use us and our resources as part of meeting another's needs that we would be receptive and obedient to God in that opportunity as well.
Forgive Us our Sins as we Forgive Those Who Sin against Us.
It is a hard and fast rule that if we do not forgive those who have wounded us, then God will not forgive us (Matthew 6:14-15). So it is imperative that we would forgive those who have sinned against us, because there is not a single one among us who can possibly do without God's forgiveness. So when we reach this part of the prayer outline template, it is beneficial to ask for the conviction of the Holy Spirit so that we might confess any sins we have committed and also that we would forgive anyone who wounded us in some way. When we are praying for others we may not know their sins. However, praying that they will receive the conviction of the Holy Spirit, that they will be able to confess their sins, that they will forgive anyone who sins against them, and that they will receive God's forgiveness in their lives cannot be far off the mark.
Lead Us Not into Temptation, but Deliver Us from Evil.
Just like our Heavenly Father God knows every decision we will face in every need that we have, he also understands all our weaknesses better than we do. He knows what access points the enemy has and what weapons he will use to try to ensnare us into sin. So it is always a smart idea to ask God to protect you and your loved ones from any weakness that the enemy could exploit. If you are aware of a particular weakness for temptation with which you are currently struggling, this is the part of your prayer outline where you need to purposefully bring that before the Lord. Unfortunately, I have discovered that many people choose to ignore this part of the prayer outline (meaning we are not effectively dealing with their own weaknesses). Sometimes people ignore this part of the prayer because we are so consumed with daily living and survival that we don't take enough time to work through our junk in prayer. Other times we neglect this in prayer because it's too painful messy difficult or complicated. We don't know what to do, so we ignore it. Other times we neglect this part of our prayer outline because we are sincerely oblivious to the real weaknesses and character flaws that hinder our growth and progress in Christ.
In any case, this is the part of the prayer outline where we need to ask God to help us to spot and not to fall into any temptation, scheme, device, plan or weapon that the enemy sets against us. Instead, help us to fully submit to God and resist the devil at every turn until the evil one flees, and we are completely victorious in Messiah.
For yours is the kingdom, power and the glory forever.
At the end of our prayer we need to recognize that God is both willing and able to do the things we have requested and give God praise for it.
As I pray for you all and for those whom you serve this week, I plan to use this template as my guide. I encourage you to try it yourself as you pray for each other. God bless and have a terrific day in the Lord.
Summary Review: This Is How We Should Pray
1. Our Father in Heaven: Pray about your relationship with God before anything else. Praise God for what is working and growing in your relationship with God. Ask God to help you see and then to help you cooperate with Him in any area where your relationship intimacy and friendship can improve. Ask God to help you become the kind of child of God which would bring even more joy and delight to God's heart.2. Hallowed be Your Name: Whether you are praying for yourself or others, pray that you would have a sincere heart that values and elevates God above anything else. Pray that you will become and remain a person that worships God in spirit and truth; one who always brings honor and credit to God's name.
3. Your Kingdom Come Your Will Be Done on Earth as It Is in Heaven: The kingdom of God is not about ritual, but is based on Righteousness Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). Bring to God any upcoming decisions that you or those for whom you are praying are facing. Pray that God will change your heart, your desires, your thinking, your attitudes to agree Him and His best desires. Pray that you will be willing and able to make your decisions according to what best reflects His righteousness, His peace, His joy, and the direction of His Holy Spirit. You can pray this for any church or ministry, for political and civic leaders, or for any individual, and you would certainly be praying correctly. This is also a time when we pray for the lost to come into the kingdom of God (see Acts 26:18).
4. Give Us Today Our Daily Bread: Bring your specific needs or the needs of your loved ones before the Lord. If you are praying for someone and you do not know what their needs are, I find that the best thing to do is to ask that God would meet their eternal, their spiritual, their emotional, their mental, their relational, their physical and their financial needs according to His riches and glory in Jesus Christ.
5. Forgive Us Our Sins, As We Forgive Those Who Sin against Us: Ask God to grant you grace to be receptive to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Ask God to reveal to you any sin you need to confess. Ask God to give you the grace and boldness to sincerely confess and earnestly repent from your sins. Confess any sins that God reveals to you (1 John 1:9). Ask God to reveal to you anyone whom you still need to forgive. Make the willful decision to forgive that person, and ask God to help you completely forgive that person so that both of you may be set free from the harm that was done.
6. Lead Us Not into Temptation, but Deliver Us from Evil: Bring to God any weakness or temptation which you can see in yourself. Ask God to help you not to give in to those weaknesses. Ask God to save and protect you from any weaknesses or temptations which you cannot see. Ask God to protect you and your loved ones from any scheme, plot or weapon of the evil one. Ask God to help you to overcome and to show you precisely how to submit to God in every given situation until the devil flees.
7. For Yours Is the Kingdom and Power and the Glory Forever: Give God any praise and thanksgiving to you feel from your heart. Thank Him for giving you the grace to pray the right things. Praise him for being so loving so generous so willing and able to provide the various things for which you have just prayed.
Beloved in Christ, I hope you have found this study helpful. I hope you will use this method in prayer often. I do and I find it very productive. May Yahweh Almighty God bless and preserve you in His righteousness, peace, and joy in His Holy Spirit.
Brother R. Michel Lankford
No comments:
Post a Comment