Our Father...
When I was little, my father used to pray the Lord's Prayer with us every night. We also said it each Sunday in church. In fact, I believe that most church-going Christians would say that the Lord's Prayer is a pretty regular part of their life. They could probably recite it word for word if asked.
That's why today, I was a bit surprised when I realized that a lot of what I pray when I say the Lord's prayer, I don't really mean in my heart. I wish I could say it was not true, but often, it is. That's why I've decided to use tonight's post to take an intentional look at the Lord's Prayer. The first step to living it out, is to realize what it actually says.
Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
Ah yes, controversial from the beginning. I heard someone say once, "I don't believe that 'don't take the Lord's name in vain' really means don't say 'Oh my God.' I think it's more along the lines of 'Don't call yourself a Christian and misrepresent the name of the Lord." While the latter is never a good thing, I think it is unfair to invalidate the former idea.
In fact, a quick look at Jewish history will argue in the other direction. The Jews believed that the name God gave for himself while speaking to Moses in Exodus 3 was so holy that to speak it aloud would be to desecrate it. As a result, they never said it. Even when ancient scribes used to copy the Old Testament, they would get up and wash their hands before writing any name of the Lord. So perhaps we should rethink the flippant "Oh my God" or "Jesus Christ!" we use everyday. There is power in those words... let's not waste them.
May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Okay, let's be honest. If Christ had returned five minutes ago, would you have been proud about what He found you doing? Or would you have been wasting the precious time He has given you on this Earth? Christians today have a tendency to think we will get old, then die, then go to heaven. Perhaps we are assuming things we do not know for sure. Speaking of His return, Jesus warns the disciples, "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father... Therefore keep watch, because you do not know what day your Lord will come." All too often we allow our worries about today crowd out our hope for tomorrow.
Give us today the food we need,
Most of us do not physically lack for food, but we are often spiritually starving. In all honesty, though, we don't want today's food, we want the year's worth or a lifetime's supply. Giving us our daily food forces us to trust God to provide, but we would probably be much more comfortable if we knew upfront that He had already given us what we needed. Perhaps this is why when God sent manna to the Israelites, He made it so that any food they saved overnight would be in-edible the next morning. God will give us our daily bread. We just need to learn to trust.
And forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
Are you really forgiving those hurt you, just as God has forgiven you? Or are you holding on to bitterness? They may not deserve it, but then again, neither did you.
And don't let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.
We certainly want to be rescued, but do we always remember that it is from the evil one? Our fears and temptations and the lies that enchain us, do we realize that they all lead back to the same source? We cannot vilify our minds. You are not your own worst enemy. There is an evil one from whom we need to be rescued, whose temptations we need to be strengthened against.
And thus, the Lord's prayer, as listed in Matthew 6:9-13. Tonight, I challenge you to pray it, but to mean every word of it. Call out to the Father and realize the power of His name. Speak of His kingdom knowing that "a new heaven and a new Earth" may be sooner than we expect. Request your daily food with the pleasure of knowing you will have to trust in Him again tomorrow. Ask for forgiveness knowing that no bitterness remains in your heart. And pray for strength against the evil one knowing that His lies have no power over you. The cross has broken your chains. You are free.
That's why today, I was a bit surprised when I realized that a lot of what I pray when I say the Lord's prayer, I don't really mean in my heart. I wish I could say it was not true, but often, it is. That's why I've decided to use tonight's post to take an intentional look at the Lord's Prayer. The first step to living it out, is to realize what it actually says.
Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
Ah yes, controversial from the beginning. I heard someone say once, "I don't believe that 'don't take the Lord's name in vain' really means don't say 'Oh my God.' I think it's more along the lines of 'Don't call yourself a Christian and misrepresent the name of the Lord." While the latter is never a good thing, I think it is unfair to invalidate the former idea.
In fact, a quick look at Jewish history will argue in the other direction. The Jews believed that the name God gave for himself while speaking to Moses in Exodus 3 was so holy that to speak it aloud would be to desecrate it. As a result, they never said it. Even when ancient scribes used to copy the Old Testament, they would get up and wash their hands before writing any name of the Lord. So perhaps we should rethink the flippant "Oh my God" or "Jesus Christ!" we use everyday. There is power in those words... let's not waste them.
May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Okay, let's be honest. If Christ had returned five minutes ago, would you have been proud about what He found you doing? Or would you have been wasting the precious time He has given you on this Earth? Christians today have a tendency to think we will get old, then die, then go to heaven. Perhaps we are assuming things we do not know for sure. Speaking of His return, Jesus warns the disciples, "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father... Therefore keep watch, because you do not know what day your Lord will come." All too often we allow our worries about today crowd out our hope for tomorrow.
Give us today the food we need,
Most of us do not physically lack for food, but we are often spiritually starving. In all honesty, though, we don't want today's food, we want the year's worth or a lifetime's supply. Giving us our daily food forces us to trust God to provide, but we would probably be much more comfortable if we knew upfront that He had already given us what we needed. Perhaps this is why when God sent manna to the Israelites, He made it so that any food they saved overnight would be in-edible the next morning. God will give us our daily bread. We just need to learn to trust.
And forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
Are you really forgiving those hurt you, just as God has forgiven you? Or are you holding on to bitterness? They may not deserve it, but then again, neither did you.
And don't let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.
We certainly want to be rescued, but do we always remember that it is from the evil one? Our fears and temptations and the lies that enchain us, do we realize that they all lead back to the same source? We cannot vilify our minds. You are not your own worst enemy. There is an evil one from whom we need to be rescued, whose temptations we need to be strengthened against.
And thus, the Lord's prayer, as listed in Matthew 6:9-13. Tonight, I challenge you to pray it, but to mean every word of it. Call out to the Father and realize the power of His name. Speak of His kingdom knowing that "a new heaven and a new Earth" may be sooner than we expect. Request your daily food with the pleasure of knowing you will have to trust in Him again tomorrow. Ask for forgiveness knowing that no bitterness remains in your heart. And pray for strength against the evil one knowing that His lies have no power over you. The cross has broken your chains. You are free.
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