When the disciples ask Jesus in Luke 11:1 to teach them to pray, Jesus tells them, “When you pray, say . . .” and then He goes on to pray the most widely known prayer of all times, the one called the “Lord’s Prayer.” But what exactly was Jesus saying? Did He mean for us to memorize this prayer and then, in mindless repetition, mumble it over and over again? Certainly not! In reality Jesus was laying out a pattern for all our prayers as well as conveying deep spiritual truths.

First, Jesus opens the prayer with “Our Father.” That right there is a stunner! Jesus had often told His disciples and the crowd that God was His father, but now He was saying that God, the very Creator of the Universe, was our Father, too! And that comes with all that’s implied in a father: loving parent, caring, strong, kind, protective, interested in us, etc. Now that’s jaw dropping! Then Jesus goes on to add to the picture of “Father.” In addition to being the Father described above He’s also the Father who is in heaven, and who is holy (hollowed be thy name). In the Old Testament a name often described that person’s character and nature. Here we see that the very nature of our God, our Father, is holiness. Thus, while we approach our loving Father with a tender intimacy we also need to approach Him with reverence and respect and humility, not as though He’s our pool room buddy, “Yo, Lord, I got this problem that needs fixing!” which is so fashionable in the movies nowadays. And because God is holy, He wants us to be holy, too.

The next thing Jesus says is “thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” A kingdom implies that God is king, and a king is an absolute ruler. And if God’s will is to be done on earth that means it must be done in our life as well. It literally means that as King, God is absolute ruler over our life, and we are praying for His absolute will to be manifested in us. Whew! That’s a tough one!

Jesus goes on to say, “give us this day our daily bread,” implying that God is our source. And we need to rely on Him. Of course we need to do our part such as hold a job and do our best at it, etc., but we need to know that God is our provider. It is He that opens the doors of opportunity for us, the One interested in every aspect of our lives. That’s easy to forget when things are going well.

Then follows: “and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us.” It’s really clear here. We cannot expect God to forgive us if we don’t forgive those who have hurt us, or insulted us, or misused us. It just ain’t going to happen. I know some Christians who actually say they don’t have to forgive someone who has really hurt and abused them because God understands what a terrible thing that other person has done. But scripture doesn’t support this. In fact it says just the opposite. One good example is Mark 11:26 where Jesus says, “if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” So, we cannot expect God to forgive us if we don’t forgive others. It’s that simple. We need to walk in an attitude of instant forgiveness and ask God to help us not be easily offended. I don’t think that’s possible without the Holy Spirit. But with Him all things are possible. Praise God for that!

Jesus finally ends His prayer with these words: “And lead us not into temptation but deliver (rescue) us from evil.” The implication here is that there is evil in the world. We know him as the devil and his minions. And yes, he’s real. Just ask anyone who has come out of the occult! And in order to overcome evil and all the temptations this world has to offer, we need God’s help. Again, this points us to the Holy Spirit. We simply cannot live the Christian life on our own. God know this. That’s why He sent His Spirit. And with His Spirit we can be overcomers, we can live the life God desires for us, a life rich in love, and joy and peace.

What a wonderful prayer! What a wonderful God!

Until next time,

Sylvia

After Jesus and His three disciples come down from the mount of transfiguration, they are met by a large crowd. It’s obvious that a lively discussion has been taking place, and when Jesus asks what it’s about, a man shouts that his son, his only son, was tormented by an evil spirit that constantly threw him to the ground and bruised and convulsed him (Mark 9: 14-29; Luke 9:37-43). Then the man goes on to say that he had begged the disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t. Jesus’ response reeks of frustration. “Oh faithless and perverse generation,” He says, “how long do I have to put up with you?” That word “faithless” in Greek is apistos and means a heathen, untrustworthy. And the word “perverse” is diastrepho and means to distort, corrupt, misinterpret, to turn back again to former ways. Then, in a few words, Jesus rebukes the demon spirit and heals the boy. When all the commotion dies down, the disciples ask Jesus why they couldn’t deliver the boy. The answer: it required prayer and fasting.

The first thing that struck me was this boy was an only child, an only son. What a contrast to this scene and the one before it on the mount of transfiguration when God proclaimed Jesus His Beloved Son then issued the command to “hear Him” to listen to Him! (Mark 9:7). And how vastly different were the two sons: the Son of God and the son of man. While Jesus is clothed in glory and power and majesty, we, the sons of men are constantly brought low by Satan and the trials of life, often bruised, reduced to trembling, and impotent in the face of our adversary. It is the common condition of man. Yet all the while we have God’s Word, the promise of His indwelling spirit if we but believe, and all the power that that represents. So why is so much of our generation faithless, heathen in heart, and more willing to cling to their old ways, choosing to wallow in the dirt rather than believe God? And why do so many in the church twist, misrepresent, and downright corrupt God’s Word until it is an impotent thing?

There is a cautionary aspect to the above passages. Jesus laments how much longer He will have to put up with unbelief and the disobedience it inspires.  The meaning is clear. It will not always be so. Jesus will not always suffer unbelief, rejection of His person, or disobedience to His word. There will come a time when His mercy, His dispensation of grace will come to an end and it’s called the Tribulation. There is also a cautionary word for believers. If we want to have total victory over Satan in our lives we must spend time with God. We must pray and worship and seek His face. And rather than feasting on the things of this world we must feast on the things of God.  If we do we will build ourselves up spiritually, thus enabling the Holy Spirit to empower us, to make us fit warriors able to face every trial of life. And instead of being flattened and brought low, “we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Until next time,

Sylvia