Matthew 6:5-14
Last week, we began our examination of some of Jesus' teachings on the subject of prayer. We saw that Jesus taught His followers about the importance of prayer by His own example of being a person of prayer.
We next examined Jesus' emphasis on the necessity of prayer in order to have a victorious Christian life by looking at the encounter Jesus had with a demon-possessed boy.
Finally, we saw that Jesus instructed His followers to not be hypocritical in their prayers. Praying is not a show or a set of formulas to get God to do what you want Him to do.
In this message, I want to focus on the Lord's Prayer as a prayer we should recite in and of itself, and I believe that Jesus gave us the prayer as a pattern to structure our prayers around.
When I was growing up, the church I attended would never have said the Lord's Prayer in a church service. They believed that this would make them to much like the churches with whom they disagreed. I disagree with them about praying the Lord's Prayer.
We have strong evidence that the early church recited the Lord's Prayer as part of its spiritual practice. There was a book written around the year 100 AD called the Didache. The Didache was a manual of Christian behavior and practice telling about what should be done in the church.
One of the instructions in the Didache is that Christians should try to pray the Lord's Prayer three times a day. If this wasn't possible, the Lord's Prayer should be prayed at the very least once a day.
I have to say that this instruction from the Didache makes a lot of sense. What better spiritual practice, what better way to pray than to repeat those words our Lord taught while He walked on this earth?
I believe that the Lord's Prayer can and should be used as a pattern of prayer as well. Let's look at one way we can use the Lord's Prayer as a pattern.
Jesus begins His prayer with the statement, " Our Father which art in Heaven." When we pray, we address our prayers to God. I don't think that it is wrong to address our prayers directly to Jesus, although I've heard some say this. I like to pray as if I'm talking to Jesus. I think Jesus is saying that we can address God as Father. We are His children and He loves us. He wants us to communicate with Him.
Jesus goes on with the phrase, " Hallowed be Thy name." This is a statement of praise and adoration. I think that a good practice in our prayer life is to incorporate praise of God in our praying. We have so much to praise the Lord for. We can and should praise God for who He is and for what he has done.
The Psalms contain great words of praise to the Almighty God. Revelation chapter four and five contain some of the greatest praise and adoration of the Father and Jesus Christ the Lamb of God which are contained in all of Scripture. I may, Lord willing, give a message on these passages in the future. Also, the visions of God recorded by the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel are awesome descriptions of the God who is worthy of all our praise.
Also, I believe that with our prayer and adoration, thanksgiving should be an important part of our prayer life. Many, myself included, are quick and use many words in making requests of God. But, often our thanksgivings are brief or non-existent. If we do something that benefits someone else, we appreciate a thank you. I think God does as well.
If we are having a lot of problems in our lives and can't find too much to be thankful for, we can always thank the Lord Jesus for His great love in coming to the earth and sacrificing his life for our redemption from sin.
Jesus moves on with the words, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven."
There can be no doubt that God's will is done in Heaven. Men and women do all they can to defy the will of God on earth, but in Heaven, the will of God is always accomplished.
Our prayers should include the plea for God's Kingdom to come on this earth. I know that I want Jesus to come and establish His Kingdom so badly I can hardly stand it. This world is filled with violence and all manner of meanness. I know that a better day is coming when Jesus returns to earth again. I just want to echo the words of the apostle John, Come quickly, Lord Jesus.
Let us all continually pray for the will of God to be done. The Lord's will is for peace, goodness, love and the reconciliation of the lost. Let's put aside our wills and focus on His will.
Next week, we will continue with the Lord's Prayer and the further teachings of Jesus on this subject. May God bless you this week. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment