Exploring the Lord’s Prayer
Copyright 2011 M.R. Hyde
Blog: http://thewordwwtw.blogspot.com/
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Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. The "NIV" and "New International Version" trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Biblica.
Chapter 4: Hallowed/Holy Be Your Name
Chapter 6: Your Will Be Done on Earth as it is in Heaven
Chapter 7: Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
Chapter 8: And Forgive Us . . .
Chapter 9: Deliver Us from Evil
Chapter 10: For Yours is the Kingdom . . . Amen!
One day the disciples of Jesus Christ asked him for a very particular thing. "Lord, teach us to pray." Little did they know when they asked him for this that it would be a prayer that would change their lives. How kind Jesus was to teach these men who had been raised in a religious life! He could have said: “Don’t you know how already?” or "You can figure it out." or "It will just come to you." Many of us may feel these things when we begin our prayer life in earnest. We expect that we should just be able to figure it out or we have the expectation that it will just come to us. But what Jesus did was to give us a most remarkable prayer, which is both short and an incredibly powerful means to relationship with God and others as well as the most effective foundation on which to build our prayer life.
The Lord's Prayer is found in two of the Gospels—Matthew 6:7-15 and Luke 11:2-4. It can be divided into two basic sections. One section focuses on God himself — who he is, where he is from, how we address him and what he gives to us. The other section focuses on our relationship to others and what is required to live in truth and purity.
We begin with the first phrase "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name." From the start Jesus taught the disciples that prayer and life together had everything to do with community. The simple word “our" frames this prayer in a relational context. It does not begin, "My Father" or "your-father." It begins with "Our Father." This simple word shapes our beginning and our end.
In Genesis Chapter 1 we see the incredible work of creation that God performed. When we read about the moment of the creation of humanity God said, "Let us create man in our image." (v. 26) Did you see that? Us and Our. Often Christians talk about the holy and wonderful mystery of the Trinity — God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Before time began, before there was an earth, God was in his fullness. And as he was, he revealed himself to us in three ways, thereby setting the world into relationship.
God's desire in creating humankind was that we walk with him and each other. Never were truer words written than those of John Donne (1572-1631) a poet and priest who wrote, "No man is an island . . . " We were created as a marvelous tiny reflection of God himself — a completely integrated whole. When a man and woman join in holy matrimony, enjoying one another in that blessed union, a child can be born. That child is an individual and yet is made up of parts of the mother and father. Even in conception and childbirth we are part of an incredible created community.
One of our modern and erroneous thoughts is that what we do does not really matter to anyone else. But that is wrong. What we do matters deeply to God and to each other. My sin affects you and God. My accomplishments help you and God. My fears estrange you and God. My joys encourage you and God. We are all connected to God because he created us. The apostle Paul wrote, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” (1 Corinthians 12:26)
God is our Father. There are some important things to acknowledge. 1. Not all of us had good fathering experiences. 2. Some of us have suffered greatly or not had a father available. 3. Some of us have experienced excellent parenting. These things profoundly affect how we view God. Because we were born into community, our little hearts and heads looked to our parents as our first forms of provision and care. If we did not get that, or are not getting that kind of provision and care, it translates directly into how we view God.
For some of us the healing and restoration needed to rightly see God is imperative and it is very available. It may take some time to let the old images of an abusive father, a distant father, or an absent father to fade from your memory. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to heal those wounds if we let that happen. It the work of the Holy Spirit to exchange the bad memories and make new ones that are right and true and holy in regards to God our Father.
In the meantime, hear the truth. God has revealed himself primarily as Father. While he was on earth Jesus affirmed this in how he talked about God and how he talked with God. In Luke 11:11-13 we can read how Jesus taught the disciples about this. Just after he instructed them on the way of prayer, he spoke to them about their understanding of an earthly father. "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
When Jesus spoke of earthly fathers as evil he was using a form of speech called hyperbole—an exaggeration used for emphasis or effect. He was not describing all fathers as wicked or abusive. He was simply saying that, in the state of sin from which we are being saved, our actions as caregivers fall very short of the care that God gives. If you are a good parent and you do what you can to make your children safe, provide for their needs in good ways, look out for their interests how much more will God do for them, and you, by giving you the Holy Spirit! When God gives the Holy Spirit as a gift, he gives the most profound fatherly gift anyone could give. The Holy Spirit is a guide, a comforter, a source of power and strength. How much greater a gift is that for your children than anything you could ever provide. And that is one way in which God is our Father.
There are so many other ways God is Father. Psalm 68:4-6 says, "Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds — his name is the LORD — and rejoice before him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families; he leads forth the prisoners with singing.” Think with me how many times God has given you strength, friends, resources; how he has protected you from ultimate harm, rescued you from dangers you were not even aware of. Friends, let me tell you something, sin and Satan can harm our bodies, can tear apart our families, can destroy, kill and maim. But Romans 8:38-39 reminds us that sin and Satan cannot separate us from the love of God our heavenly Father!
Despite all the bad things in life, we can have confidence that just as Jesus suffered and died and was resurrected, we can also find restoration and resurrection through him—all from the hand of God the Father. In 1 John 3:1 we read, "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
As the best and divine Father he longs to embrace you with a joyous love. He is delighted in you and wants you to know acceptance and joy and peace. Behold, my friend! How great is the love the Father has lavished on you so that you should be called a child of God!
God created us and loves us from heaven. Heaven in one of those remarkable words that is both illusive and concrete. We as Christians believe in both a heaven and hell. We believe that after we die we will be given an eternal life in either heaven or hell depending on where we stand in relation to God. And whether we all admit it or not, there are moments that we sense the reality of a heaven and a hell. We can sense that there is a greater reality than just this ground or this chair or this building.
The word "heaven" is in the Bible over 400 times. As often as it is mentioned it is still beyond description. Many writers over the years have attempted to theologize, describe and project on what heaven is like. But just as we wrestle with it, we need to understand that it is beyond description.
The closest we come to understanding what heaven looks like is to study the book of Revelation, the very last book of the Bible. In Revelation 21 and 22 we have a marvelous description of the new heaven. In 22:3-5 we get a glimpse of what the new heaven will be. "No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. But that is the new heaven, after the final judgment and Jesus Christ has returned to earth again.
This picture of the future restored does give us a hint of heaven right now. Verse 3 says that the throne of God is in heaven. And indeed that is where God sits. It may not be a tangible, touchable place, but heaven is the residence of God.
In the small book Lord, Teach us to Pray, Willimon and Hauerwas wrote: "[Heaven] is cosmic. The God whom we have been taught by Jesus to address as "Our Father" is the one who rules the whole cosmos, who speaks in earthquake, wind, and fire. Any less of a god wouldn't do us much good." (p. 34)
Here is the essence of God: he is the One not created. We begin to discover this in Genesis Chapter 1. We, as his created, may never fully comprehend what it means to be uncreated. But God is the eternally existent head of the universe. He is the One who created billions of galaxies. We only know that there are billions galaxies because our scientists created the Hubble Telescope and suddenly we were made aware that God is much bigger than we ever imagined.
At first glance the God who lives in a place we cannot describe or identify may seem illusive, cold and distant. But we have a knowable and known God— the One, true God and Father of all, Creator of the heaven and the earth, Creator of you and me. In the great mystery of the community into which we were born, we have a direct connection with the God of the Universe. This is what Jesus was teaching us when he said that we can pray to God, as he prayed to God. He taught us that we can find him to be a good and gracious Father as he found him to be. What a wonder and a mystery, and a blessed, blessed reality!
Chapter 4: Hallowed/Holy Be Your Name
When we understand that we are created by an incredible and powerful God, who chose us to be his children, who loves us in ways that are full of redemption and hope, who created the stars, the trees and the universe, there is but one response—hallowed/holy be Your name!
The prophet Isaiah was given a revelation of God and it was written down for us to reflect on. Isaiah heard a word from the Lord about the coming Messiah, who is our God. Read how he describes God in Isaiah 9:6—And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
God has many names that define his character for us. Why would God need to reveal himself with so many names? I submit to you that the names of God are not only definitions of him, but also definitions of us — his creation. If God is infinite, then we are finite. If God is Creator, then we are created. If God is Lord and Master, then we are servants. If God is Redeemer and Savior, then we are the lost and redeemed. If God is Father, then we are his children. It is when we understand who he is that we can pray rightly.
The writers of Lord, Teach Us to Pray wrote, "God's name is not be used as a rubber stamp for our causes. It is, after all, a matter of honor. God alone is to be honored. The good news is that the honor we owe God is praise and prayer. Such praise protects us from the false honor — both tempting and destructive — that the world offers us. We so desperately need status. We so want to be noticed by others without having to notice them in return." (p. 48)
Paul wrote to the faithful in Corinth urging them to avoid idolatry and being distracted from the truth. He described the truth for them. In 1 Corinthians 8:5-6 he wrote, "For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live."
Consider the truth. God is our Father. God is a good Father, far better than any we have experienced here on earth. God resides in heaven, taking care of us from the most prominent point in the universe. God's Name is the most holy, especially when we understand who he is and how much he loves us.
When I say "king" what do you think? When I say "kingdom" what images come to your mind? Is it an image like Camelot? Tall castles with turrets and silky flags flapping in the breeze. A big heavy drawbridge stretching across a deep and foreboding moat. Large prancing horses draped in colors as bold and as bright as any found. On their backs are men decked out in suits of armor. Damsels wave and cheer from the windows of the castle as these brave soldiers ride off into battle. Ah, a kingdom where feasts are held for royalty and peasants work the earth. That's what I think of when I hear the word "kingdom."
The dictionary definition of a king and kingdom are these: "a male monarch of a major territorial unit; one whose position is hereditary and who rules for politically organized community or major territorial unit having a monarchial form of government headed by a king or queen."
This is significantly different from the American understanding of government. We elect our leaders by voting. Our primary leader does not have to be of royal blood nor does he lead for a lifetime. We have a system of checks and balances in our democracy, so there is no unquestioned authority. What we live under is not a monarchy. So, we have to work a little harder to understand the phrase "Your Kingdom come."
We can think of famous kings from history and literature. King Richard, King Henry the VIII, Kings Nebuchadnezzar and Darius, King Tut, King Herod, King Solomon. Modern or legendary kings and kingdoms generally conjure up the ideas of unbridled authority, lavish lifestyles, and deep coffers of wealth with legions of people at their command.
Where in the Bible did this idea of king and kingdom for God's family come from? It was not in the beginning, nor was it with the family of God for the first eight books of the Bible! When we follow the family of God through those books we find family groups, tribes and nomadic peoples and a wonderful heavenly Father. So, when and why did kings and kingdoms start with the people of God in the Bible? Well, we need to scroll up to 1 Samuel 8:1-22.
Abraham had been a great nomadic leader, the father of our faith. Moses had provided charismatic leadership for decades. Priests and judges followed not long after that, providing leadership and guidance. A man named Samuel was a great priest and prophet, but he had a troubled family. To the Israelites there seemed to be no apparent leader. So they asked God for something. Read verses 1-9.
When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges for Israel, The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.
So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.
They said to him, "You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have."
But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them would do.
It is clear from this account that God alone wishes to be king! We learn a very interesting lesson from this passage as well. Sometimes God gives us what we ask for, even when he desires something better for us! Talk about learning to pray right! This must have been heartbreaking for our good Heavenly Father.
Samuel was very clear with the Israelites about what would happen if God was not their king, He describes it very clearly for them. Read verses 10-22.
Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, "This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day." But the people refused to listen to Samuel "No!” they said. 'We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.” When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. The LORD answered, "Listen to them and give them a king."