Building on my musings upon the eternal permanence of what Jesus continues to say, let’s now look at what He’s led me to focus upon. His words have application and consequences for everybody, not just those who believe in Him – so we again consider the ‘Therefore’…
First, note ‘‘The Lord’s Prayer’ is a misnomer because it’s the template, or blueprint, He gave His first disciples: a ‘How To Pray 101.’ Thus, it’s ‘The Believers’ Prayer’, or as Catholics say, “The Our Father”.
The proper Lord’s Prayer is the one recorded by John when, after The Last Supper and the in-depth teaching Jesus gave to the Twelve, He prayed for Himself, all His disciples and everyone who will believe in their message about Him –
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who[j]will believe in Me through their word;21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me…” (Read John 17 in full)
Jesus’ words will never pass away. Therefore, we should use them, especially those of the model prayer He recommends so personally in Matthew 6 because it covers:
- Our personal relationship to God in His being an intimately close, perfect ‘Dad’
- God’s location and holiness as being opposite to our fallen sinful nature
- His absolute authority and rule, not only in heavenly realms but also on earth
- His concern and provision for our needs
- Seeking personal forgiveness; (NB. We can prevent Father doing this because it’s conditional upon forgiving others)
- Help when tested/tempted to sin
- Deliverance from the evil one
- Praise His Kingship/Power/Glory.
By ‘God-incidence’, on the Sunday few days after that Matt 24:35 Verse of the Day came the guest speaker at our church delivered a most inspirational teaching upon prayer. Click below to hear Peter Gilbert’s wise, gentle instruction that led to many wanting prayer afterwards:
At 56 minutes he begins on the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ (added emphasis mine)
It’s an essential way of building relationship. The point and the purpose of prayer and of being a people of prayer is so that you might say from your heart and not from your head, not as a title but as a description of relationship – dad, Daddy, father, “Abba” – that little word, little Aramaic word that it’s reputed that children would yell as their fishermen fathers came back to shore safe from a day or a night’s fishing on Galilee, and a word that’s easy to say – just as today some friends of my daughter just had a baby daughter and it’s not going to be that long now before that child is learning to utter its first utterances, and it’s going to be something like da da da da da oh Mama Mama and that’s what ABBA is meant to be like it’s that sense of learning and of dependency. It’s that sense of intimacy Abba, daddy, Jesus says this is how you pray, it’s about who you pray to. God is your dad as your father and my father.”
Earlier, after witty reminiscences, at the 37 minutes point Pete begins one of the best teachings on prayer I can recall. In a ‘whistle-stop tour’ he cites examples of when we should pray to Father simply beca6 Jesus had done so too:
- Luke 3 – in conversation with others
- Luke 4 – significant personal events
- Luke 4 – temptation and besetting sin
- Luke 6 – major life decisions
- Luke 5 – drawing aside with God
Selah…
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