Pray, then, in this way: "Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name."(Matthew 6:9)
A teacher went into her classroom about fifteen minutes before the class was supposed to
begin and caught a bunch of boys in a huddle on their knees in the corner of the room. She
demanded of them what they were doing, and one of them shouted back, "We are shooting
craps." She replied, "That's all right. I was afraid you were praying."
A principal had a neat little sign in his office that stated, "In the event of
nuclear attack, fire, or earthquake, the band on prayer is temporarily lifted."
Only those who are in a coma are unaware of the controversy concerning prayer in the
public schools in our nation. There is a great deal that could be said on this issue,
which will have to wait until another time. I point to this issue, however, to say that it
largely avoids the real problem in this country concerning prayer. The problem, you see,
is not that we can't pray publicly in our public schools, it is that we don't pray very
much at all.
Prayer is vital to the Christian life. The Bible emphasizes over and over again that
Christians should be engaged in a life of prayer. Jesus said in Luke 18:1, that we "should
always pray and not give up." Luke 6:10 says of Him that on "one
of those days Jesus went out to a mountain side to pray, and spent the night praying to
God." James 5:16 says, "the prayer of a righteous man is powerful
and effective." Paul wrote: "pray continually" (1
Thessalonians 5:17).
How is your prayer life? Do you live a life of prayer? If we evaluated Christians on
the quality of their prayer life, what would the results be? They would be revealing
indeed! You see, I believe we can tell a great deal about a Christian by examining his or
her prayer life. Robert Murray McCheyne wrote, "What a man is on his knees before
God, that he is, and nothing more."
Prayer, you see, keeps us sharp as Christians. Unfortunately, like the lumberjack who
was fired because he was too busy working to sharpen his ax, we sometimes neglect the very
thing we need for the work. And the harder we work without it, the duller we get.
One major problem that we have, which keeps people from praying effectively, is that we
simply do not know how to pray. Jesus addresses this very point in the Sermon on the Mount
by teaching His disciples how to pray. He does it through what is commonly
referred to as The Lord's Prayer. In fact, it could properly be called
The Model Prayer or The Disciple's Prayer or The Pattern
Prayer.
This is because the prayer Jesus gave His disciples was never intended to be merely a
prayer to be repeated over and over again. As with any portion of inspired Word, there is
nothing wrong with praying this portion back to God, pondering it in our hearts, and
meditating upon it. But Jesus never intended for it to become what He had just warned
against - meaningless repetition. He desired that it would become a model for prayer, and
indeed it is.
As we examine this prayer in detail, we will find a pattern for prayer which will revolutionize the way we pray.
Pray, then, in this way . . .
As we examine this prayer, we will find several different categories of prayer. We will
find the prayer of praise, priorities, provision, pardon, protection, and preeminence.
Within each of these categories the meaning of prayer will become clear. All taken
together, these categories cover the full extent of God's purposes and our needs.
Jesus begins His model prayer where we need to begin our prayer. He begins with praise.
"Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name."
When we come to God we come in worship. Psalm 100:4 says, "Enter His gates
with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name."
We should never simply burst into the Lord's presence by asking for things for ourselves.
There is a way to approach God. And that way begins in praise. It begins by giving honor
to Him as our Father. It begins by giving honor to His name.
"Our Father who art in heaven . . ."
Not only did Jesus call God His Father, He indicated that we should do so as well. For
us, God is not some impersonal spirit or force in the universe. He is our Heavenly Father.
Romans 8:15 says, "For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to
fear again, but you have received a Spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba!
Father!'" Galatians 4:6 says, "And because you are sons, God has
sent forth the spirit of His Son into our hearts crying, 'Abba! Father!'"
To call God Father is so very rich in meaning. It means that we acknowledge Him as our
Redeemer. He has saved us and brought us into His family. It means that we acknowledge our
relationship to Him. It means that we acknowledge our responsibility to Him. It means that
we acknowledge that obedience is due our Father. But it means most of all that we can
approach the eternal God as a little child approaches his earthly father. Abba
is a small child's intimate address to his father. It was much like saying
"dad."
So when we come into the presence of God, we come by acknowledging His Fatherhood, by
praising Him for being our Father, and by thanking Him for His love which brought us into
His family.
We praise Him for all that His Fatherhood means to us. It means that He will protect
us, provide for us, love us, guide us, defend us, pick us up when we fall down, give us
His wisdom, acknowledge us as His children, and be there for us when we need Him.
Think of how many ways you can praise the Lord for His Fatherhood. And it is made even
more rich by realizing the fact that He is not simply your Father, He is our Father.
This means that we are part of a larger family. We have brothers and sisters. We are not
alone in being children of our Father. We can praise God for the great body of believers
to which we belong. We can praise God that we have brothers and sisters in Christ who can
help us, love us, and with whom we can walk together in the difficult times, as well as
rejoice with in the good times. You see, the Fatherhood of God is a rich source of
material for praise.
"Hallowed be Thy name."
We not only praise God for His Fatherhood, we exalt His holy name. This simply means
that we acknowledge the greatness of His nature and character.
The significance of a name in Scripture was that it revealed a character. The name of
God reveals His character. This is why God is known by so many names in the Old Testament.
Each name revealed an aspect of His character and the benefit of that to us as believers.
Let me share with you just eight of the compound names of God that reveal something of
His character and His work on our behalf.
Jehovah-Rohi means "the Lord my shepherd." Like a shepherd the
Lords gently leads and cares for His people, the sheep of His pasture.
Jehovah-Nissi means "the Lord my banner." He is the standard
under which we rally as the people of God. He is our rallying-point.
Jehovah-Jireh means "the Lord will provide." As He provided for
Abraham at his point of need, so the Lord will provide for us at our point of need.
Jehovah-Rophe means "the Lord heals." He heals in every way,
not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually.
Jehovah-Shammah means "the Lord is there." God is there when
you need Him. There is no place where He is not.
Jehovah-Shalom means "the Lord is peace." Through Him we find
true inner peace which is there even in the midst of the storm.
Jehovah-M'Kaddesh means "the Lord who sanctifies." He makes us
holy becasue He sets us apart for Himself.
Jehovah-Tsidkenu means "the Lord our righteousness." He is our
righteousness. Through Christ He imparts His righteousness to us.
As you can easily see from the meanings of the names of God given in the Old Testament,
each name not only reveals something of the nature and the character of God, it also
reveals something of the provision of God promised through His name. And we can praise Him
for the revelation of who He is through His name. We can praise Him for the promises which
are ours through His name. We can bow before a God revealed to be all that we had ever
hoped for and need. All we need is found in God. And, of course, the fullness of all He
is, is found in Jesus. Everything revealed concerning the nature and the character of the
Father finds its fulfillment in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
So as you come into the presence of God in prayer, begin by praising God for who He is.
He is our Father and His name is holy. Ponder the benefits of His Fatherhood. Meditate
upon the richness of His name. Praise Him for He is worthy of our praise. There is none
like Him. He is everything we need. He doesn't simply have what we need, He is what we
need.
Pray, then, in this way: "Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy
name."
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