Teach us to Pray 1: A look at the Lord’s Prayer –part 1

Feed your faith and your fears will starve to death.  ~Author Unknown

Matthew 6:5-13 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 

Luke 11:1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." 2He said to them, "When you pray, say…

          Prayer must be specific and targeted: When you aim at nothing, you hit it every time!

          There is a vast difference is saying prayers and praying. On Easter 2007 it was estimated 2 billion people prayed the Lords prayer around the globe!  Was it a rehearsed prayer or people praying to a living God who hears us and responds?

Here are three quick and simple things to remember about the first verse of this super important prayer:

1. We approach God as a Father because prayer is about relationship

          “ It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.”  John Bunyan  This is a nice quote and does apply to our heart attitude in situations where we don’t know what to say.  However prayer is a verbal exercise and things usually don’t happen in the kingdom until something is said!  Relationships require communication.  Kingdom Activity requires something to be said! Think of the creation story or many healings in Christ’s ministry: “Pick up your matt and walk!”

Or Joshua 6:20 People shouted with a great shout the walls fell flat.  They had marched around Jericho and did what God had said but something happened when they shouted!  Verbalize your prayers to an almighty God. 

LUK 10:21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.

JOH 11:41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.

         

2.  We approach with thanks for who he is

    "HALLOWED BE THY NAME."

·        After the address, prayer moves into worship.

·        Upon recognition of the fact that I am in the presence of the Creator of the universe, I worship Him.

I think of how awesome He is.

The Jews felt that the name was too holy to cross the lips of man, thus in the Hebrew text you only find the consonants YHVH. 

·        In Proverbs we are told that the name of Jehovah is a strong tower, the righteous run into it and are safe.

·        It is interesting that Paul tells us in Philippians that God has given to Jesus a name that is above all names that at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

·        The angel told Joseph to call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.

So you can imagine if the Pharisees would not utter or write His proper name so for Jesus to come and say “Father” would be offensive to them and mind-blowing!  It was rare people approached God in this way.

3.  We approach with Praise not Petition

       By approaching with praise we are saying he his bigger than our problems. In Prayer mountains turn to mole-hills because our focus and attention is on the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  We can idolize our problems when we fixate on them.  We will see later in the prayer petitions come and it is not bad to shout prayers from a place of need (much like the lepers in Luke 17 who shouted at Jesus from “A long way off.”  But we should want to request and bring petitions and prayers from a close place of relationship with a God who wants to be near us!

Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the thoughts I think toward you says the Lord.  Thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon me and go and pray to me.  I will listen to you and you will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. 

       Matthew 6:5-13 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. ¹⁰Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. ¹¹Give us this day our daily bread. ¹²And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. ¹³And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.