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| <~~~ BACK But God chose to be known as "father." I can think of several reasons for this. God provides for our needs (Matt. 6:25-34); he protects us from harm (Ps. 139: 5); he disciplines us when necessary (Heb. 12:10); and he has given us his name (1 John 3:1). All of these are things that most earthly fathers also do. And, perhaps, when Jesus used this phrase, he was also reminding us that if our earthly fathers generally know how to provide for and love us, how much *more* can we then be assured that our heavenly Father provides for and loves us? (Matt. 7:11) The word "hallowed" is completely foreign to most of us today. It means "sanctify." In other words, Jesus says "may your name be sanctified, Father." One meaning of sanctify is to make holy or treat as holy. Jesus wants us to approach God intimately, as a child to a parent, but also with the acknowledgement that he is holy, he is to be awed-he is the one and only God. If you go back to the Old Testament, you'll also find an interesting passage about sanctification and Moses. In Num. 20:12, the Israelites were without water, so God told Moses to speak to a rock and it would provide water for them. But Moses was feeling frustrated that day, and he hit the rock twice in anger. Water poured out, but God said to Moses: "Because you did not believe in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them." If as Christians we believe in God, we treat him as holy and have confidence in his ability to provide for us. But Moses didn't have a lot of confidence in God at this point, and so his attitude was not hallowed or sanctified. Not trusting the Lord is equated with not hallowing his name. Next, Jesus tells us to include in our prayers the idea that it's not our will that needs to be accomplished, but God's. Instead of treating prayer as way to get what we want, we need to acknowledge that whatever comes, it's according to God's will. Although it's okay to ask for our needs, prayer is much less about "I want" and much more about God including us in his work. This first part of "The Lord's Prayer" tells us about the most important aspect of praying; it's also the aspect of prayer that many of us tend to forget: Our main reason for praying should be to develop and maintain our relationship with God. Our prayers shouldn't focus on us, but on him. Next, Jesus asks for some specifics. One of the first things that strikes me as I read this section of the prayer is that Jesus doesn't use the word "me." He always uses the word "us." This is an excellent example of making sure our prayers are not always centered on ourselves. Jesus asks for "our daily bread." I imagine this is a two-fold prayer. I think he's both asking for physical sustenance and for spiritual sustenance. Just as we need food to fuel our bodies, or we'll die, we need spiritual food to fuel our hearts, or they will die (Luke 4:4). Then Jesus asks for forgiveness. Certainly the word translated here as "debtor" means a lot more than someone owed money. If you look at a good dictionary, you'll see that one of the definitions for "debtor" is "one who has not yet made amends to whom he has injured." We're to ask for forgiveness of our sins, and in return, we should forgive others for their sins against us. Now comes perhaps the most difficult part of the prayer to comprehend; Jesus seems to pray for God not to tempt us. But does God really dangle carrots in front of us and say, "Ha, ha! Let's see if I can get her to stray away from me today!" Well, that's a bit absurd. After all, "When tempted no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed." (Ja. 1:13-14) I think, instead, that Jesus is telling us to ask for continued guidance in our Christian walk. How do we avoid sin? How do we resist temptation? Only with God's help. This makes good sense when paired up with the rest of the sentence, which is "but deliver us from evil." For some people, "The Lord's Prayer" seems much too eloquent; they think they couldn't possibly live up to it with their own prayers. But, as Max Lucado points out: "Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference." This, I think, is the final lesson to take away from Jesus' teaching on prayer. In studying "The Lord's Prayer," it's invaluable to consult other parts of the Bible and to read the prayer in context. Never Read a Bible Verse, this week's recommendation, highlights this important aspect of Bible study in brief, but clear detail. You'll find this article at: http://www.str.org/free/studies/neverrea.htm Questions Q: "The Romans always left crucified people hanging on the cross to decay, as a warning to others. This makes me suspicious of the crucifixion story. It must be false!" MORE ~~~> |
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