Prayer

     A model prayer similar to the one in Luke is given in Matthew as part of the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount.  These were not given on the same occasion.  The prayer structures are similar but the wording is slightly different, indicating the consistency in Jesus’ teachings and that this is not a precise ritual or formula.  These two Scriptures provide the framework for the prayers of all Christians.  Both are often called the Lord’s Prayer but are more aptly titled the disciples’ prayer.  We will look at both Matthew 6:9–13 and Luke 11:2–4.

     The Greek word proseuchomai (Strong’s G4336) is the word most frequently used in the New Testament with respect to praying.  It always means “to pray to God;” to supplicate, i.e., to beg for something earnestly or humbly in worship.  At its core, prayer is worship; it is personal communication with God.

     Many in the Christian world today look on prayer as simply a way to get what you want from God—rub the magic lamp of prayer and “Poof,” God is obligated to appear and grant what you ask; a name-it-and-claim-it view of prayer.  Perhaps you and I are both, at times, guilty of this perversion.  This self-indulgent sin reverses the roles of God and man.  It puts man in the position of master and God in the position of the servant who must obey.

     The focal point of true prayer is not on us but God and His glory and His honor and His kingdom.  In John 14:13 Jesus said, “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”  Prayer is an act of worship.  It revolves around God: who He is, what He wants, how He is to be glorified.

     It is not surprising that the disciples were confused about prayer.  They had been taught, based on the rabbis understanding of the Old Testament, that God was frighteningly unapproachable, that He was a consuming fire, that the only one who could enter His presence was the high priest, and then only on the Day of Atonement.  But the Old Testament also says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; and I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me. (Psalm 50:15), “He will call upon Me and I will answer him” (Psalm 91:15), and “The LORD is near to all who call upon Him” (Psalm 145:18).

     Psalm 65:2 says, “O Thou who dost hear prayer, to Thee all men come.”  While this verse tells us that God is approachable, it also indicates that access to God extends to more than the Jews only.  But with all the prayers being offered, how can God hear me?  A Midrash commentary on Psalm 65 says, “A human king can hearken to two or three people at once, but he cannot hearken to more.  God is not so, for all men may pray to Him and He hearkens to them all simultaneously.”  God’s ears are never satiated by the prayers of His Children.

     The Old Testament also gives examples of the prayers of imperfect men and women who sought the LORD with all their heart.  Daniel, Moses, Hannah, Jonah, and David are just a few.  Their prayers were prayers of worship.  Ther prayers expressed love, praise, gratitude, and thanksgiving.  Their prayers contained confession of sin, the longing for a pure heart, and a desire to obey and please God.  Their prayers were marked by pleading, urgent persistence, blessing, and a view to the reception of collective benedictions (the invoking of divine favor, peace, and guidance).  So, we see that true prayer was not unique to the New Testament.  It was practiced by Old Testament saints, but its pattern had evaded Christ’s disciples.  So, we see in Matthew 6 and Luke 11 that Jesus presents not a formula for prayer, but a structure to prayer; not a prayer, but a model for prayer.  He told them how to pray.

FATHER

     In Luke 11:2, Jesus responded to His disciples’ request by saying, “When you pray, say: Father.”  Prayer is to be laid out in a systematic discourse to the Father.  Prayer is first of all worship, it is Godward, it is to “our Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9).  God as Father is the basis for our boldness in prayer.

     The world views God as unfeeling and indifferent.  Albert Einstein did not believe in a personal God who intervenes in human affairs; he described the concept as a product of human weakness.  The God he believed in was “an impersonal, pantheistic force revealing itself in the orderly harmony of the universe.”  The Jews viewed God as Father only in a national sense, not in a personal sense.

     How do you perceive Him?  The average Christian may see the person of God the Father only in a salvific sense in sending Christ to die for our sins.  But He is so much more.  God is called “Father” 65 times in the synoptic gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—and 100 times in the gospel of John.  This shift in addressing God in a more personal way may have been a shock for Jesus’ disciples.

     The New Testament is written in Greek, and the Greek word for father is pater (Strong’s G3962).  It is a more formal word than affectionate Greek terms like táta and páppa, which mean daddy and papa.  We know, however, that Jesus himself, during times of deep distress and intimacy, referred to His Heavenly Father as “Abba, Father” (Mark 14:36); “abba” being the equivalent of daddy in the Aramaic language commonly spoken by the Jews of His day.  One may reason, “Jesus is the Son of God, the only begotten, a Son by essential essence and as such, can come to God the Father in intimacy and call Him Abba.  But can I?  Is it proper?”  Yes!  Christians are sons and daughters of God by adoption; we have been made children by God’s legal decree.  Galatians 4:6 says we have the Spirit of the Son in our hearts, therefore, during times of distress and intimacy, we have the right and privilege to approach God—the sovereign, eternal, holy creator—and address Him as “Father,” “Abba,” “Daddy.”

     As our Father in heaven (Matthew 6:9), God is not bound by earthly limitations.  God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present.  His love for His children is far above that of an earthly father, and His response to our prayers is superior to our earthly fathers.  Matthew 7:11says, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”

     As a Christian, God is our loving, intimate Father to whom we can humbly go with boldness and confidence because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).  And as our Heavenly Father, He is to be obeyed.

HALLOWED BE THY NAME

     “Hallowed be Thy name” is the first petition in prayer.  The essence of this petition is worship.

     While we are thrilled to be able to address God as Abba, Father, it is incumbent upon us to remember that His name is to be hallowed.  Hallowed means to be holy, venerated, pure, and separated from all things profane.  God is the opposite of common.  He is above all things in rank, excellence, attributes, nature, and character.  “Hallowed be Thy name” emphasizes the enormous respect and reverence that is required when we enter God’s presence.

     The Jews took this respect to the extreme level of not even speaking His name.  According to Jewish tradition, The High Priest was the only person authorized to pronounce the tetragrammaton (YHWH), the sacred four-letter name of God, and did so only in the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur—The Day of Atonement, the holiest day in Judaism.  Before each High Priest died, he would share the pronunciation with his successor.  With the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D., the specific vocalization of the name was lost, making its original pronunciation uncertain today.

     God’s name is not a title; it is the sum of who He is.  Elohim is the creator; El Elyon is God Most High; Jehovah is I Am that I Am; Jehovah-Jireh is the LORD will provide; Jehovah-Nissi is the LORD our banner; Jehovah-Rapha is the LORD that heals; Jehovah-Shalom is the LORD our peace; Jehovah-Roi is the LORD our Shepherd; Jehovah-Tseh’dek is the LORD our righteousness; Jehovah-Tsaw-baw’ is the LORD of Hosts; Jehovah-Shawm is the LORD is present (there); Jehovah-Kaw-dash is the LORD who sanctifies.  God’s attributes are revealed in His name, and His name is to be hallowed.

     The Greek word from which we get our English word “hallowed” is hagiazō (Strong’s G37); it means to make holy.  Synonyms include glorify and honor.  The great church reformer from the 16^th century, John Calvin said, “That God’s name should be hallowed is nothing other than to say that God should have His own honor of which He is worthy, so that men should never think or speak of Him without the greatest veneration.”  Martin Luther said that God’s name is hallowed among us “when both our doctrine and our life are truly Christian.”

          We do not make God holy; He already is.  To hallow God’s name is to believe He is who He is.  That is an act of faith.  Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

THY KINGDOM COME

     The Talmud says, “That prayer in which there is no mention of the kingdom of God is no prayer at all.”

     “Thy kingdom come” declares God’s sovereignty and our submission both in His universal kingdom—the entire universe, and in His redemptive kingdom—those over whom God rules by virtue of salvation.   Jesus came preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).  We are told to do the same (Matthew 10:7).  To pray “Thy kingdom come” is to pray for the advance of the gospel and for the salvation of the lost.

THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN

     This portion of the model prayer is found in Matthew but not in Luke, however, some may consider it an elaboration of “Thy kingdom come.”

     God does not expect His children to pray for something He has kept hidden.  Our prayers to our Heavenly Father are not concerned with His secret will, for that will certainly come to pass.  Rather, our prayers are an appeal that God’s revealed will “be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  Therefore, we are to pray on the basis of God’s commands in Scripture.

     Prayer is not a means for God to find out what we need; Matthew 6:8 tells us that God knows what we need before we ask.  Prayer is a matter of faith; it requires humility on our part.  Prayer expresses our faith and trust in God and is a means for that faith and trust to increase as we pray according to His will and rejoice in His answer.

     Prayer allows us, as creatures made in the image of God, to be to be involved in activities that are of eternal importance.  In heaven, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are exalted and worshiped in holiness.  His commands, desires, and purposes are eagerly and exactly obeyed and executed according to His timing and at His direction.  Praying that God’s “will be done on earth as it is in heaven” is to desire to be an extension of that heavenly worship in our thoughts and actions.  As living temples of God (1 Corinthians 6:19), we are giving ourselves as conduits where heaven comes down and goes out into the world.

     You will know God’s will when you know God.  You know God by spending time with Him.  God makes His will known to us; if we seek His will, He tells us what it is.  Here are a few places His will is revealed in Scripture.

·       Exodus 2:3–17 (Ten Commandments)

·       Deuteronomy 10:12 says, “What does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”

·       Isaiah 55:6 says, “Seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.”

·       Micah 6:8 says, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

·       Matthew 5–7.  The Sermon on the Mount.

·       Romans 12:1 says, “Present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

·       Romans 12:9 says, “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.”

·       Romans 12:14 says, “Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.”

·       Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”

·       1 Thessalonians 4:3 says, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality.”

·       1 Thessalonians 5:12–22 says, “Appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.  We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.  See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.  Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances.  But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.”

·       1 Timothy 2:1–4 says, “I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.  This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

     What about petitions and intersessions and questions that Scripture does not appear to directly address?

     John 14:13 says, “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son,” and James 4:2 says, “You do not have, because you do not ask.  You ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives.”  Our Heavenly Father will do whatever we ask in Jesus’ name, and if we do not get what we ask for, there may be something wrong on our end.  Likely we have not asked according to His will or sin—transgressions or broken relationships, e.g., with wife (1 Peter 3:7)—is present.

     The obstacle to God’s revealed will being done “on earth as it is in heaven” is sin.  At the core of sin is man’s rebellion and his determination to exert his mind and will to choose what is right and good in his own eyes, as opposed to believing and obeying God.  Any prayer request that is not according to God’s revealed will is of our own personal will, no matter how good or righteous it may sound to us.

     In Matthew 23:37 Jesus lamented, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!  How often I wanted to gather your children together; the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.”  Though their rejection grieved Him, Jesus knew God’s will and did not pray that Jerusalem would be spared.  When we are uncertain about how to pray for a particular petition, we should abstain from praying or pray what is known of God’s will.  When God does not immediately reveal His will, we should be persistent in prayer.  God’s purposes extend far beyond what we immediately see and know.

     Some may say that God already knows what He is going to do and He will do it whether I pray or not, so why pray?  But God often uses the prayers of His children as the means to accomplish His will.  Second Chronicles 7:14 says, “If My people, who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and heal their land.”  And when God revealed through Jeremiah the prophet that Israel would be in bondage in Babylon for seventy years, Daniel read the prophecy and prayed, and God fulfilled His will.

     We are not to have a heart that lives and makes plans apart from God’s direction; to do so is to overestimate our abilities and underestimate our limitations.  We should not be fatalistic, and we should not determine to act according to our own will.  James 4:13,15 says, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit’…Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.’”  Such an attitude as James describes goes beyond making wise plans for the future.  It is an attitude and exertion of one’s personal will that preempts God’s purposes and presumes upon a future over which one has no control.  We should order our lives to align with God’s will.

     So, how do we discern God’s will?  The first step in knowing the will of God is to be willing to do His will when you know it.

     John 7:17 says, “If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself.”  Jesus could not convince the scribes and Pharisees that He was the Son of God because even in the face of overwhelming proof, they were unwilling to believe.  So it is with knowing the will of God.  He will never impose the revelation of His will on our predetermined will.

     Neither can we seek God’s will and obey it only if it matches our own.  God’s will is revealed when we obey His commands.  That is also the way our faith is increased.  Romans 12:1–2 says, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove (recognize) what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”  This verse says there are two ways to know the “good and acceptable and perfect” will of God.  One, have a holy, sacrificial body; two, do not be conformed to this world.

     What should be an obvious way that we can know the will of God is through the Word of God.  Simple enough; read what He says to do and do it.  God’s Word does not change; don’t pray about things God has already made clear.  God will not tell you anything that contradicts what He says in His Word.  Just do what the Bible says, and don’t take Scripture out of context.

     We are to pray, “Thy will be done,” not “if it be Thy will.”  Many may pray, “This is what I want, what do You have to say?”  If you don’t know His will you need a willing heart and mind ready to learn His will.  You must submit your will to learn His will.

     When someone is sick or having surgery or has a special need, do not pray, “If it be Thy will.”  Before you pray that God would heal that person or meet that special need, ask God to make you receptive to the knowledge of His will.  While you wait for God’s will to be made known, you can pray that during this special time the person for whom you are praying will have grace and courage to the glory of God.  If the person is a Christian, you can pray that much good may come from his witness for Christ to family, friends, and medical staff.

     God has equipped us with the faculties of reason and common sense.  When we are living for Him and seeking His will, those innate abilities will guide us.

     Finally, like a ship navigating a dangerous channel, God has provided three buoys or beacons to guide us. Those three lights are: the Word of God—that’s the objective standard, and it never changes; the Holy Spirit—that’s the subjective witness; it gives you peace because the Holy Spirit never contradicts God’s Word; and circumstances—you might consider that divine providence. If you don’t have all three of these guides line up, then you have more than likely misunderstood God’s will.

GIVE US EACH DAY OUR DAILY BREAD

     Jim Parker, professor at Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky said, “The prayer of a Christian is not an attempt to force God’s hand, but a humble acknowledgment of helplessness and dependence.”  In this portion of our prayer, we ask for our needs, nothing more.  This is a prayer for our needs, not our greeds.

  This request for “daily bread” is tied to a promise.  In Psalm 37:25 David says, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.”  And in Philippians 4:19, Paul testifies, “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”  Matthew 6:32 and 33 says our “Heavenly Father knows we need all these things, but seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be provided.’

     So, why do we ask for them in prayer?  Because we are to always ask consistent with God’s divine promise; it magnifies His name (2 Samuel 7:25–26a).  In doing so, He will meet our physical needs and sustain our lives until our lives fulfill His purpose, thereby magnifying His name (2 Samuel 7:25–26a).

FORGIVE US OUR SINS, FOR WE OURSELVES ALSO FORGIVE

     “Forgive” in Luke 11:4, Matthew 6:12, and again in Matthew chapter 6, verses 14 and 15, is a Greek verb (Strong’s G863) that means to annul a legal obligation; it also means to set free from bondage.

     Jesus is not here referring to the initial forgiveness of sins for salvation, for we are already justified by faith and adopted into the family of God; we do not need to pray for salvation every day.  What Jesus is referring to are the day-to-day sins that hinder our relationships with God and with others.  “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors,” as it says in Matthew 6:12, means we are asking God to forgive our sins that break fellowship with Him in the same way we forgive others by not holding a grudge or harboring ill-will or being imbittered against them in any way.

     Matthew 6:14–15 gives further explanation, “For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.”  Ouch!

     So, what do we do?  Jesus says in Mark 11:25, “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions.”  And Jesus again says, in Matthew 5:23–24, “If therefore you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”  A specific example is 1 Peter 3:7 where husbands are instructed to honor their wives and live with them in an understanding way so that their prayer will not be hindered.  There is to be within our prayers a desire to be God-like by forgiving those who have sinned against us and seeking their forgiveness when we have sinned against them.

LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION

     God cannot be tempted and God does not tempt; He does allow us to undergo trials. James 1:2–4 says, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

     C.H. Spurgeon said, “The man who prays ‘Lead us not into temptation,’ and then goes into it is a liar before God.”  Psalm 1:1–2 says, “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!  But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.”  God will not allow us to be temped above what we are able (1 Corinthians 10:13), but we are not to see how close we can get to sin; we are to flee from sin:

Flee fornication—1 Corinthians 6:18

Flee idolatry—1 Corinthians 10:14

Flee the love of money—1 Timothy 6:10–11

Flee youthful lusts—2 Timothy 2:22

Conversely, James 4:7 instructs us to “Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

     We should never boast in our own strength.  We should never desire trials.  We should never go into temptation.  We should never lead others into temptation.

CONCLUSION

     So, this is Jesus’ instruction on how to pray.  Prayer proclaims the holiness of God and His place as our loving Father.  Prayer yearns for God’s will to be done and acknowledges our dependence on Him.  Prayer confesses our sins against God and others and pleads for restoration of fellowship.  It is to our benefit that we learn to pray as we ought because the armor of God, described in Ephesians 6:11– 17, is activated by prayer.  Ephesians 6:18 says, “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.”

PRAYER

     Heavenly Father, we kneel before You as Your children saved by grace and our sins covered by the precious blood of Your Son, Jesus Christ.  Thank you for the wonderful privilege and power of prayer with which You have blessed us.  We confess that we do not know how to pray as we ought, but we ask that Your Holy Spirit teach us and intercede for us and give us confidence as we pray according to the model our Lord Jesus provided.  As we pray according to Your will, may Your name be exalted, may You receive glory and honor, may your kingdom come, and may we grow in faith and trust.  In Jesus name, amen.