By: Bruce Higdon (Murfreesboro, TN)
Our Father who art in heaven.
“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Heb. 11:6). As we have learned before, all acceptable prayer must begin with this simple belief – that our prayers are heard by God, and that He will answer.
While we may believe that He is, in fact, powerful, holy God, we might not always take the further step to see Him as our father. Someone wrote of this spiritual growth by comparing it to the four stages of the human soul. First, as we are born, we look at the huge, awesome world with wide-eyed amazement. Second, we become aware of ourselves, as individual beings with life, character, and duties of our own, separate from everyone else. The third stage begins when we come to know God as the reason for our existence. Another writer added a fourth stage of development – when we acknowledge God as a powerful ruler, but move toward an understanding of Him as our Father.
“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” Abba, translated to our understanding, is the same as our “Daddy” or other intimate name only we call our earthy fathers.
In order for us to fully understand the opening words of this prayer, we must understand the rights and responsibilities of fatherhood. The first of these is, of course, the author of life. No man or woman on earth would be here without a father. When we begin to trace our family tree all the way back to the beginning, we come face to face with the Creator.
“The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.” (Acts 17:24-29)
We need to keep in mind that the Creator is different than an earthly father. While God is the Creator of all mankind, he has given new life to those who have been redeemed by Christ. Such are His children. (Jno. 3:1-7) Therefore when we address “Our Father,” we are speaking to the Author of our lives through Adam, but rather the Father of our new lives through Christ. (Phil. 4:6-7)
A father also provides for the needs of his children. God’s providential care is essential to every creature on this earth. Without the orderly creation seen in Genesis 1 and the perpetual preservation of life by Him, life would be impossible. Yet, God cares for the tiniest of His creatures. “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matt. 6:31-34)
Fathers see that their children are educated. Earthly parents understand the value of their children learning from a very early age. They continue to seek opportunities to extend that education through later years, in order to bring out the best in their children. Our Heavenly Father is no different. He has provided all things for our understanding. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (II Tim. 3:16-17)
Fathers have the power and privilege of forgiving. When the punishment has been given to a wayward child and the child has repented, there is no greater feeling of joy in a father than when the father and child are reconciled. Remember the father’s joy, in the parable of the prodigal son? (Lk. 15:11-23) The father said, “It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.” (Lk. 15:32)
God truly is our Father. All of the above blessings are implied when we go to God in prayer as Our Father. He is the true Father who is able and ready to take away our sins completely. (I Cor. 5:18-21)
Hallowed be thy name.
From the beginning, God’s name has been held in reverence by the Jewish people. All names were special and were given to children as a representation of their character. Sometimes names were changed to more accurately reflect that character: Abram – Abraham; Jacob – Israel; Simon – Peter; Saul – Paul. God’s name, however, was always held in deep respect – so much that they did not even feel worthy to write the name of God. They simply drew a line to represent His name. If our prayers do not respect and honor the mighty name of God, His majesty, and if our lives are not lived in purity, righteousness, and obedience as a reflection of our Father and a desire to do His Will, our prayers are useless.
The word “hallowed” comes from the word “hagiazo,” meaning to set apart or to sanctify. Although we cannot physically sanctify Him, we do so when we separate Him from all else, and seek to praise Him and glorify Him in all we do and say.
There can be no better child than one who strives to live his life as one that is pleasing to his father. He, or she, reflects the example and desires given by the father in his daily contact with the child. Hallowing God’s name, then, must imply that not only am I revering His name in word, but also in deed, as I work to conform myself to His Will and Image.
“But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile.” (I Pet. 1:15-17)
We hallow God’s name by our hearts. His name is hallowed when we maintain:
1. An immovable fidelity to His word. (Psa. 119:11, 89, 105)
2: A life of being a working, learning, living member of His Body, studying, teaching, praying, and protecting it, honors God. (Heb. 10:24-25; I Tim. 3:14-15)
3. A daily life of purity and holiness before God and man. (II Tim. 2:19; I Pet. 1:15-17)
Thy Kingdom Come
As we read the gospels, we understand from the very beginning, they begin with the birth of Christ and the preparation for the beginning of His kingdom. As we continue to read the words of Christ and see the fulfillment of these words in Acts, we come to understand that the kingdom is His church and the Christian dispensation to last until the end of time.
God’s Kingdom (basileia) is essentially his reign (cf. Lk. 19: 12, 14). “Kingdom” and “church” (ekklesia) are used interchangeably by the Lord (Matt. 16: 18, 19). The church or called out saved are those over whom God reigns, his territory. Unless we understand “thy kingdom come” as referring to a resurgence of the kingdom, we must understand that this part of the prayer is time dated, because the kingdom subsequently came (Col. 1: 13). The kingdom came in Acts chapter two (see Mk. 9: 1, Acts 2).
So, one might ask, are we not to pray about the kingdom, at all? With the coming of the kingdom, already, we should, in fact, be praying for it’s success and continuance. Our prayer for the kingdom should be one for the elimination of obstacles to the growth of the church, for spreading the gospel around the world in truth and love, and for the uplifting of the lost from the grave of sin to the everlasting kingdom of God.
Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
The previous lessons, above, about our prayer all fall into this one passage. When we truly think of God as our Father, when we hallow His name in our daily lives, and when we realize that He has given us a wonderful citizenship in His eternal kingdom, only then can we truly desire that He wrap us in His Will.
Jesus explains about the coming of the kingdom when he further stated, “thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Man is to obey God (Acts 10: 34, 35). Jesus asked, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Lk. 6: 46). Jesus will only save the obedient (Heb. 5: 8, 9).
God’s Will is never different than that which He has given us in His Word. (Psa. 119:89) We should never pray, asking God to do His Will in our lives unless we are prepared to receive just that. “So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.” (II Cor. 5:9)
God’s Will is in heaven as well. A study of the book of Revelation reveals that God is still upon His throne, and upon that throne is worthy to receive and receives the worship of all, within heaven and without. (Rev. 4; Rev. 22:3)
We need to look no further than Jesus Christ for an example of God’s Will being fulfilled within one. Even at the hour of death, Christ’s prayer was one of unwavering trust in God’s Will. Though it meant humiliation, pain, and death, Christ understood that fulfilling His Father’s will meant victory over death and sin, not for Him only, but to all who would have the heart to do the same. (Matt. 26:42)
While it is impossible to live a life of perfection, as Jesus did, there is every reason to make a tireless effort in that direction. “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” (Phil. 3:7-11)
Give us this day, our daily bread.
I don’t believe there are many of us in this country who have prayed for our daily bread, not knowing where our food would come from that day. We are blessed, and blessed richly, with an abundance of food. Does that mean we should never ask God to feed us?
Remember the purpose of prayer, as we began this study? It is because we desperately depend upon God for our every need. No one can please God who does not fully and utterly depend upon Him for every aspect of life. (Jas. 1:17)
The central thought, here, is to pray, asking God for the needs of today. In that petition, we are not only praying for bread, but also for peace of mind. No one can do the very best for God without peace of mind. The thought expresses the requesting of the needs for today, not a storehouse for the future, lest we lose our dependence on His divine providence.
“Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the LORD?”or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.” (Pro. 30:7-9)
“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” (I Tim. 6:17-19)
In praying for our needs, we ought to be very careful in our attitude. The spirit of selfishness is not found in the teaching or life of Christ. He is not encouraging us to say, “Give ME this day MY daily bread.” Instead, the word, our, infers we are to include others in our prayer for the daily needs. God is no respecter of persons and expects us who have much to give to those who have little. Reconsider the parable of the good Samaritan. (Lk. 10:25ff)
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Forgiveness is a beautiful word. When we come to understand that forgiveness is love in action, it is a great word! When one then understands God’s forgiveness in the light of knowing that all men are sinners, and His desire is that all men come to repentance, in order to receive salvation, the word becomes priceless.
Man forgives, but remembers. God forgives, period! The testimony of the scriptures affirms that:
“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD:though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” (Isa. 1:18)
“And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days,’ declares the Lord: ‘I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,’ then he adds, ‘I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.’ Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.” (Heb. 10:15-18)
How is forgiveness obtained? We have already studied many of these conditions, but let’s put them in an orderly list:
1. Confess, or admit the sin. 1 Jno. 1:9
2. Repent, or renounce/forsake the sin and make every effort to not repeat it. Acts 8:22
3. Confession and repentance of each sin must take place to be forgiven. Prov. 28:13; Job 31:33; Jno. 3:19-21
There is a fourth condition that must be met in order to be forgiven. That is, to forgive those who have sinned against us . . . WHAT? Yes, my friend, as we began our study of prayer, we noted that no prayer will be heard if our hearts are not right with God.
People do mean things to us. Sometimes the most unkind deeds or words come from our friends or brethren. Some are so hurtful, they leave an impression of pain for years to come.
We might wander back to the prodigal son, mentioned in our previous lesson. Did you understand the forgiveness of the father? The son had taken his early inheritance, lived a riotous life with it, and squandered the entire amount. The father had planned for the son to receive it after he died, hoping it would be a pleasant, prosperous gift to help him in his own life. Now, the son “grabbed it,” wasted it, and in the meantime, had brought shame and disgrace to himself and his family.
In verse 21 of Luke 15, the son, ashamedly, confesses his sin and repents of it before the father. In verse 22, it’s as if it never happened. The father calls for a celebration for his return. There is no mention or heaping of guilt upon the son, merely forgiveness. How many of us would do that to one who had wronged us? Yet we are always ready to ask God to forgive us for things that might be worse.
Having a forgiving spirit does not mean we should think the one who hurt us has done rightly. It is still our duty to help him/her resolve the matter in love and truth. But, we are to forgive him/her, regardless of their lack of confession or repentance. “Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” (Lk. 17:3-4)
Would any thoughtful child of God come into His presence, in prayer, with the desire to be forgiven, but having a heart filled with bitterness, anger, and revenge against a brother or a neighbor? This might be God’s answer: “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Rom. 12:17-21)
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Jesus’ statement, “And lead us not into temptation” must not be understood that God solicits man to do evil. “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man,” (Jas. 1: 13).
It is the case, however, that God exercises his care over us in such a way as to lead us into circumstances which become the means of testing and purifying us (Jas. 1: 3, 4, I Pet. 1: 7). God has promised that his children will be provided a way to escape each temptation (I Cor. 10: 13, see vs.5-12).
These situations test our mettle. They determine if our faith is as strong as it should be, if our knowledge of Jesus Christ is sufficient, and if we truly look to God as our Father and our Protector. Christ knew that, as He was tempted. He answered every probe of Satan with God’s Word. He endured the taunting through the strength he gained through knowing His Father and His Truth.
“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (I Pet. 1:6-7)
“Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.” (Rev. 3:10-11)
Dear reader, the temptation to sin, because of our fleshly nature, is almost inevitable. Many situations, throughout our lives will test our faith and our hope. Satan hopes you will be overcome and fall. His goal is to totally destroy you, and deny you the crown of life.
Understand, dear friend, God is ready to put His Mighty Hand between you and Satan. The battle for your soul is the very reason this site is up and running. God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. (I Pet. 1:3) We want to make sure you understand that Satan can be defeated in our lives when we come to know and understand the Power, Mercy, and Love of God. We want to arm you with Truth and Knowledge by encouraging you with His Word, not ours.
Let us all continue to pray for understanding and strengthening through His Word, to defeat Satan and his disciples’ attacks against the children of God. He will deliver us from the evil one in our time of need.
“For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” (Jno. 3:20) Satan is defeated, time and time, again, as he was in the wilderness with Christ, by the Holy Word of God! May we continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. (II Pet. 3:18)
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory.
The language, “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen” is found, with variation, in many authorities, some ancient. However, many translations omit it from the text. If retained as in the case of the King James, Jesus is assigning proper tribute to the regal God of the universe in the doxology.
He closes His prayer, as He began – with the acknowledgment of God as the All in All. Just as our opening praise is directed to God in all His Beauty, Holiness, and Reverence, our final thoughts go back to His ability and readiness to answer wholesome prayers with the good things from His Throne.
A Note From the Editor:
This marks the end of a very excellent series on the subject of prayer as it pertains to us as New Testament Christians. Prayer is a privilege Christians have because of our mediator Jesus Christ. It is a subject that we often forget about and neglect, yet still it is so powerful and vital to the New Testament Christian. It is probably one of our most important tools in our toolbox if we will use it properly. Bruce has completed a huge task in this study, especially these last couple of lessons on the model prayer. Please study these lessons with your Bible and apply them to your daily life if neccessary.
