The priority of Jesus’ solitude and silence in prayer is everywhere in the Gospels. Nine times Jesus retreated to be alone with God to pray. It’s how He began His ministry. It’s how He made important decisions. It’s how He dealt with troubling emotions like grief. It’s how He dealt with the constant demands of His ministry and cared for His soul. It’s how He prepared for His death on the cross. Luke in 5:16 says, “But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness to pray.” The disciples witnessed Jesus’ need to pray, so in Luke 11: 1 we read, “Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” John had identified Jesus as the Lamb of God and if He being holy should have need to be still and alone with God, how much more do we as believers, being unholy, need to seek the same in our lives! I believe that God is calling us back to the foundation of truth set forth in the Bible—to humble ourself before God—to seek His face—to turn from our wicked ways so that God will hear our prayers and heal our land. (2 Chron. 7: 14) We must return to the foundation of our nation upon God’s Truth and Word laid by the Pilgrims/Puritans in 1620. They schooled their children from the New England Primer based upon God’s Word and included the alphabet with links to the scriptures. The Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer were fundamental teachings in the home and school. They also taught cursive writing as all of our founding documents are handwritten in cursive! Families were strong together in prayer. It is important to learn from history, especially the depth of history provided in the Word. May God return us to our Biblical roots and teach us to pray—not merely how to pray!
The U.S. Supreme Court on June 25, 1962 ruled prayer organized by public schools was unconstitutional. Further clarification came in 1963 which banned Bible readings and the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer in public schools. Since the Lord’s Prayer was removed from public school classrooms, we have had a 6-fold increase in violent crime, our divorce rate has tripled, births to single mothers have increased 5-fold, the teenage suicide rate has tripled, and SAT scores have dropped 10%. (Creation Today) Allowing prayer in schools set valuable standards and morals for pupils. Without prayer, people have become more and more obliterate to God-based values. “After 1963 divorces increased by 300% each following year.” (Prayer in America) Marriage was ordained by God in the beginning creating man and woman joining them together as helpmates. It was 53 years almost to the day after prayer was removed from public schools on June 26, 2015, that the U.S. Supreme Court guaranteed the right for same-sex couples to marry in all 50 states! Cursive writing was effectively removed from the core curriculum in U.S. public schools when the common Core State Standards was adopted in 2011. All of this was no coincidence, but a plan orchestrated by Satan and the kingdom of darkness! Like the old saying goes “Give the devil an inch and he will take a mile!”
The prayer that Jesus taught His disciples to pray has a more profound effect upon us today as Christ is seated upon the Throne of God and is now King and Lord to all who have accepted Him as Savior. Jesus had proclaimed the announcement of the Kingdom, which is “righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” (Romans 14: 17) That Kingdom that He had promised has a new meaning for us today. The reign of God in heaven came down in the power of the Spirit as Jesus promised in Luke 17:21—“the Kingdom of God will be within you.” We must know that Christ, as King, dwells and rules in our hearts. We must know that we live in Him and by His power are able to accomplish all that He wants us to do. Our lives are to be entirely devoted to our King and the service of His kingdom. In John 17:21 Jesus prayed to the Father, “I pray that they (believers) will be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in Me, Father, and I am in You. And may they be in Us so that the world will believe You sent Me.” The blessed relationship Jesus is speaking of in this verse is a daily fellowship with Him in prayer—a continuous and unbroken exercise.
Let us revisit that inspired prayer known to us as the Lord’s Prayer in order that it can become alive within each of us and within our nation and especially in our children. Let us not take conversation with our Heavenly Father for granted but rather enter into it as life’s greatest privilege. “Prayer is the key of heaven; faith is the hand that turns it.” (Thomas Watson)
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy Name…The LORD has set up His Throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all.” (Ps. 103:19) We come with an attitude of worship acknowledging the absolute holiness of all that God is and does. Throughout the Bible we find names of God that describe His character. Indeed, God and God alone is hallowed—holy, venerated and sacred. In the Old Testament, people called God by many names…Hallowed be: El Shaddai (Lord God Almighty), El Elyon (The Most High God), Adonai (Lord, Master), Yahweh (Lord, Jehovah), Jehovah Nissi (The Lord My Banner), Jehovah-Raah (The Lord My Shepherd), Jehovah Shammah (The Lord Is There), Jehovah Tsidkenu (The Lord our Righteousness), Jehovah Mekoddishkem (The Lord Who Sanctifies You), El Olam (The Everlasting God), Elohim (God), Qanna (Jealous), Jehovah Jireh (The Lord Will Provide), Jehovah Shalom (The Lord Is Peace), Jehovah Sabaoth (The Lord of Hosts). God is our all-sufficient God! In the Old Testament they most never called Him Father. But when Jesus came, everything changed! In the four books about Jesus’ life (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), God is called “Father” about 165 times! Jesus used a very special word when He talked to God. He called Him “Abba.” In Jesus’ language, Abba was the word little children used when they crawled up into their daddy’s lap. It’s like saying “Daddy” or “Papa.” The Bible keeps this special word Abba in three important places: when Jesus was praying in the garden before He died on the cross. (Mark 14: 36) and two times when Paul explains that we can call God Abba too! (Romans 8: 15-16; Galatians 4:6) Our Father is ONE, and the Hebrew word “Echad” confirms our Father is absolute unity. When we pray, we’re not talking to some faraway, scarry God. We’re talking to our loving Heavenly Father who wants to hear everything we have to say! It’s important that we pray sincerely and thoughtfully with cries of praise and petition.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…Scripture makes it emphatically clear that there are only two kingdoms: God’s kingdom—the people aligned with the LORD OVER ALL. “Aleph” is the first letter of the Hebrew language and is associated with the concept of TRUTH/LIFE. It is linked to the breath of God, connecting to the creation where God breathes life into Adam. It was God’s intention to bring heaven to earth as He came and communed and fellowshipped with Adam and Eve in the Garden in the cool of the day. Satan’s kingdom—After their fall sin entered the world, people who are not aligned with God are in the kingdom of DARKNESS/DEATH. They align with the god of this world and are people who operate in blood sacrifice, the killing of children donated to and sacrificed to the gods or goddesses of the other kingdom. “Before we can pray, “Lord, Thy kingdom come,” we must be willing to pray, “My Kingdom go.” (Alan Redpath) The ultimate fulfillment of this prayer for God’s kingdom to come and His will be done on earth as in heaven is prophesied as a literal kingdom that will be established on earth and ruled by Jesus Christ upon His return, fulfilling promises made to David and other prophets. It will bring about a time of universal peace, righteousness, and restoration of creation when Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, will reign from Jerusalem for a 1000 years. While the Kingdom of God is currently present in a spiritual sense through the work of the Holy Spirit and the lives of believers, its full, physical manifestation on earth is yet to come.
Give us this day our daily bread…Jesus reminded the disciples not to worry about what they would eat each day. (Matthew 6: 25) Just as God was faithful to provide for His people daily in the wilderness, so He would provide for the disciples and us as we trust in Him. Walking by faith, not by sight, means taking no thought (worry) for tomorrow. (6:34) God’s commitment is to provide all our needs as we look to Him. (Phil. 4: 19) It is a journey of faith one day at a time that God is faithful to meet all or needs and is not limited to material needs but includes spiritual, emotional, and relational needs as well. It is tied to the assurance grounded in God’s character—He is faithful, unchanging, and able to fulfill His will and purpose for each of us as exemplified by His instruction to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” (Mt. 6:33) We are on a faith walk with the Lord one day at a time. The phrase “O ye of little faith” is spoken by Jesus five times in the Gospel of Matthew as a rebuke directed at His disciples during moments of fear, doubt, or lack of understanding, highlighting their weak trust in His power and presence. True prayer accepts in advance the will of God, whether known or unknown, whether to grant or to withhold.
And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us…In the rabbinical writings from Jesus’ day there were discussions about forgiveness. The consensus was that a brother could be forgiven three times for a repeated sin—but not more. However, Jesus took away the limits on forgiveness by saying we should forgive “seventy times seven” times. (Mt. 18:22) Therefore, if we don’t want God to limit His forgiveness to us, we must not limit our forgiveness of others. (Mt. 6: 14-15) In addition, Psalm 66: 18 emphasizes that holding onto sin, particularly in one’s inner thoughts and desires, creates a barrier to effective prayer and communion with God. The fact is that while God hears the prayers of the righteous, unconfessed and cherished sin in the heart hinders this relationship. I John 1:9 commands us to confess our sins to God and He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Paul instructs us in 1 Corinthians 11: 31 to judge ourselves to avoid chastisement. Repentance is required for filling of the Spirit, for true ministry and having our prayers answered!
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil…We must first ask ourselves—who is the author of evil and who is the tempter? It is Satan and the kingdom of darkness. We are to ask God to help us cultivate desires from the Spirit rather than from the flesh. (Rom 7:7-8) The apostle James makes it clear in 1: 13-14 that God does not tempt anyone to sin. That is not to say that God doesn’t use tests in our life as the word for “test” can also be translated “temptation.” Our first step to obedience is “Depart from evil” (Proverbs 3:7) and “flee” from temptation by pursuing “righteousness.” (2 Tim. 2: 22) 1 John 4: 3 reveals that the power of God, the Holy Spirit who dwells within believers, is greater than any opposing spiritual force in the world. We overcome by the blood of Jesus who loved us and gave Himself for us!
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen…The word “for” links all our requests with God’s glory. It’s all for God’s glory. We end the Lord’s Prayer by praising the great attributes of God. As we pray, let us remember God’s sovereignty, His power, His majesty, and His eternity. In prayer and in all of life, let’s end with praise to ALEPH-TRUTH/LIFE and ECHAD-THE LORD IS OUR GOD--ABSOLUTE UNITY! A Christian is one who has God as his Father! (Packer)