Sometimes, in life, we become overwhelmed with our situations. We can get stressed out, confused, and not know where to start in dealing with them. It can be intense enough that we don’t even know how to start praying.
I remember a time several years ago, when I first began pastoring. I would come before the Lord and feel completely incapable of the task. Being partly responsible for the well-being of those who sat under my teaching and influence, one could feel the weight. Often, I wouldn’t know how to pray. It is in moments like those where we have an opportunity to encounter our Lord in spiritually profound, yet intellectually simple ways. Seasons like that have taught me the deep value of the Lord’s prayer. Inside those few verses, the elements of everything we would need to pray for are found.
“This, then, is how you should pray:“ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
First in order of the Lord’s Prayer is the holiness of God. God’s holiness is the core of who He is. One of the things we miss in our English translations is the angelic declarations of God in heavenly visions. In Isaiah and in Revelation, those around the throne of God constantly declare “Holy, Holy, Holy.”
In the ancient Hebrew world, using a term twice is a strong emphasis. Using a term three times is a superlative. It is the highest declaration without competition. The angels are declaring the ultimate Holiness of God.
When we pray to the Lord and hallow (sanctify) his name, we are declaring the highest focus of our life, namely God.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven
This short phrase is at the crux of one of our constant battles in the Christian walk. To declare God’s kingdom to come and God’s will to be done is to declare our submission to His will. We declare His will to come to fruition against the corruption of the world powers, against the destructive actions of the earth, the oppression of the rich and powerful. And more deep and personal than that, we also declare His will in our lives.
God’s will is greater than our wills. When we pray this, we pray what He wants for us take priority over what we want for us. How do we know God’s will? We learn it through pouring over his scriptures, through conversing with wiser and godlier men. Once we make that declaration, we put our efforts and actions forth into making God’s will a higher priority over ours. This is the great battle we see Paul playing out in Romans 7. Only through the power of Jesus’ work on the Cross and the empowering of the Holy Spirit can we even hope to succeed in this.
Give us today our daily bread
This is the prayer for provision. It is not just about a loaf a bread to eat. We turn to God for all our physical needs. When we need jobs to provide for our families, it is God who is our provision. When we lose jobs and need to pay the bills, it is God who is our provision. When we look at our health, God is our provision. He is our healer. He is our sustain-er. Jobs can come and go. Our bodies can be wrecked with illness. Yes, God uses jobs to provide and doctors to heal. However, we cannot afford to lose site of the one behind it all–God.
It is worthwhile to remember the previous line of prayer “Thy will be done.” Things happen in line with God’s will as it plays out in our lives based on our actions. When we arrange our lives to be faithful in serving Him, He gladly becomes our provision. Even when things seem to fall apart, He will see us through it. It may not be the way we want or expect. However, a heart bent toward God will know His grace and provision.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors
Forgiveness is one of the foundational traits of right relationship, both with God and with people. Forgiveness is like a free-flowing stream in our souls. We keep the stream flowing by constantly giving and receiving forgiveness. The verses just below the Lord’s prayer talk about the necessity for forgiveness. Only to the degree which we forgive can we receive forgiveness from God. No matter what the excuse, if we refuse to forgive someone, God’s forgiveness stops flowing to us.
Forgiveness is endemic to right relationship with both God and people. This also hearkens back to the previous line “Thy will be done.” It is God’s will that forgiveness flows uninterrupted. When we declare His will be done, we are declaring forgiveness will flow through us no matter what the hurt or pain. God forgiving us was far more costly than our forgiving others. He paid the price, we offer the forgiveness. Jesus made forgiveness possible, we are called to steward the flow.
Forgiveness also applies to the self. Some of us are extremely self-critical and self-hating. Whether it is due to influential people in our lives speaking destruction to us or it is an internal self-punishment, we are also called to forgive ourselves. We could forgive others the wrongs they have done to us and still dam up the flow because we don’t forgive ourselves. This also is part of us submitting to the Lord’s will and ensuring the flow of forgiveness.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one
Why would we ask God not to lead us into temptation? Especially when the Epistle of James says, God does not tempt us. Because when we are listening to God in prayer, it is easy to put words and inclinations into his mouth. This then becomes more a prayer to the Lord to protect us from the desires in our hearts that we have yet to surrender to Him. James tells us it is our internal sinful desires that lead to sinful activities. We are asking for the Holy Spirit to help us battle them while they are internal drives so that they don’t spill out into actions that bring death and destruction.
Deliverance from the evil one is also a powerful prayer. In our daily experiences, we battle three foes; each can produce similar results. We battle our sinful desires (flesh), we battle the world (fallen society), we battle the devil and his angels. All three will destroy us if we submit to them. Losing a job could be due to our own actions (bad attitude, poor work ethic, being unreasonable). Losing a job could also be due to the fallen world (we could do things well, but wolves abound. Self-promoters may want your position and scheme to get it). Losing a job could be an attack of the enemy (he can manipulate situations).
In any event, we turn to the Lord. If we lose a job as such, we can ask the Lord for the next step. It is possible that any or all the above scenarios indicate the Lord has something else in store that is more suited for us in His will. If it is due to the flesh, maybe the Lord is calling us to fortify our character and internal drive to work with excellence for His glory, not for our desires. If it is the world, perhaps the Lord is preparing a way for us to get into a better work environment that is better for our spirit. If it is the enemy, the the Lord will restore what the enemy has taken-perhaps in the form of a job that is bigger and better.
In the end, everything we pray is designed to foster relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As we grow in a good relationship with God, we will see every aspect in the Lord’s prayer as a means of connecting with God on an intimate level.
T
odd Williams is an Executive Co-Pastor of The Gathering Place Chicago.