Our small group Tuesday night meeting this fall has been filled with lively discussion and no small amount of introspection as we walked through the model prayer that Jesus taught his disciples to pray. As we prayed it together, we found it is much more than a litany of oft-repeated words. It helps us to put our life in the right order.
It is a good model for prayer. By that, I mean, it is meant to be prayed in the order it was given. For example, when I pray by jumping in the middle (“Give me my bread”), I am quite likely to be selfish in my requests. On the other hand, it seems that when we do step one seriously, an honest look at step two is more apt to follow. Step three naturally follows step two, and so on until the end.
Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name
Step One - “PUTTING GOD IN HIS PLACE”
I say this carefully, but this phrase puts God in His place. Not, of course, in the manner in which we often think of “putting so-and-so” in their place … in fact it probably would be better if I said that this phrase recognizes the place of God. The Heavenly Father. The Holy Heavenly Father. A holy God who desires family relationship … with me! Our God is an awesome God, He reigns in heaven above with wisdom, power and love. Our God is an awesome God.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven
Step Two - “GOD PUTS ME IN MY PLACE”
When I dare to pray this, and listen while I pray, it is as if I hear God whisper to me, “You’re kidding, right?” And of course, I piously answer, “No.” Then he gently (sometimes) shows me that if I really mean that, I must stop worrying about his will in the world, and be serious about attending to his will in my life.
Give us this day our daily bread
Step Three - “PUTTING MY DESIRES IN THEIR PLACE”
This is a dangerous part of the Lord’s Prayer, if we have not been serious about step two and three. The idea of a Christian with an elevated view of self, and a diminutive view of God’s role is quite laughable. Can you not see how childish it looks to the Heavenly Father? “Dear God, give me this and this and two of those. And while I have you on the line, perhaps you could get tomorrow’s things together and hand them through the drive-through window. I will be in quite a hurry, you know. Thanks for everything. Bye. And, oh, by the way, couldn’t you do something about the Tsunamis and hurricanes. The never-ending requests for help are becoming quite overbearing.”
Our intercession changes dramatically when we have taken time to acknowledge the rightful place of God, and allow him to place us in our place. The shopping list of selfish requests is left outside the prayer closet. In fact, there comes a time when we are concerned more about others heart aches than even the necessity of our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us
Step Four - “PUTTING MY ATTITUDE TOWARDS OTHERS IN ITS PLACE”
This step of forgiveness is not quite as altruistic as it seems. I think God instructs us to do the hard work of forgiving others, because it is good for us. (In fact, I think most of God’s instructions are for that purpose. For example, the goal of the Ten Commandments is not to keep us from everything that is fun; it is to protect us from everything that is dangerous. But that’s another lesson.) Non-forgiveness brings ulcers, it robs us of sleep, and it steals the energy that could be used in many other ways. In effect, the person we do not forgive is elevated to a place where he is allowed to come between you and God. Do you really want that person to have that power over you? “Forgive our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.”
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil - for Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory - forever
Step 5 - “PUTTING SIN IN ITS PLACE”
Tonight we discovered several Scripture verses that could be used as positive affirmations to remind us that Christ has given us victory over sin, and thus his power and glory are at work in our lives.
- Phil. 4:13 - I can do everything through him who gives me strength
- I John 4:4 - You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
- Romans 8:36-39 - No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- James 4:7-8 - Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you
- Psalm 18:29 - with my God I can scale a wall.
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