12/14/2021
When we read the scriptures dealing with the Lord’s Prayer, we memorize them as a recitation. We repeat these words faithfully, and recognize the importance of their detailed instruction, but do we use them as a template for our own daily prayers? So many of us are accustomed to praying first for ourselves, and then secondly for the kingdom of God, but are our desires, which comprise our prayers, out of order? Are they wrong facing, and looking first towards our humanity, and then towards the divine?
“Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.”
Luke 11:1-2 ESV
Is the Lord’s Prayer imbedded in our first prayer of the day, and the last one we utter before we drift off into our nightly slumber? Well, if we don’t know how to pray then reciting it, while dwelling on its content, is good, but if we simply use it as a template for our own desires that can be better yet, it redirects our thoughts to look first towards who God is, and then it reorders our life so that we place Him before all else… it confirms our constant transformation in Christ as we recognize Heaven and earth rightly through the eyes of Jesus, and the ten steps He teaches us to follow in prayer.
“Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Matthew 6:9-13 ESV
Do we see the world from the windows of God’s kingdom, or God’s kingdom from the windows of an earthly residence? So often we forget to close our eyes and look out at the world as God does, to see creation below filled with souls waiting to hear the gospel, meet Jesus, and that are longing for Him to come for them. Instead we find ourselves standing on the earth looking up towards heaven as if the world remains our abode, and we forget that the earth we once thought of as home is now a graveyard that contains the corpse of the person we once were. It is a nether-land for those who believe that they live, but are walking about in the shadow of death, not having recognized it yet.
“If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations—”
Colossians 2:20 ESV
So are we praying as lost souls searching for salvation, or from the perch of the redeemed, the transformed… of eagles? I once heard a sermon in which the pastor said that God resides in Heaven, so wherever He is that is Heaven. Do we stand, kneel, sit, or prostrate ourselves in God’s presence when we pray? If so, then shouldn’t our perspective be dictated by His presence? Shouldn’t we be looking from the windows of God’s Kingdom? Which way do we pray; man first as if looking up, or God first ad if looking down?
“God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.”
Psalm 53:2 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your presence as we pray. Thank you for opening the windows of Heaven, and allowing us to see the world through your eyes. Come quickly Lord Jesus, and usher in the Father’s kingdom; our true home. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who leads us into every day, and then by your infinite mercy, and grace, shows us the redemption our souls in Christ, while providing for our bodies as we walk the earth speaking your Word, and delivering the gospel of Christ. As we forgive others we ask that you to forgive us Lord, and that you shield us from the temptation and evil of the world. Heal our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls and then usher us into our new home with you for all eternity. This day, this night, and all those to come, are yours as we await the return of Jesus. Keep us safe in your arms as we pray our way through them with our eyes fixed on you, and our hope alive in your every promise.
Rich Forbes