Dr. Bradford Reaves
CrossWay Christian Fellowship
Hagerstown, MD
www.mycrossway.org
Kids are amazing when it comes to relating to God, especially when it comes to prayer. Here are some prayers from children ages 6-8
Dear God: The new baby you sent cries too much; please send a puppy instead. Debbie, 7
Dear God: Who did you make smarter? Boys or girls? My sister and I want to know. Jimmy, 6
"Dear God, my Grandpa says you were around when he was a little boy. How far back do you go? Sam, 8
Dear God: How many angels are there in heaven? I want to be the first kid in my class to know the answer. Norma, 8
Dear Lord: Thank you for the nice day today. You even fooled the TV weatherman. Hank, 7
Dear God: I need a raise in my allowance. Could you have one of your angels tell my dad? Thank you. David, 7
Dear God: This is my prayer. Could you please give my brother some brains? I think You forgot when you made him. Angela, 8
"Dear God, I say your prayer every night, 'lead us not into temptation and deliver us some e-mail,' but I never get an e-mail from you. Do you have my right address?" Jenna, 7
(Chris Jorda, Sermon Central)
We are discussing prayer in our study of the Sermon on the Mount, and this morning we’re looking at the first part of the Lord’s Prayer. For most of us, we grew up memorizing, reciting, and regularly praying the Lord’s Prayer. I remember being in Catechism as a boy and having to write it from memory.
But recently, a question arose during Jeopardy about the Lord’s prayer. The question was: ‘Our Father who art in heaven, ______ be thy name,’” Not one contestant could answer “Hallowed” to the $200 question. After Bialik read the famous verse, there was no response from any of the three contestants, and social media lit up with people who were blown away:
“Not one contestant on Jeopardy! last night knew the answer to this.....” wrote one user, whose tweet garnered more than 5,700 likes. “Are you waking up yet?”
“I’m an atheist, and even I knew the answer to that [Lord’s Prayer] question,” wrote another.
I think it speaks to the condition of our country and underscores my concerns about the level of biblical illiteracy. We must recapture the hearts and minds of children, and it is not through entertaining them or focusing on moralism. The prevalence of the Word must return to the Church.
Prayer also stands at the forefront of the issues in the Church today. D.L. Moody said, “I’d rather be able to pray than to be a great preacher; Jesus Christ never taught his disciples how to preach, but only how to pray.” In fact, the disciples came to Jesus in Luke 11:1 and asked him to teach them how to pray.
When asked about his regrets in life, Billy Graham said, “I would also spend more time in spiritual nurture, seeking to grow closer to God so I could become more like Christ. I would spend more time in prayer, not just for myself but for others. I would spend more time studying the Bible and meditating on its truth, not only for sermon preparation but to apply its message to my life. It is far too easy for someone in my position to read the Bible only with an eye on a future sermon, overlooking the message God has for me through its pages.”
I share in that harkening from Dr. Graham. I think we miss out on the best of God’s blessings because we’re too busy. I find myself sacrificing valuable in communion with the Lord for the sake of business. The trade-off is that I engage in spiritual battles that would likely be averted if I had stopped and prayed first. I think we don’t pray because we can do everything we want to do ourselves if we work hard. But, if we embrace this posture of praying together as a church, one thing we’re reminded of is that our mandate extends far beyond our capabilities. Friends, I believe this Church was started for a great purpose, but before we can realize that mandate, we must be known as a house of prayer.
With the increasing illiteracy of our nation comes an increasing misunderstanding of prayer. The Word of Faith movement or name-it-and-claim-it heresy has degraded our understanding of prayer to a simple way for you to get everything you want. Many prosperity preachers like Joel Osteen, Kenneth Copeland, and Benny Hinn want to present God and Christianity as a genie in a bottle that is people-centered and greed-centered, and use Scripture out of context to convince people of their false teaching. They aren’t preaching the biblical gospel of Christ Crucified, death to self, and Christ’s imminent return.
They teach that you go to God in faith with your demands and your faith gets your every want and need, which fits very well into a self-indulgent and materialistic society. Really, this satisfies the LGBTQ culture, doesn’t it? “God, I want my every lust fulfilled.” That kind of praying is a perversion of prayer and takes the name of the Lord in vain. Jesus said in Matthew 6:8, “Therefore, do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”
So with that, we’re going to look at the first part of the Lord’s Prayer this morning and the second part next week, but we’ll read the whole thing together this morning:
“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’] (Matthew 6:9–13 LSB)
This is a model of how to pray. Some believe that it gives us the “ingredients” that should comprise our prayer. Others teach that it should be recited as a prayer alone. I believe that both are appropriate applications that should be in our prayer life. It should be memorized and recited verbatim as a formatted prayer and as a guide for our prayer. With that we can study the elements in the Lord’s Prayer to better understand what Jesus is teaching us.
1. Our Father, Who is In Heaven (v.9)
“Our Father in Heaven” are the first words and elements of the Christian Prayer. It is a designation of God in Heaven that Jesus uses in the Gospel over 70 Times. It is not unusual to hear Christians in a private gathering praying to begin their prayer by addressing God as Father. There’s nothing more common among us than to address God as our Father.
It is essential to understand the role of a father in biblical times. A father was the protector and provider but also the one who gave identity to the family. That’s why being a widow or orphan in those days was so challenging because you would have lost your protection and provision. For God to be named ‘Our Father’ reminds us that our identity is found in Him as the head of our family, the provider for our needs, and the protector of our sanctity.
"Yet there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him. (1 Corinthians 8:6)
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:4–6)
But now, O Yahweh, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand. (Isaiah 64:8)
Even more significant was the word that Jesus used for Father – the Arabic word “Abba.” The word was common then but wouldn’t have been used to connect to God. “Abba” essentially is equivalent to “daddy,” but with a more reverent tone, like “dearest father.” So Jesus tells us that the beginning of effectual prayer is the recognition that God possesses a father’s heart, a father’s love, a father’s strength, and a father’s concern for the best interest of his children.
But acknowledging God as our Father is a level of respect and submission. God is our heavenly Father, not our heavenly ‘Bud.’
7 Characteristics of God the Father
1. Provider?
“Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 “For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. (Matthew 6:31–32)
2. Protector
“My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. (John 10:29)
3. Loving
See how great a love the Father has given to us, that we would be called children of God; and we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. (1 John 3:1)
4. Faithful
“You shall know therefore that Yahweh your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; (Deuteronomy 7:9)
5. Compassionate
As a father has compassion on his children, So Yahweh has compassion on those who fear Him. (Psalm 103:13)
6. Merciful
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3)
7. Good
Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. (James 1:17)
(Credit: Clarence Haynes)
Instead of starting prayer with all our wants and needs, what if we approached God, our Heavenly Father, with gratitude and honor based on who He is instead of what we want Him to give us? God is a person, not a power. That means that our relationship with God is personal and that he is compassionate and loving. Unfortunately, many times, the relationship we had with our earthly fathers taints our image with God. Jesus tells us to begin our prayer by recognizing who we are talking to; Our Father in Heaven.
2. Hollowed Be Your Name (v.9)
True prayer is God-centered, not man-centered. Prayer begins and ends with God's glory, not man's appeasement. Everything in prayer revolves around who God is and how He can be glorified. So essentially, prayer is the root of all worship. As we come to behold the greatness of God, we are able to bring our petitions under the illumination of His glory instead of the confusion of our greeds.
Hallowed comes from the Greek word hagiazo, which essentially means, but takes it a step deeper. When we say ‘Hallowed be your name,’ we are saying that we honor the name of God the Father with all the reverence and honor we can give.
“Hallowed be your name” is an extensive petition. We pray that we will speak well of God and that our lives will cause others to bless his name as well (Matt. 5:16). We pray that we can focus on God’s nature, not just on our needs, when we pray. In praying, we say, “I admire you. I adore you” (Daniel M. Doriani).
In Daniel 9, Daniel faced a challenging situation as a part of the exiled Jews. He was caught between two great world empires and cried out to God in desperation. However, the entrance of His prayer was on God, not the problem.
So I gave my face to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4 And I prayed to Yahweh my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, (Daniel 9:3–4)
When Jonah was in the belly of a great fish (can you imagine). He prays, Jonah 2:7
“While my soul was fainting within me, I remembered Yahweh, And my prayer came to You, To Your holy temple. 8 “Those who regard worthless idols Forsake their lovingkindness, 9 But as for me, I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to Yahweh.” (Jonah 2:7–9)
Jonah prayed a prayer for the glory of God. There were no vain repetitions, like ‘deliver me, God, deliver me, God...” There was no naming and claiming. There was no rebuking the fish. Jonah’s prayer was an exaltation, a blessing to the character of God for his salvation and power. In other words, prayer is directed upward to God.
“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)
From cover to cover, the Bible describes God in all His magnificence:
In the Old Testament:
In Genesis, He is the Creator
In Exodus, He is our Redeemer.
In Leviticus, He is our sanctification.
In Numbers, He is your guide.
In Deuteronomy, He is our teacher.
In Joshua, He is the mighty conqueror.
In Judges, He gives victory over enemies.
In Ruth, He is our kinsman redeemer.
In I Samuel, He is the root of Jesse.
In 2 Samuel, He is the Son of David.
In Kings, He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
In Chronicles, He is our intercessor and High Priest.
In Ezra, He is your temple, your house of worship.
In Nehemiah, He is your mighty wall, protecting you from your enemies.
In Esther, He stands in the gap to deliver you from your enemies.
In Job, He is the arbitrator.
In Psalms, He is our song–and our reason to sing.
In Proverbs, He is our wisdom,
In Ecclesiastes, He is our purpose, delivering you from vanity.
In the Song of Solomon, He is our Rose of Sharon.
In Isaiah, He is the mighty counselor, the prince of peace, and the everlasting Father.
In Jeremiah, He is our balm of Gilead.
In Lamentations, He is the ever-faithful one upon whom you can depend.
In Ezekiel, He is the one who assures that dry, dead bones will come alive again.
In Daniel, He is the ancient of days, the ever-lasting God who never runs out of time.
In Hosea, He is faithful, always beckoning you to return–even when you’ve abandoned Him.
In Joel, He is your refuge, keeping you safe in times of trouble.
In Amos, You can depend on him to stay by your side.
In Obadiah, He is Lord of the Kingdom.
In Jonah, He is your salvation, bringing you back within His will.
In Micah, He is the judge of the nation.
In Nahum, He is the jealous God.
In Habakkuk, He is the Holy One.
In Zephaniah, He is the witness.
In Haggai, He overthrows the enemies.
In Zechariah, He is Lord of Hosts.
In Malachi, He is the messenger of the covenant.
In the New Testament:
In Matthew, He is the King of the Jews.
In Mark, He is the servant.
In Luke, He is the Son of Man, feeling what you feel.
In John, He is the Son of God.
In Acts, He is the Savior of the world.
In Romans, He is the righteousness of God.
In I Corinthians, He is the rock that followed Israel.
In II Corinthians, He is the triumphant one, giving victory.
In Galatians, He is your liberty; He sets you free.
In Ephesians, He is head of the Church.
In Philippians, He is your joy.
In Colossians, He is your completeness.
In I Thessalonians, He is your hope.
In II Thessalonians, He is your glory.
In I Timothy, He is your faith.
In II Timothy, He is your stability.
In Titus, He is your reason for serving.
In Philemon, He is your benefactor.
In Hebrews, He is your perfection.
In James, He is the power behind your faith.
In I Peter, He is your example.
In II Peter, He is your purity.
In I John, He is your life.
In II John, He is your pattern.
In III John, He is your motivation.
In Jude, He is the foundation of your faith.
In Revelation, He is your coming King.
(Jeff Strite)
That is our Father in Heaven. And because God is all those things, He is worthy of your adoration. When we pray ‘Our Father who is in Heaven, Hallowed be your name,’ we draw near to God as our Abba while acknowledging He is Almighty God. He is the God who holds all things together and yet still knows my name.
To grasp some context on this, check out this video illustration by Francis Chan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M53V27TPCvM
Now let me show you another perspective. This is a picture of the Milky Way Galaxy and the arrow pointing to where our sun is located, which is one of an estimated 100 to 400 billion stars in our galaxy alone, one of 200 billion galaxies. Somewhere deep in there is the earth, and there is a little dot on the map called Hagerstown, MD, and in that little dot is you. God made all of that and holds all of that together. Yet he cares for you. He knows your every need. He knows your every thought.
“Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name...”
