There is a story about a father scolding his son for being so biblically
illiterate. "You probably don't even know the Lord's Prayer, " he
shouts. "Oh yes I do," the boy responds triumphantly. "Now I lay me
down to sleep, I pray the lord my soul to keep. If I should die before
I wake, I pray the lord my soul to take." The father said, "Sorry
son. I had no idea that you actually knew it." We certainly hope this
is not true.
However, how many of us know the Lord's prayer? We like many of David's
prayers, because we can identify with his emotion and circumstances.
We like the prayer of Jabez because it is very compatible with the
American dream of expansion and painless growth. How about the Lord's
prayer? As a matter of fact, the real Lord's prayer is found in John
17. It is the prayer Jesus prayed shortly before his arrest, known
as the Priestly Prayer. The passage before us is a prayer that Jesus
taught the disciples. It is not meant to teach us what to pray, but
how. It calls our attention to the principles of prayer; how we are
to pray to God.
There are 6 petitions and one opening invocation in this prayer.
In this prayer we shall identify a simple truth: Jesus teaches us
to pray to the God who is high and lofty, yet also personal as a loving
father.
I. The Prayer Jesus teaches us is a relational experience.
The opening phrase of this prayer is: Our Father in heaven. The focus
is on whom we pray to: a child praying to the father. It is a father-child
relationship.
Very often we perceive prayer as a functional experience. When we
are in need, we pray to God. When we are sick, when our relationship
is on the rocks, when we are about to launch a major project, or when
finance is tight or lacking, the call to prayer is issued and we begin
to pray fervently. However, when life is stable, and ministry is moving
along smoothly, financial resource being adequate, everything under
control, the need for prayer seems to disappear. Those prayers of
petition are all important; it shows our dependence on God, that without
him, we can do nothing. However, we must not limit prayer to this
functional aspect. Can you imagine in a father-child relationship,
whenever the child talks to the father, it is about wanting this and
that? (even though this is quite common in some families). We don't
just come and get something out of God. We come before God so that
we can get something of God; be drawn closer to him, be more like
him. Prayer is more of a relational than functional experience. If
it is a relational experience, then prayer is also:
1. Conversation.
In every healthy relation, there is communication and conversation.
In any conversation, someone is being addressed. Here, the conversation
is directed to the father in heaven. What makes a good conversation?
In a good conversation, each person would try to make the other person
the center of conversation. If all I can think of is me, me, me, then
this conversation is a very one sided and quite boring. In this prayer
Jesus taught us, we notice the first 3 petitions are all directed
to God. God is the center. The other 3 petitions had to do with us.
A good conversation also has the right balance of talking and listening.
We tell God about our concerns and needs, about our ups and downs
in life. We also listen to him. Many of us want to hear that voice,
be it loud like lightening and thundering or a still small voice.
When we don't hear that, we become frustrated. We listen to different
sermons, we go from seminar to seminar to learn certain techniques,
promising us great results, enabling us to hear God's voice. However,
there is a very basic principle we are to remember, and that is, God
has already spoken to us in the bible. Therefore, if we want to hear
God speaking to us, we need to spend time reading the bible. Certainly,
we must not forget that there are times when God would impress upon
our hearts the need to go visit or call someone, to pray for a certain
person, or writing a check to someone you may not know too well. When
this occurs, be obedient and do it.
In the eastern meditation, the objective is to empty one's mind.
However, in Christian meditation, one is to focus on God's word that
was revealed to us. Besides prayer as a conversation, the focus of
prayer is:
2. Focus on self-change.
When we pray, our tendency is to ask God to change our external environment.
When my circumstance is changed, when that person is either changed
or disappears, then I will be fine, and my life will be easier. In
this prayer, we learn of asking God to forgive our sins, lead us not
into temptation, deliver us from evil. The focus seems to be on our
personal change. That God would change me first; help me to be pure
and strong. You see, when I am changed, I will be more capable of
dealing with surrounding people and situations.
II. The Prayer Jesus taught us is a prayer of Community.
'OUR' Father in heaven. There is a comic book explaining why the
Norwegians are a rugged and individualistic group of people. It says
that many many years ago, each Norwegian would occupy one cave overseeing
a fjord. There is no need to talk or associate with anyone else. We
Chinese, on the one hand teaches about the brotherhood within the
4 seas. Yet isn't it true there is the more realistic picture of each
cleaning the snow before his own house?
However, the bible teaches us differently. In 1John 5:1, "Everyone
who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God."
We believers have a common father in heaven, therefore, we are members
of the same family, and we call each other brothers and sisters in
Christ. As followers of Jesus Christ, we live in the community of
believers. HCC is a community of believers. Your fellowship or small
group is a community of believers. The Christians in Houston are a
part of the community of believers. Christians in US are members of
this community. Christians in China and in other parts of the words
are also a part of this community of believers.
Like our own family, we don't get to choose our siblings; they are
there. Some are short or tall, fat or thin, healthy or not so healthy,
smart and not so smart. They are just there; we don't have any choice.
Therefore, when we pray, we don't just pray for my bread, my sin and
my temptation; but our bread, our sin, and our temptations.
It is easy to see my sins, my temptations or your sins and temptations.
Yet, equally important is that we see it as our sins and temptations.
What happens when we include others in our prayers?
When we see another brother or sister sin, we don't just say he/she
needs to repent and feel remorse; it also includes us. It will prevent
us from being arrogant, that we are better than others. Yes, we are
not responsible for another believer's, but because we are family,
it is as if we have sinned.
I feel we Chinese understand this well. If my adult child has offended
you, our whole family may feel that we have done you wrong. Out of
shame, we may want to avoid you. In Kin Yon's novels, we read story
after story about how when one family member offended another family,
that entire family was being held accountable. Revenge would then
be carried out from one generation to another.
Since we are in the same family, in the same community of believers,
when one of us sins, we are to feel sorry and remorse as if I have
sinned against God. In the 11th to the 13th century, the western church
marched against and killed many Muslims. Today, we don't just say,
those Christians had committed terrible sins against the Muslims.
Being in the community of believers, we say, we have committed great
sins in the past against the Muslims. We are deeply sorry for what
happened in the past. Therefore, when we pray, we can truly say, forgive
our sins….
When we include others in our prayers, it will help me to put my
situation in proper perspective. When I pray for my brother in Christ
who has lost a job and has a family of 4 to support, my dissatisfaction
with my present job seems to be a much lesser problem. When I pray
for your son who has ran away from home, my problem with my child
who refuses to practice piano, seems to be so trivial. When I pray
for that sister who has terminal cancer, it helps me to look at my
cold or muscle pain with proper perspective. This Lord's Prayer is
a prayer of community.
III. The Prayer Jesus teaches us is a prayer of intimacy.
Our FATHER in Heaven. In Jesus' time, it is very rare that anyone
would address God as father. Instead, they addressed God as: almighty
God, Lord of hosts or Yahweh. However, Yahweh is such a holy and 'other'
title that they would not dare to pronounce this word. Therefore,
they would approach God with sacrifices, incense, altar and their
heads bowed. When Jesus prayed, he addressed God as, "father in heaven".
It is like calling God, "dad" or "papa". It is a very intimate address;
something unheard of in those days. Of course, Jesus is unique. When
he called God, father in heaven, it means that as the son of God,
he is equal with God, he is God.
However, he also taught his disciples to call God: father. When I
became a disciple, a follower of Jesus Christ, I have also become
a child of God. Those who call Jesus, Lord, are also called born of
God. Paul teaches us in Gal 4:6 that the Holy Spirit would come into
a believer's heart, enabling him to call God, Abba, father. After
Jesus' resurrection, he told Mary that he first had to go back to
'my father, who is also your father, my God, who is also your God."
Throughout his ministry, Jesus brings us to God, so we can call him
'Father'.
However, we also need to remember that God is not father to everyone.
Yes, being the creator, he is the father to all the creatures. But
John 1:12, 1 John 3:1 point to us that only those who believe in Jesus
Christ, accepts him as lord and savior are children of God.
As his children, we freely receive life, forgiveness, acceptance,
inheritance, family and discipline. Yes, discipline (Heb 12:10). We
are told that God disciplines us as a father disciplines his beloved
child so that we can share in his glory and beauty.
IV. The Prayer Jesus taught us is a Lofty prayer.
Our Father in HEAVEN. To the Jews, God is way up there. He is so
high up there, that the richness of his personality is lost. The Chinese
view of God is a being high up there, beyond human reach. There is
no attempt to address God as some personal being. On the other hand,
the Greek gods are so low that they are also like human, lusting and
sinning. As we look at our contemporary Christian scene, we sometimes
relate to God as someone who is warm and fuzzy, like our buddy. We
may even want to call him by his first name. We think he is like that
big furry Teddy Bear. So what we have is irreverent, shallow theology,
experience oriented faith. Yes, God is our Father, but he is also
high up there. He is the immortal, invisible, God only wise. In light
inaccessible hid from our eyes, Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient
of days, almighty, and victorious. He is the great father of glory,
pure father of light. (Hymn #35) Conclusion: vIn the Lion, the witch
and the wardrobe, Mr. Beaver was telling the children that soon he
would bring them to meet Aslan. Susan asked, "Who is Aslan?" "Is he
a man?" asked Lucy. "Aslan a man!" said Mr. Beaver sternly. "Certainly
not. I tell you he is the king of the wood. Don't you know who is
the king of Beasts? Aslan is a lion-the lion, the great lion." "Oh,"
said Susan, "I'd thought he was a man. Is he ---quite safe? I shall
feel rather nervous about meeting a lion." "That you will, "said Mrs.
Beaver, "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their
knees knocking, they're ether braver than most or else just silly."
"Then he isn't safe?" asked Lucy. "Safe? Who said anything about safe?
Of course he is not safe. But he's good. He is the king."
The God whom we pray to is the king, the lord of all, the almighty
creator. He is the king, he is not safe, but he is good. And moreover,
he is also our father in heaven. Out of this relationship with him,
we are invited to come to him and pray.
