6:9-13 ESV, “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.”
Going through my social media accounts and emails I noticed an ugly pattern popping up in posts, christian blogs, feeds, and among friends pages. Quick remedies, antidotes for your troubles, special prayers that are guaranteed to be the magic bullet for what ailes you: “Seven prayers that will deliver you from depression”, “Pass this prayer on if you want God to hear you”, “Pray this prayer every hour to be healed”.
I must be clear with you – this is not biblical. Putting your trust in concoctions that are camouflaged by using the Lord’s name is a trap. It is false teaching, witchcraft, deceitful, and dishonoring to God. They are rooted in deception to lure you away from God’s Word and break down your faith with false promises. They quote scripture that lead you to make demands of God by giving Him ultimatums to produce answers in your time frame.
As a young believer, I fell for this countless times because I was in a painful season. I wanted quick answers and releif. I also didn’t have someone to disciple me in God’s Word. I was learning as I went and by His grace. Praise God for His mercies that are new every morning, and that He saw my heart desiring connection with Him, even though the enemy was trying to mislead me. Nothing can separate us from God.
Luke 11:1 ESV, ” 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.”
Jesus leads us to the throne room of God by teaching us how to pray in the Lord’s Prayer. In today’s verses, these Words of Jesus are the culmination of the Gospel as they proclaim all that God is through His creation, power, mercy, grace, protection, provision, and eternal glory. They guide us to acknowledge and understand who God is and who we are to Him – His beloved.
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” Jesus’s first submission to His disciples (which includes you and me) is to acknowledge that God is Holy and reigns as Sovereign King over all creation. Jesus teaches us that God is on His throne in heaven, omnipresent (present everywhere at all times), omnipotent (benevolent, having unlimited power), and omniscient (all knowing). Our Saviors words are filled with humility in surrendered worship, glorifying God, and giving Him praise.
It is in His name that “every knee will bow…every tongue confess” (Phil 2:10-11), that we find “a strong tower” (Proverbs 18:10), that we find our salvation in “no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
I am sure we can spend a chunk of our time praying to and praising our Heavenly Father for all His goodness, teaching, mercies, love, and let’s not forget patience, He has graciously and generously bestowed on you and me. In worshipping our Heavenly Father we invite His presence, His Sprit, power, and healing into every part of our life. Jesus teaches us that when we glorify God, He reigns in our hearts and rules in our circumstances.
Prayer is not a potion. Prayer is worshipping God.
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