A Time to Pray
From time to time, people decide that prayer is the only thing that can make things right. The disciples recognized that they needed to pray more, and in Luke 11:1-4 we read,
“It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.”
“And He said to them,
“When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.
“Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.'”
Seems so simple, doesn’t it? So, why do we not pray? I can answer that in part, but first, let’s break this short prayer into parts.
- Jesus says first, to honor the Father’s name. In my October 2023 Newsletter, I explain the personal name of God, “Yahweh”, and why we in part do not know His name today. For 2,000 years, His name has been hidden, under what was initially called a “Ban”. After a few hundred years, the ban became a “Convention”, which covered His real name, with the word “LORD”. His name is Yahweh, that is His name. So, when Jesus says, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name.”, we are to honor His name by saying it, praising it, and calling out His name. God told Moses in Exodus 3:15, “This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.” His name will stand forever and ever. We start our simple prayer by hallowing His name.
- The second thing Jesus says is, “Your kingdom come.” I think you’d agree that this world is pretty messed up. His kingdom is not however; it has order, honesty, fairness, judgment, and peace. When we pray this short line, we are asking Yahweh to bring order to this chaotic world we live in. That same sentence can be used to pray for your family, your loved ones, and those that are particularly far from God.
- The third thing Jesus says is very earthy. By saying, “Give us each day our daily bread.”, He is letting us know, that it is okay for us to pray that we have enough to eat and drink, to pay all our bills on time, and to have more than enough! Each Day! Every Day! Having the commodities of life, every day, to make it in this unstable world. You cannot trust riches, but you can trust God to get you through anything!
- Fourth, when Jesus says, “And forgive us our sins”, He instructs us to ask for forgiveness for our thoughts, our words, and our behavior. That can take some soul-searching. Can you look at yourself, from outside yourself, and judge yourself? If you cannot, then this part of the prayer may seem unnecessary to you, but pray it anyway. At the moment in time that you pray this, God the Father will no longer judge you for the sins that you have committed (based on the following condition).
- Jesus continues, “for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.” We are to practice the same act of letting go. We are to let go of the offenses, crimes, and hurts, that others have dealt to us. You are to forgive to the limits of yourself, as God forgives you to the limits of Himself.
- Lastly, Jesus here says to pray for spiritual protection from the devil and his devices. “And lead us not into temptation.” This means that we can pray for protection from going back into our past life, or being drawn away to the things of the world. What sins are Jesus referring to? Doubt, anger, unbelief, fear, selfishness, wantonness, sensuality, greed, envy; these are sins that few can see, but they are still sins of the flesh. Then there are the sins that we can easily identify; fornication, adultery, drunkenness, lying, stealing, murder. All these start with a thought, or an idea, that most of the time begin with the demonic influences in this world. Pray that you are not taken away by them!
This seems so simple. The reasons that you may not be praying this simple prayer are easy to identify. 1.) You’ve never tried it. 2.) You don’t believe that God can do anything about your problems. 3.) No one has ever shown you how to pray this prayer. 4.) You’ve sinned, and you think that God will refuse to hear you based on your history. 5.) You’re too busy. 6.) You think that you can handle all your issues and problems yourself. 7.) You believe the lie that God is too busy in heaven to hear about your problems. I could name a few more, but you get the idea. Stop making excuses to pray, and to pray this short and simple prayer daily.
Recently, I updated and republished my book from 2013, “30 Days Praying the Our Father.” This inspiring book is available on Amazon and in most book store outlets. But, I still have copies of the First Edition, and I want you to have a FREE copy, No Charge! It would be a a good idea for you to take advantage of this, and learn along with thousands of others, the depth and power of this simple and short prayer.
Also, please take advantage of my FREE course, “Beginners Christianity”. Whether you are an old saint, or a new convert, you’ll find that this 30 week course will be a great benefit and blessing to you. It features a printable PDF download of each weekly lesson, a narrated audio tab for listening to the course, and a narrated daily audio of the book of Proverbs. Each week has a daily lesson that lasts only 15-30 minutes. Start each day first with the Our Father and learn to pray daily.
The course and the book are free to you. There is no sign-up or fees.
Scan the QR code below, or go to mountainfaithchurch.org, and look for the Beginners Christianity icon on the left side.
Finally, I am calling on our extended viewers and partners, to prayer and fasting, for ourselves and for our country. On Monday March 11th, through Wednesday March 13th, I am calling for a 3-day fast. Skip a meal a day, or two a day, or do a complete fast for the three days, and drink plenty of water.
Fasting will bring healing to your body and your spirit. The health benefits alone are worth it. Fasting for just twenty-four hours burns unwanted chemicals out of your body, restructures and rejuvenates your brain cells, and the rest of your body’s organs. I believe that great miracles will occur in your life!
I am praying for you daily!
Shalom
Pastor David Gonzalez
Leave a Reply