"Teach Us To Pray"

by J. Seddon, Liverpool, U.K. | Category: General | Dec 1983

The disciples of the Lord Jesus were among the most privileged of men. They witnessed His mighty works, heard His powerful words, and perhaps most wonderful of all, heard Him pray.

"And it came to pass as He was praying in a certain place... His disciples said unto Him, Lord teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1). In response the Lord sets forth guide-lines which cover a wide scope. His words are also recorded in Matthew 6:5-15. Primarily this passage is dealing with private prayer, the quiet time alone with the Lord, spent in supplication which is earnest and sincere, vital requisites to effective prayer.

First the Lord reminds us of the relationship we have with the One to whom we come. He does this that we may have the necessary confidence in seeking God's face.

"After this manner there pray ye:" "Our 'Father which art in heaven".

This is a relationship which divine love alone has brought about. "Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called children of God" (1 John 3:1).

So the Lord Jesus teaches us to come as children to a loving father with all our joys and sorrows, our trials and burdens, knowing that our Father in heaven understands and cares. Nevertheless He teaches us the right attitude in which we should come -"Hallowed be Thy Name".

The word hallow means to make holy, to set apart. We must ever remember that whilst He is our Father, He is also the almighty holy God, the divine Being, whose very name should cause us to bow reverently in His presence.

Moses said, "Who is like unto Thee 0 LORD, who is like unto Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?" (Exod. 15:11).

The Lord then directs our thoughts not only to the present, but projects them into the future with - "Thy kingdom come."

Whilst we realize there is a time yet future when such scriptures as Psalm 72 will find their fulfilment, when "The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and His Christ" (Rev. 11:15), nevertheless as with many prophecies there is an application for us today relative to the kingdom of God.

A kingdom presupposes a ruler, and those who together make up the

kingdom, should stand in subjection to that ruler, and act in obedience to the laws of the kingdom.

After the resurrection when the Lord appeared to His disciples over a period of forty days, He spoke to them "the things concerning the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3). And so with the mandate given to them (Matt. 28:18-20), and through the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8), the kingdom of God came into being. Because of what it means to our God and to His Son our prayers should include the preservation and furtherance of this kingdom where His mind and will is expressed; hence His words - "Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth."

The will of God is carried out to the letter in heaven, and likewise will be in a future day on earth. While this cannot be realized universally now, nevertheless it can be realized in some measure relative to His kingdom today, and we should pray for subjection to God's will among His people in our time.

"Seek ye first His kingdom... and all these things (necessities of life) shall be added unto you (v.33). This being so we then can pray - "Give us this day our daily bread."

The Lord Jesus would teach in these words that we should always be conscious of our dependence upon our God, remembering that "every good gift and every perfect boon is from above, coming down from the Father (James 1:17) and that the Father's knowledge of our need, and His ability to provide is perfect (Luke 12:30).

Nothing should impair our prayer life, the line of communication should be kept intact, so the Lord's words are - "Forgive us our debts."

In these words we have the principle of right relationships with our fellows that will govern our communion with Him. God's forgiveness is conditional upon our forgiving one another (v. IS) and if this principle is not adhered to all prayer will become ineffective.

There is so much that could mar our prayer time with the Lord and we should always be sensitive to this so that we again lay hold of the Lord and pray "Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (RVM).

The thought here is not just deliverance from the evil one, but from the evil that is the world, and perhaps that which is most relevant of all, the evil within ourselves, within the flesh. Always remembering that our chief desire should be

-"Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory" (RVM).

Paul sums this up when he says, "For of Him, and through Him, and unto Him, are all things. To Him be the glory for ever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36).

J. Seddon, Liverpool, U.K. | Dec 1983
General