Forgive us our debts (Pt. 4)

And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. Matthew 6:12

After writing about the importance of forgiving others as we have been forgiven, we do well to consider an alleged requisite before forgiving others. As a young Christian I was taught we need not, and probably should not, forgive unless the other person asks for forgiveness and repents. I have come to believe that is not true. Here is why I now believe differently.

First, the only person who is hurt by my lack of forgiveness is me. As mentioned in the previous post, my lack of forgiveness turns into a grudge, which in turn leads to bitterness. And “Bitterness,” as another old saying goes, “is the only substance that eats its container (me)!” I must forgive whether the other person either asks for it or repents, or not!

To clarify, I would likely be wise not to ask a person who stole from me to hold my wallet, but if I refuse to forgive, I will suffer more than the other person.

Second, when I was taught not to forgive those who are unrepentant, it was said, “Not even God forgives those who do not repent!” Really? Have you confessed, asking God for forgiveness of every sin you have ever committed? Neither have I. Have you ever committed the same sin against God, even after asking for forgiveness? So have I! Are we now unforgiven? Praise God, He forgives we who are in Christ anyway.

Third, and last, there is a chance that our forgiveness of others might even nudge them to repent. Remember that we love God because He first loved us. The same may happen when we forgive first.

Next time, thoughts about reconciliation, and then, when to forgive quietly.

Forgive us our debts (Pt. 3)

And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. Matthew 6:12

We have been thinking about forgiveness. We first sought to sort out any confusion regarding whether our forgiveness by God is dependent on our forgiveness of others (it is not!). Then we wrote about the fact that God’s forgiveness is the greatest need of every human being. This time let’s consider the power of forgiveness.

Decades of counseling has cemented in my mind the fact that the vast majority of problems between people comes down to forgiveness. Small problems become big problems when we fail (often downright refusing) to forgive other people. A lack of forgiveness, which is fueled by prideful stubbornness, quickly turns into grudges, and grudges evolve into bitterness. Bitterness harms the one holding the grudge far more than the one against whom the grudge is being held. A witty and equally true saying about bitterness says, “Bitterness is like drinking poison, hoping the other person will die!” The one and only remedy is forgiving the other person.

Sometimes the original offense was something small that has been allowed to fester into something bigger than it truly was in the first place. At other times the original offense is big, maybe even huge! Marital infidelity is a prime example. It is one of the most personal and crushing offenses.

You may remember earlier in this series of blog posts based on the Sermon on the Mount, we addressed Jesus’ words about adultery, not only in Matthew 5, but also in Matthew 19. Jesus made it clear that while divorce is allowed in cases of adultery, it was allowed only because of the hardness of hearts in refusing to forgive. Granted, when a person is a serial adulterer, divorce is understandable, but when the offended party remembers that God has forgiven him or her of far greater sins of repeated unfaithfulness to God, he or she needs to forgive as he or she has been forgiven!

Forgiveness, motivated by the knowledge that one has been forgiven by God of insurmountable sin debt, is healing. Powerfully healing! Forgiveness is arguably the greatest power to heal even the greatest hurts.

Let us meditate on our holy God’s forgiveness of sinners, as we work through our obligation to forgive fellow sinners. For more, straight from Jesus’ lips, read Matthew 18:21-35.

Forgive us our debts (Pt. 2)

And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. Matthew 6:12

What do human beings need most? The world answers this question in numerous ways: World peace, education, economic success (money and material possessions). And for the lighthearted: happiness.

God sent His Son, Jesus, to give the world what human beings really need most: Forgiveness of sin. This answer isn’t considered terribly important by most. Why? Because of the patience of God. Let me explain.

People do not feel much urgency about forgiveness because in God’s common (and most patient) grace, we do not yet feel the dire consequences for our sin. Our lives are not perfect, but we are getting along. And because we know nothing of the lesser daily consequences of sin in the same way fish are unaware of water, who worries about forgiveness?

There is a day coming, however, when the full consequence of sin will be felt. The day one dies physically (and all die), the first installment of the consequence of sin will be experienced. How? “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Physical death is a surefire consequence of sin. And the fact that all die substantiates the Bible’s assertion that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). But physical death is only the first and lesser of the two installments of the consequence of sin. Keep reading.

As dreaded as physical death is, it is only the first death. The second death is infinitely more horrific. The second death (Revelation 20:12-15) is God’s wrath, described illustratively as a lake of fire that burns forever. The day of God’s judgment will be the most terrifying day of anyone’s existence.

UNLESS… one’s sins are forgiven! That is why forgiveness is what everyone of us needs more than anything else. That God’s judgment and wrath are talked about so often in the Bible (Jesus spoke about Hell more than anyone else in the Bible!), should make it abundantly clear that all are not forgiven—no matter how many people insist otherwise. The only ones who are forgiven are those who: (a) Acknowledge their sin/need of God’s forgiveness; (b) Trust in Jesus who is the only way to God’s favor (John 14:6); and (c) commit to following Jesus as the Master of their lives (repentance) (Acts 17:30).

Those who are forgiven will never face God’s wrath because Jesus took that wrath for them when He died on the cross. Instead, those who are forgiven will experience Heaven, not Hell.

We all need God’s forgiveness more than anything else, not only for now but for eternity. How about you? Are you forgiven, in Christ, and headed to Heaven?

You might want to pass this blog post along.

Forgive us our debts (Pt. 1)

And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. Matthew 6:12

The primary reason Jesus came to earth was to “save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Forgiving sinners is the most obvious component of accomplishing that mission. Paul linked the forgiveness the redeemed have received from God with our forgiveness of others in Ephesians 4:32:

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

While forgiving others is good, right, and noble, for those who have been forgiven of a sin debt that we could never hope to pay, forgiving others who have sinned against us in relatively miniscule ways is what we might call a “no-brainer!”

Paul’s words in Ephesians 4 also sort out the problem many have with the following verses in the Sermon on the Mount immediately after the Lord’s Prayer.

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.’” Matthew 6:14-15

I trust you can see the inherent question: “Does Matthew 6:14-15 teach that God forgives us on the basis of how we forgive others?” Or stated a little differently: “Is my forgiveness by God (salvation) determined by my forgiveness of others?” The obvious answer is NO! If it were so, no one would be forgiven or saved because no one forgives as we need to be forgiven.

Instead, as is the case with other required works of righteousness, they cannot earn or merit God’s grace, but they do validate that one has been changed as a result of having received God’s grace. In other words, God does not forgive us because we forgive others, rather, we are to forgive because God has already forgiven us.

Our daily bread

Give us this day our daily bread. Matthew 6:11

The next petition in immensely practical, though having important theological implications.

What could be more practical that asking God to supply our basic needs? Though the prayer mentions bread, we can easily see that bread is a representation of any and all our needs.

Theologically, the prayer reminds us of a basic reality that we frequently forget. What reality is that? Everything—including our basic daily needs—comes to us from the benevolent hand of God. God warned the Israelites of this fact in Deuteronomy 8:11-20. He foretold that once they moved into the Promised Land, and were enjoying the abundance of the land, they would forget that it was only theirs by the grace of God. Instead of thanking Him, they would forget Him while congratulating themselves for all they had done to acquire such prosperity.

We tend to do the same forgetting that even when we have worked hard to accomplish a thing, we only had the knowledge, will, and strength by the grace of God. Therefore, asking God to supply our most basic needs is a great reminder to thank Him when we receive them.

A second theological lesson to be noted is that we are to ask every day for what we need that day. Honestly, how often are we unaware from where the day’s provision will come? We are generally so blessed that we often only think to pray about our basic needs when we are in a crisis of scarcity. We can thank God for supplying so abundantly, and we would do well to remember to pray every day for God’s provision if only to give thanks for His generosity.

And while we are at it, may we who have so much, pray for the many in the world who have so little. And we might also ask how the Lord might be pleased to use us in our abundance to share with those who are less fortunate.

Your will be done (Pt. 7)

Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10

A closing thought about God’s will before moving to the next component of the Lord’s Prayer in our survey of the Sermon on the Mount: God’s will on Earth and in Heaven. As we have seen, there are several aspects of God’s will on earth. Not so in Heaven. In Heaven God’s will is done perfectly, all of the time, chiefly because there is no sin in Heaven.

We have many things to look forward to in Heaven: reuniting with saved loved ones, the unspeakable beauty of the place, and the absence of suffering, pain, sorrow, and death, to name just a few. But why are these other things so? Because God is the center of everything in Heaven and sin will forever be gone. That’s right, every opposition to God’s will will dissolve and be no more.

Having only known life tainted by sin, we can scarcely imagine existence without sin. I think, however, that we do well to try to meditate on that sinless aspect of Heaven as much as we are able. And when we pray, let us cry out to God for His will to be done on earth as it is—and ever will be—in Heaven, comforting ourselves with such thoughts. Amen!

Your will be done (Pt. 6)

Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10

Another interesting aspect of God’s will is what some refer to as God’s Desired will, or more technically: God’s will of Disposition. What is meant by this is that not everything about what God decrees is pleasing to Him. God takes no delight or pleasure in our sin, for instance—though He decrees our sin for the accomplishment of His greater purposes. (And remember that God is never responsible for our sin!)

Ezekiel 18:20-32 and 33:10-20 both speak of God not delighting in the death of the wicked. Yet because God loves righteous judgment, the wicked must be punished, and the punishment of sinners is God’s will.

Contrariwise, Psalm 116:15 says that the death of His saints (the righteous) is precious to Him. How can that be? Because the end result of the death of the redeemed is the eternal bliss of Heaven—which certainly pleases God!

1 Timothy 2:14 is also related to this when it says God desires that all would be saved. If this desire was according to God’s decretive will, all would be saved. So we must understand this verse in either or both of two ways: Either (a) it is referring to God’s will of disposition, or (b) it is referring to the elect, in which case it is according to God’s decretive will because all of the elect will be saved.

This post is admittedly a bit technical. You might do well to take a breath, ask God for understanding, and read the post again.

There is one last encouraging post in this series on God’s will. Tune in again next time.

Your will be done (Pt. 5)

Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10

That God’s sovereign will is not fatalism is vitally important regarding God’s sovereign will and our salvation. Some insist that Reformed Christians teach: (a) that people have no choice in salvation; (b) that God saves people whether they want to be saved or not, and (c) that God condemns some who want to believe because they are not chosen. My response to these assumptions regarding predestination is simple. There may be people to teach these falsehoods, but such teachings are not Reformed. They are perversions of Reformed theology. So what is the truth?

God commands all people to believe in (trust in) Christ and repent, which will result in forgiveness and salvation.

All people are dead in sin and therefore unable to believe and repent because, while dead in sin, no one wants to believe and repent!

Therefore God would be fully justified if He were to condemn everybody for our sin.

But God is not only a just Judge, He is also graciously loving. So He has predestined that some will believe and repent. He is not obligated to save anyone, much less everyone. So God has sovereignly elected some to be saved.

How are those He has elected to salvation be saved? God graciously regenerates those He has elected to salvation (they are born again). Once God regenerates individuals, they are given new hearts that want to believe and repent. God does not force them to believe and repent; He graciously gifts them with saving faith and repentance. Once the gifts of faith and repentance are received, the elect choose to believe and repent—because they now want to. YES, the saved must choose to believe and repent, but they only do so because God has elected them to salvation and given them hearts that desire to follow Christ.

What about those who are lost? Does God keep them from believing and repenting? Absolutely not! They are simply left to choose according to their sinful desires.

Everyone must choose to trust Christ and repent to be saved. Those who are saved choose to be saved but only because God elected and then regenerated them. The lost choose not to be saved because in their sin they have no desire.

Four Explanatory Footnotes:

1. God does not elect and regenerate anyone based on anything about them, or because of anything they do. It is God’s sovereign will.

2. What difference does this make? Because salvation is solely of the Lord, He alone receives all glory, and the redeemed have nothing about which to boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

3. Regeneration precedes faith, not as most incorrectly think that faith causes regeneration.

4. What a comfort it is to know that as we pray for God’s will to be done regarding the salvation of loved ones, He will save His people!

Your will be done (Pt. 4)

Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10

The sovereign will of God is not fatalism! It is a common mistake among believers to think the two are the same. With well-intentioned desire to champion the sovereignty of God, too many believers think, speak, and act as though what we do doesn’t matter because every detail is planned by God in advance. (That is fatalism.)

But what we do does matter! Remember God’s preceptive will? He commands us to do some things and not others. Whether we obey Him or not matters. Yet some misinformed believers excuse their sin, believing that it was God’s will. Sin is never God’s will. That He uses even our sin to accomplish His will does not make our sin His will—much less defend or excuse our sin. Rather, that God uses even our sin to accomplish His will only underscores His comprehensive sovereignty in that our sin cannot derail God’s over-arching ultimate will. Praise His name for that!

I once read an illustration of this, and have used it ever since. If I remember correctly it first came from Charles Spurgeon. Remembering that virtually every illustration is imperfect, consider the matter this way. If I am on an ocean liner headed from the US to England, I have many options regarding what I will do on the voyage. I can read, exercise, or play games. I can choose which meals to eat and what to eat at each meal. I can enjoy the voyage or jump overboard. Every one of those decisions matter. They will affect me and my voyage. Some may even affect others onboard. But because there is a Captain of the ship, whose job is to pilot the ship to England, though what I eat will affect me, it will not affect the ship’s arrival in England.

I realize that the illustration can be dismantled, but it does illustrate the point that our decisions matter, while in the big picture God’s decretive will, will still be accomplished, even when we violate His preceptive will.

Let us understand how important our decisions matter (for better or for worse!), resting in the fact that God will see that the ship arrives at the destination He has foreordained, at precisely the appointed time.

Next Time: More on this with regard to our decision to trust in and follow Christ.

Your will be done (Pt. 3)

Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10

The words “God’s will” do not always refer to the exact same thing. There are various adjectives linked to God’s will that determine what we are talking about. In this post I will focus first on just two: God’s decretive will and God’s preceptive will.

God’s decretive will refers to God’s sovereign determination of what will be or take place. Everything God decrees will happen and nothing or no one can change or overrule it from happening. In this sense God’s will is always done.

God’s preceptive will refers to what God commands. That He commands it means it is God’s will, but sinful human beings can, and often do, disobey God’s commands. In this sense God’s will is not always done.

In the context of the Lord’s prayer, when we pray as Jesus taught us to pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we are (1) acknowledging that God’s decretive will is always done, and (2) asking God to work in the hearts and affairs of human beings to obey God’s preceptive will. Both are legitimate and good prayers.

Now for a bit more detail on God’s will. God’s decretive will may be accomplished either actively or passively. He may actively cause His will to be done. After all, He is God! Or, He may use secondary causes to passively accomplish His will—including allowing people’s sinful actions to end up accomplishing His will. (Judas’ betrayal of Jesus is a prime example of this.)

Rest assured, when God accomplishes His will by using even people’s sin (as in the case of Judas), those sins are solely on the persons who sinned! God does not cause, or even tempt people to sin (James 1:13-15). He merely allows them to act according to their own sinful desires. God is not the author of sin, nor is He ever responsible for sin. He cannot be because He is intrinsically holy and altogether incapable of sinning.

Your will be done (Pt. 2)

Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10

While seeking to discern God’s will by searching God’s Word for precepts and principles, there are times when we still remain unsure. What then? James offers this advice:

James 1:5-8 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

(1) There will be times when every one of us lacks wisdom regarding God’s will in a given situation. So these verses apply to us all!

(2) When this happens, ask God! God never turns His children away for asking. Let us be sure that we are asking God, as it is easy to seek wisdom from any of the many voices in the world.

(3) Believe that God gives His wisdom generously. He receives no joy in keeping us in the dark about things we need to know. There are, of course, questions that will remain unanswered until the Lord comes again, but rest assured that the Lord delights to reveal what we need to know. If He does not, He wants us to trust that He knows even when we do not.

(4) We must ask in faith, believing that He knows, that in most cases He will show us, and that in those instances in which He does not clearly reveal His will, we can and must trust Him!

When we simply do not know, even after seriously seeking to know His will, trusting means we make the best decision we know to make. In faith we do not second-guess ourselves. And if He later shows us we were wrong, we repent and do what we can to correct our course when His will is revealed.

A footnote to this: When we are not sure from scripture, we should not say, “The Lord told me…” Instead, let us humbly say, “I sought the Lord’s will in His Word and in prayer. I believe it is His will to do [this or that], but I could be mistaken.” Why this approach? Too many claim that “God told them,” only to learn later that Lord did not tell them! When that happens, God is incorrectly blamed. But when we say “I believe it is God’s will that…”, we rightly assume responsibility for misunderstanding God’s will.

Next Time: There is more than one kind, or aspect of God’s will.

Your will be done (Pt. 1)

Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10

One of the most common desires among biblical Christians is to know the will of God. Why? In order to do the will of God. Why is this a strong desire among disciples? Because we know that God’s will is only always good. God’s will is good for us and gives glory to God. What could be more desirable than that?

There are many times when we are unsure of God’s will. How do we know God’s will? He revealed virtually every bit of His will in the Bible.

In many cases His will is explicit, clearly stated in precept. Precepts are stated as commands. For example the Ten Commandments are precepts to be obeyed. It is God’s will that we obey and it is not God’s will that we disobey.

Likewise, in many cases God’s will is implicit, stated in principle. Principles are often not as clear, and seldom give the particulars of what to do in a given situation. Instead, it is up to us to use wisdom to apply a biblical principle in a particular situation. For example, God’s Word does not tell us which car to buy. But the Bible clearly teaches us about the dangers of indebtedness (Proverbs 22:7). So applying the biblical principle when buying a car, it is God’s will that we avoid debt, and not God’s will to enter into debt. It is God’s will to buy only what we can afford.

In both cases, God reveals His will in His Word, so when asking for God’s will, it is imperative that we know His Word.

Next time: God’s will from the book of James about what to do when we are still not sure.

Giving Thanks 2023

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. James 1:17

The words from James 1:17 remind us of two important truths:

#1 All goodness comes from God. Why? Because God is good. In fact God is so completely good, that apart from Him there is no good. God is perfectly good. And, praise God, He graciously gives us good gifts.

#2 God never changes. God not only is perfectly good, He has always been perfectly good, and He will always be perfectly good.

Based on these two truths about God and His goodness, we have every reason to thank God for always being good.

But let us not miss the verse that comes immediately before (v.17).

James 1:16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.

We can be easily deceived into forgetting that God is the source of all that is good. When that happens, we can forget to thank God for all that is good. The good that we enjoy is not the result of luck, or our hard work, or of anything else. God does bless our hard work, and He may use other people to bless us, but do not be deceived: All good comes from God!

And since that is true, let us thank God this Thanksgiving Day—and every day!

Your kingdom come

Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10

Jesus came to save His people from our sins (Matthew 1:21). He came to preach the gospel (Luke 4:18). And He came to establish His kingdom (Matthew 4:17).

Jesus spoke a lot about His kingdom. A lot! His parables were typically about the kingdom. When speaking to Pilate, Jesus affirmed that He is a king and that His kingdom is unlike earthly kingdoms (John 18:36). What is His kingdom like?

Some have taught that the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are not the same. The stronger opinion is that they are one in the same, but called by different names. I believe this second opinion is correct.

So when will (or did) Christ’s kingdom come? He established it by teaching about it, by dying and rising, and and by inaugurating the NT Church. In this sense Christ’s kingdom is now.

His kingdom has not yet been fully realized, however, since every knee has yet to bow (Philippians 2:9-11). That fullness of the kingdom will be realized when Jesus comes again.

When Jesus taught this prayer, the initial establishment was yet to take place, so at that time the prayer looked forward. We stand on the timeline between the establishment and the full realization at the Second Coming. So for us, as we await the Lord’s return in glory, we can pray this prayer both looking backward and looking forward. We look back to the establishment, praising our King. We also look forward to when His kingdom will be fully realized when our King comes again.

"Hallowed be Your Name" (Pt. 2)

In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Matthew 6:9

The last phrase of verse 9, “Hallowed be Your name,” has been understood on two ways. Yesterday I shared the first one about the importance of beginning prayer with worship of our holy God.

The second understanding of this phrase correctly recognizes the phrase, “Hallowed be Your name,” as the first petition of the prayer. The request is that the Lord’s name would be more widely acknowledged as being holy. The sad fact is, the Lord’s most holy name may be more commonly used in vain than it is reverenced. This common breaking of the third commandment has two sides to it—both equally blasphemous. The most obvious is using the Lord’s name as a swear word. I trust we all know how seriously sinful this is. If this is a part of your vocabulary, please, confess it as sin and ask the Lord for the gift of repentance!

The other way the Lord’s name is commonly taken in vain verbally is by using His name casually without reverence. Casually uttering the words, “Oh my God!” (or other derivatives) is blasphemous. Again, please, purge all such phrases from your vocabulary!

Another way in which the Lord’s name is taken in vain non-verbally is by claiming to be His child while living as one who is not His child. Our lives often fail to hallow the name of the Lord we profess to be our Lord!

One last example. False preachers who misrepresent the the Lord, and those who follow such teachers. There are too many ways this happens to list them all, but here are a few examples:

• teaching that Jesus is a ticket to physical or monetary prosperity;

• presenting Him as a buddy instead of as the Lord God Almighty;

• claiming that God forgives everybody of everything;

• being more casual than reverent regarding God.

Jesus taught us to pray that His name would be hallowed. Let us hallow His name and pray that others would do likewise.

"Hallowed be Your name" (Pt. 1)

In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Matthew 6:9

The last phrase of verse 9, “Hallowed be Your name,” has been understood on two ways. I believe they both have great value.

First, we do well to begin our prayers worshipfully, remembering who it is to whom we are speaking: God, who alone is infinitely holy.

The word hallowed is a form of the word holy. God is no more any of His attributes than any other of His attributes. He is not a composite of His attributes that make up a whole God. No, He is 100% of every one of His attributes. However, as RC Sproul frequently taught, the attribute of God that most perfectly describes every other of His attributes is His holiness. So by beginning prayer with worshiping God for who He is, a great place to start is by glorifying God for His holiness.

That does not preclude worshiping God for His other attributes, however. If you are unsure of God’s attributes, a great place to learn is by reading A.W. Tozer’s, “The Knowledge of the Holy.” This book is a great place to begin because it is not long (117 pages), and it is divided into twenty-two short readable chapters. It guides readers on a life-changing adventure into a number of God’s attributes. Note that there are many more attributes of God that are not included in this book.

For a free PDF, Click Here. To listen to a free audio book, Click Here. To purchase a paperback or Kindle copy, Click Here.

BTW: My favorite attribute of God on which I often meditate is God’s self-existence, or aseity.

Next time we’ll consider the other equally true understanding of this opening phrase.

To whom are we to pray?

In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Matthew 6:9

The opening phrase reminds us of three important points about prayer:

First, we pray to God and God only!

Matthew 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND HIM ONLY YOU SHALL SERVE.' "

We must never, ever, ever pray to saints, angels, deceased loved ones, or anyone, or anything else. Period.

We pray to the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; but here Jesus instructs us, under that normal circumstances, to address our prayers to the Father. There may be special circumstances in which we address the Son or the Holy Spirit. Examples of this include the fact that we would not thank the Father or the Holy Spirit for dying and rising from the dead for us, because Jesus did that. Likewise, we would not thank the Father or the Son for indwelling us, because the Holy Spirit does that. But unless we are addressing a prayer specifically to the Son or the Spirit, we are to address our prayers to our Heavenly Father. This is based on orthodox trinitarian theology.

Finally, a word about addressing our Heavenly Father as Abba. The Aramaic word Abba means “Father.” It expresses affection, confidence, and trust. Abba highlights the close, intimate relationship of a father and his child. However, care should be taken when using this term so as not to diminish the necessary reverence due God when praying—especially when praying publicly. Using the word Abba as an adjective connected to the word Father is a way to speak of both God’s deity and of our childlike faith in Him. The English word, daddy, when addressing our Heavenly Father seems to me to draw dangerously close to inappropriate.

Let us keep the two following verse is mind:

1 Timothy 6:16 tells us that God “alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.”

Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Let us draw near, never forgetting that the throne to which we approach is the throne of the thrice Holy God Almighty!

What is The Lord's Prayer?

In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Matthew 6:9

First, the Lord’s Prayer is a prayer that He taught us, but it is a prayer that contains an essential element that He Himself could not pray. Jesus had no sins for which to ask for forgiveness (Matthew 6:12). For this reason alone, the Lord’s prayer might be aptly renamed the disciples’ prayer—though it was taught by the Lord Jesus.

Second, the Lord’s Prayer is not primarily given as a rote prayer intended to be recited. That said, it is not bad to recite the prayer—as long as our minds are engaged regarding the meaning of the words. Without thought, the Lord’s Prayer easily (and therefore frequently) becomes a vain and repetitious prayer Jesus warned us not to pray. Reciting the words of Jesus as we pray is not bad—but let us do so with alert and captivated hearts and minds.

Rather than being regarded solely as a prayer to be recited, it is a model outline instructing us of topics to be included in comprehensive prayers. They include:

• Worship and a desire for God to be worshipped.

• Desire for God’s will to be done.

• Requests for our needs to be supplied by God.

• Confession and repentance.

• God’s grace when facing temptation.

• Acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty over all.

We will continue with comments on each of these.

Are long prayers bad?

And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. "Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. Matthew 6:7-8

What should we make of Jesus words about long prayers? Are they bad? Almost never, with two exceptions. First the exceptions:

Exception #1. Jesus said praying long prayers and thinking that God hears because our prayers are long (or flowery) is not good. God is not moved by how long we pray (or by how beautifully we pray). He is moved when we pray according to His will (1 John 5:14-15), and that we do not give up praying when instant answers fail to arrive (Matthew 7:7-8, Luke 18:1-8).

Exception #2. When praying aloud in a group, it is courteous to keep our prayers short to give others a chance to participate. Many know how it is when someone monopolizes the time in group prayer. In group prayer, pray several times, but keep each prayer short so others can also pray.

But when praying alone, long is not only not bad, it is good. The heart that understands the importance of prayer often prays long prayers—not merely to get God to answer, but in order to unburden one’s heavy heart as well and to simply enjoy prolonged times in the presence of the Lord! There are long prayers in the Bible. Jesus spent an entire night in prayer before choosing the disciples.

Prayers are not answered if they are not prayed, and the brevity of our prayers is more of an evidence of our weakness in prayer than its strength!

Our church needs more prayer than ever before. Long, pleading prayers!

Why pray?

And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. "Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. Matthew 6:7-8

“Why should I pray if God already knows, and if He will only do His will if I pray contrary to His will?”

There are three simple answers to these two objections to prayer:

First, the leading reason to pray is because God’s Word teaches and even commands us to pray (Luke 18:1). If there were no other reason than this would this not be enough!?

Second, prayer is not a way to change God’s will. It is a way to change our wills to be like His will. Yes, God only does what is right (His perfect will in a given situation). Therefore, it is on us to discern God’s will before asking. We do this by knowing the vast amount of His will that He has already revealed. It is in the Bible! As we know God’s will, as revealed in the Bible, we are to pray according to His will—knowing that He hears and will answer (1 John 5:14-15).

When we are not sure of His will, we should pray according what we think is God’s will, confessing that we are not sure, and praying, ”Thy will be done!” (Matthew 6:10, 26:39).

Third, God does not need our prayers. He needs nothing from us! But by calling us to pray and by answering our prayers (that are according to His will), He graciously affords us the opportunity, the privilege, and the honor to be included in the accomplishment of His perfect will.

Yes God knows everything. We inform Him of nothing no matter how we pray. But by praying we obey His command, we conform our wills to His, and we get to play a role in the accomplishment of His will. So, let us pray!