The Lord's Prayer

Matthew 6

7      “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.
          8      “So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
          9      “Pray, then, in this way:
         ‘Our Father who is in heaven,
         Hallowed be Your name.
               10      ‘Your kingdom come.
         Your will be done,
         On earth as it is in heaven.
               11      ‘Give us this day our daily bread.
               12      ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
               13      ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]’

This prayer is so beautiful and powerful! The background of this prayer is the Sermon on the Mount wherein Jesus deals with the heart of the Law (e.g. Matt. 5:17-20, 7:12). With this in mind, let's take a moment and pause to meditate on this prayer given by our Lord Jesus.

Verse 9:
"Our Father": Stop. Stand in awe. Worship God who has provided a way for us to be His children (see passages such as Rom. 8:12-17, Gal. 4 [see 3 for context], 1 Jn. 3:1-3 etc.). What an amazing God! What an amazing reality! From rebels to heirs!

"Hallowed be Your name.": Pause and reflect on God's holiness (Is. 6).

Verse 10:
"Your kingdom come.": The OT is full of the theology of the kingdom of God. From Creation to the future, God has planned to dwell with and reign over all the cosmos. This reality has always stood and has been manifested throughout the OT, is somewhat fulfilled in the NT, and is anticipated being not yet fully consummated. We must long and ask for this to come about.

"Your will be done,": Although God's will does ultimately happen, Jesus commands us to pray to that end; submitting all to His Lordship.

"Give us this day our daily bread."; Our Father is sufficient to meet our needs as we see later in this chapter. Our Lord commands us to pray for this, acknowledging Him as the source upon which we must rely.

"And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.": It is characteristic of believers to forgive as we have been forgiven so much by God (Matt. 18:21-35 & Eph. 4:32).

"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.": God has conquered Satan. Salvation from sin and evil is from Him. We must depend on His sufficiency not only to save, but also to keep until glory (Ps. 23, Jn. 10, Hebrews, Jude 24-25 etc.). He allows trials and temptations in our lives (Jas. 1), but the attitude of the believer should always long for holiness.

"For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.": While some translations do not include this sentence, it's consecutive parts are still stated as truths throughout Scripture.

Praise the Lord!

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Mt 6:7–13). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.p\

Be Thankful

Psalm 100

      

A Psalm for Thanksgiving.

               1      Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.

               2      Serve the LORD with gladness;

         Come before Him with joyful singing.

               3      Know that the LORD Himself is God;

         It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

         We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

               4      Enter His gates with thanksgiving

         And His courts with praise.

         Give thanks to Him, bless His name.

               5      For the LORD is good;

         His lovingkindness is everlasting

         And His faithfulness to all generations.

Our Lord is most worthy of thanksgiving. In every circumstance we can can rejoice and be thankful because of who He is, what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do (cf. Ps. 90)! Even when things are difficult and don't make sense God is working, and that's all that matters. Our hope is in Him (Ps. 18)! As you meditate on this Psalm, take it at face value and glorify God. 

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Ps 100:title–5). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

Never Failing

PSALM 46

God the Refuge of His People.

      For the choir director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah, set to Alamoth. A Song.

               1      God is our refuge and strength,
         A very present help in trouble.
               2      Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
         And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
               3      Though its waters roar and foam,
         Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.
Selah.

               4      There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
         The holy dwelling places of the Most High.
               5      God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved;
         God will help her when morning dawns.
               6      The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;
         He braised His voice, the earth melted.
               7      The LORD of hosts is with us;
         The God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Selah.

               8      Come, behold the works of the LORD,
         Who has wrought desolations in the earth.
               9      He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
         He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
         He burns the chariots with fire.
               10      “Cease striving and know that I am God;
         I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
               11      The LORD of hosts is with us;
         The God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Selah.

No matter what, our great God is in control of everything (see above, Ps. 33:11, 121). He is our Shepherd (Ps. 23). We can only put our hope in God (Ps. 18, 42, Romans). Salvation belongs to Him (Ps. 3, Eph. 2, Rev. 7). He is working in all things (Rom. 8, Eph. 1, Jas. 1 etc.). He will be glorified (Ps. 45:10). Despite all, He is sovereign and He reigns. Praise Him!

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Ps 46). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.