God’s Prayer Pattern
Lesson 1 (teach us to pray)
The greatest question or debate of all time, is “Does God answer prayer? History is
littered with claims that God answers prayer or God does not answer prayer.
Both claimants of either theory submit empirical evidence in their favour.
Those who claim that God, if He at all exist, does not answer prayer put across
convincing arguments of their own life experiences. They point out instances
when certain people cried out to God and got no answer, not even an
acknowledgement that God had heard the prayer.
On the other hand, those who argue that God does
answer prayer also put across convincing arguments of their own life
experiences. They also point out instances when certain people cried out to God
got irrefutable answers to their prayers were provided for all to see. Examples
of people such as Daniel, Shadreck, Misheck and Abednego are often highlighted.
Moses’ great prayer at the Red sea is often cited as one example when a very
desperate nation cried to God and were granted incontrovertible deliverance.
Interestingly the Bible in fact says that God does
answer prayer and also that He may not answer prayer. In the book of James, the
Bible reads, “You crave what you do not have. You kill and covet, but are
unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not
ask. And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong
motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures.” James 4:2-3. In this
instance the Bible does admit that it is possible to pray and have no answer to
that prayer. Contrariwise, in the book of John the same Bible reads, “Truly,
truly, I tell you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am
doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the
Father. And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be
glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will
do it.” John 14:12-14. This then raises the question, what really is the
secrete to answered prayer?
In Luke 11:1 and Matthew 6:9-13 the Bible reads, “And it came to pass, that, as he was praying
in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord,
teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. After this manner
therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day
our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead
us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and
the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”
The first thing we learn here is that it is very
necessary to learn how to pray. Here we have the pioneers of the Christian
church yearning to learn how to pray. These were great man of most powerful
church who admitted that it was necessary to
learn how to pray. The secret to answered prayer may lie in how one prays. Paul tells us in
Romans 8:26-27 that, “…... the Spirit
helps us in our weakness. For we do not
know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with
groans too deep for words. And He who
searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes
for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that God works all
things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to
His purpose.” James also says in chapter 4:3, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss.” This alone is clear
evidence that there is an unbroken link between answered prayer and knowing how
to pray.
Jesus gives an example of two people who went to
the same temple at the same time and prayed to the same God but only the one
who knew how to pray retuned home with an answer yet the other returned with no
answer at all. Learning how to pray is of great importance if we are to have
answered prayers. The apostles were taught how to pray and we also must be
taught the proper manner of praying so that we will not pray amiss. In my next
post I will look at the question of how to pray correctly.
Lesson 2 (do not be like hypocrites)
In my last post I looked at the
need to learn how to pray. The disciples asked for lessons on how to pray and
they were given the lessons. In this session I will begin by looking the Lord’s
answer.
In response to the request the
Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 6:5-13 said, “…... when thou prayest, thou shalt
not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues
and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say
unto you, they have their reward. But
thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy
door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret
shall reward thee openly. But when ye
pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they
shall be heard for their much speaking.
Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things
ye have need of, before ye ask him.
After this manner therefore pray
ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth,
as it is in heaven. Give us this day our
daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver
us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.
Amen.
The first lesson that the Lord
Jesus Christ gave is “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love
to pray publicly ……. where everyone can see them.” The fundamental lesson
every prayer warrior must grasp is not to be like a hypocrite. A hypocrite is a
person who fakes some desirable or publicly approved attitude, particularly one
whose private life, opinions, or statements contradict such public declarations.
A hypocrite can also be defined as a person who pretends to have virtues, moral
or religious beliefs and principles which he does not actually possess, explicitly
a person whose actions contradict the stated beliefs.
When a hypocrite prays, the
motive is nor to get God’s attention but to impress people listening to the
hypocrite’s prayer. The hypocrite’s aim is to captivate the accompanying crowds
with the pretender’s poetry. The pretender impresses people with his long and
winding prayers which are designed to make him appear very pious. In most cases
the long prayers are a tool of conning people whilst appearing very spiritual. In
Matthew 23:14, Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47 the Lord Jesus Christ says that
hypocrites, “……. shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then
pretend to be fervent by making long prayers in public.” Peter also describes a
similar portrayal of a hypocrites in 2 Peter 2:3 where he points out that
through covetousness they exploit unsuspecting believers with deceptive words
that are designed to abuse teachings of the Bible for personal and obscene
gain. Read my book Saints
Made Merchandise
which is currently available at
http://www.amazon.com/Saints-Made-Merchandise-Analysis-Offerings/dp/0797469141 or at Pearl Press Media.
http://www.amazon.com/Saints-Made-Merchandise-Analysis-Offerings/dp/0797469141 or at Pearl Press Media.
During the first century,
Pharisees, Seduces and Scribes were a very good example of hypocrites. The Lord
was always at logger heads with this group of obsessive religious pretenders
because of their insensitivity and distortion of religious teachings. At one
time he said, “…. woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You lock up
the kingdom of heaven from people. For you don’t go in, and you don’t allow
those entering to go in.” This is a clear message that a hypocrite is outside
the kingdom of Christ. Even when they preached or taught the truth, they never
lived what they taught. The other identifying mark of a hypocrite is his
unappeasable desire to be respected, honoured, praised or even worshipped. In
Matthew 23: 6,7 the Lord said the hypocrites, “… love the place of honour at
banquets, the front seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and
to be called ‘Rabbi’ by people.”
What exactly then the Lord say we
must avoid being like hypocrites? In short the Lord was saying we must;
- practice what we teach and believe,
- be sincere about our beliefs,
- seek the approval of God and not of men
- be honest and not exploitative
- not unnecessarily over burden others with demands which we are unable to fulfil
always be guided by the
principles of Christ
in my next post I will look at the worshipper’s
relationship with Christ. Be blessed and meditate on the following scripture.
Matthew 23: 1Then Jesus spoke to the
multitudes and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit
in Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore whatever
they tell you to observe, [a] that observe and do, but do not do according to
their works; for they say, and do not do.
4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s
shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their
fingers. 5 But all their works they do
to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders
of their garments. 6 They love the best
places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7 greetings in the
marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ 8 But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One
is your Teacher, the Christ, [b] and you are all brethren. 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father;
for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.
10 And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the
Christ. 11 But he who is greatest among
you shall be your servant. 12 And
whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be
exalted.
Be blessed
Lesson 3 (Relationship)
In my last post I wrote about what not to do when praying.
The Lord’s instruction is When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites. In
this post I write about how to pray. The disciples’ request was a lesson on how
to pray.
The
Lord said, “in this manner, therefore, pray.” The words in this manner
depict a way or a means or a method or a style and custom of doing things. It
does not point to the exact word to use but merely a technique of prayer. The
words point to a pattern of prayer and not a recitation of a prayer. The Lord
was saying after this style craft your prayer. In other words, he was saying
this the fashion you are to follow when praying or structuring your prayer.
“After
this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven……” The words “our
Father,” point to a very fundamental and vital or necessary aspect of prayer
without which prayer will be ineffective. These words point to a relationship
that must exist between a worshiper and God. It is the type of relationship
between a worshiper and his God which determines the level of effectiveness of
any prayer.
Relationships
differ and have different outcomes on how different people associate with each
other. There is a relationship which exist between God and satan. That
relationship is called enmity. Enmity is an association of active opposition or
hostility. Enemies always seek the downfall of their foes. This relationship
was created by satan and not God hence it is satan and his devils who are
always on the receiving end. God has therefore created their final destination
in eternal fire. See Matthew 25:41 and Revelation 12:9. In the book of Job we
see satan praying for an opportunity to test Job but God’s answer was designed
to ensure that Job triumphed over satan. In the end it was Job who emerged a
hero whilst satan emerged the villain despite having prayed fervently for the
downfall of Job. This is the reason why the devil will never triumph over
saints. Satan cannot tempt anyone without the permission of God hence the devil
will pray for that permission but because he is God’s foe answers to those
prayers will always be designed to ensure the saint will emerge hero whilst
satan becomes the scoundrel. In 1 Corinthians 10:13 Paul writes, “There hath no
temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will
not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the
temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” Enmity
therefore must never exist between you and God.
The other relationship that
exists between God and men is the master servant relationship. This is the
relationship that existed between the great Bible heroes we read about in most
scriptures. This relationship demands that the servant respects the master. In
Malachi 1:6 the Lord says, “A son naturally honours his father and a slave
respects his master. If I am your father, where is my honour? If I am your
master, where is my respect?” Whilst God’s servants esteem Him, God on the
other hand protects them. In 2 Kings 19:34 and Isiah 37:35 when the enemy had
besieged God’s servant God said, “for my
own honour and for the sake of my servant David, I will defend this city
and protect it.” This is one reason why God answers favourably prayers of his
servants.
The other relationship that can
exist between God and man is that of friendship. This is the relationship which
existed between God and Abraham. This type of relationship has an effect on
future generations. This relationship has a bearing on how your descendants
will relate with God. In Isiah 41:8-11 God says to his friend’s dependents,
“But as for you, Israel my servant,
Jacob my chosen one, descended from
Abraham my friend, I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying,
‘You are my servant.’ For I have
chosen you and will not throw you away. Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t
be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will
hold you up with my victorious right hand. “See, all your angry enemies lie
there, confused and humiliated. Anyone who opposes you will die and come to
nothing.” This type of relationships caused Abraham’s offspring to enter into
their own relationship with God and is still responsible for the protection of
those progenies even today.
Of all the relationships that
exist between God and man, the greatest of them all is the father son
relationship. This is the relationship alluded to in Matthew 6:9 when Christ
says, “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father ……...”
There is no greater relationship than this and it is very pivotal to the
success of any prayer. This is the highest and most esteemed relationship with
God every believer must strive to be in. The beloved disciple wrote that as
many as received Jesus Christ, he gave them the power to become sons
of God.
The relationship of a son to his father
outshines that of the father and his friend or servant. In John 8:35 Jesus
said, “the servant abideth not in the
house for ever: but the Son abideth for ever.” With regards to the difference
between master servant relationship and the friendship relationship, the Lord
said, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his
master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I
learned from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:15. However, when we
compare the friendship relationship against the father son relationship we see
that the latter is a far greater relationship than mere friendship. A son is an
heir to the father whereas a friend cannot inherit his associate’s estate ahead
of the acquaintance’s children. In other words, a son enjoys his father’s
rights just like his father and for that reason the farther delegates all his
to the son. (see John 5)
The Jews knew this very well and
that is one reason why in John 5:18 they sought to kill Jesus because he had
“…... said also that God was his Father, making
himself equal with God.” Because of the depth of this relationship the
father delegates all his authority to the son. In the Gospel according to John
the Lord said, “the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto
the Son.” (5:22).
It is in view of the strength of
this relationship why Jesus gave those who believe on him the authority to be
the sons of God. This is also the reason why the write of the book of Hebrew
wrote, “For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of
one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I will
declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing
praise unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I
and the children which God hath given me. Forasmuch then as the children are
partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same;
that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is,
the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime
subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he
took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be
made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high
priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the
people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to
succour them that are tempted.”
We must therefore tap in to this
relationship so that our prayer become effective. Jesus said in John 15:3-7,
“You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in
Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides
in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are
the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without
Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a
branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and
they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask
what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”
This points to a clear need to
have a close knit relationship with Christ in order to enjoy his unbroken
relationship with the Father. The relationship of a branch and the vine is key
in that the branch does not have a life of its own outside the vine. In fact,
the branch has no identity of its own outside the vine. It has the identity and
life of the vine and anyone making reference to it talks about the vine rather
than the branch. The branch is a part of the branch and not the other way. The
roots that sustain the branch belong to the vine hence the life the flows in
the branch is the life of the vine. Due to that fact, the fruit that hangs on
the branch belongs to the vine because it is the vine’s life which creates,
nourishes and sustains the fruit.
This then means we must cease to
live and Christ must become our life and identity. Paul in 1st
Corinthians 8:6 writes, “yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are
all things, and we for Him; and one
Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.” In Galatians 2:20 he again writes,
“it is no longer I who live, but Christ
lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith
in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” When this happens,
when we lose our identity and life so that Christ lives his life in and through
us, we will certainly become one with God and how will he deny himself his own
desires. In John 17:23, Jesus once prayed, “I in them, and thou in me, that
they may be made perfect in one.” Just tell me how our payers will fail when
are made perfect with the Father and the Son. Because of this, Christ “died for
all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who
died for them and rose again.” 2nd Corinthians 5:15.
It thus is imperative that Christ
lives in and through us so that when we pray we will approach God as his sons
and as heirs of his inheritance. This is the most effective way of having answered
prayers. Jesus said, “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father ……...” Our Father
indicates that God is a father of many sons. The other sons have equal rights
to God’s blessings in as much the same way as we have. In view of that we must
therefore not be selfish and greedy. This thus follows that when we pray we
must also consider the needs and desires of others. When God answers others we
must rejoice with them because they are our brothers and God is their father
also. When we identify or come to know our fellow brothers’ needs we must not
hesitate to pray for them also. In writing to Timothy, Paul wrote, “Therefore I
exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of
thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may
lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is
good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all men to be
saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one
Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom
for all, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher and
an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the
Gentiles in faith and truth. I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere,
lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;”
In my next post on effective
prayer or God’s prayer pattern, I will discuss the greatness of God.
Lesson 4 (the Greatness of God)
“After this manner therefore pray
ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth,
as it is in heaven.” These words tell us something unique about God which we
must be conscious of when we engage in prayer. We must be conscious of God’s
greatness.
God is an awesome being and in
the book of Isiah he says, “I will not yield my glory to another or my praise
to idols.” In that regard, he alone is worth to be worshipped hence he has
given commandment to that effect. He is a great God such that in Isiah 66:1 he
says, “…... heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.” He cannot be
confined to a temple or a particular place because he is everywhere present,
all powerful and all knowing. He existed before time, created time and set the
boundaries of time yet he is from everlasting even unto everlasting. He created
the beginning of time as well as the end of time but no one understands his
existence since he is not time bound.
Examples of his greatness can be
seen in the creation story. Did it ever occur to you that whilst the counting
or numbering of days and nights is determined by the sun and moon, the first 3
days never relied on the sun and moon. Genesis gives the following description
from verse 3 to 5. ‘God said, "Let there be light"; and there was
light. God saw that the light was good;
and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day, and
the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one
day.’ It is interesting to note that on this day and night there was no sun and
moon to divide the day from the night yet this was very possible. Two more days
and nights came and passed with full light during the day and darkness at night
yet there was no sun to give light and also with no moon to obstruct the sun’s
light upon the earth. Truly how great is this God, can anyone explain, I truly
wonder. The sun and moon only came on the fourth day to give light and to
divide day from night.
Vegetation which relies heavily
on light for growth was created before the sun had been created. Genesis
1:11-13 reads, “Then God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation: plants
yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with
seed in them"; and it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants
yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them,
after their kind; and God saw that it was good.
There was evening and there was morning, a third day.…” Did this ever
occur to you that vegetation grew and produced fruit with no sun in sight at
all. The sun only came in to being four days after the first act of creation.
The sun, moon and stars only came on the fourth day and their purpose was to separate the day from the night, and …...
be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; and …... be for lights in
the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth; yet light existed
four days before they came in existence. Can you just imagine a God who can do
such awesome things? My friend this is just one bit of how overwhelming and
marvellous God is.
Hebrews 11:6 tells us that that
the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were
not made of things which do appear. In other words, God made the universe out
of absolutely nothing. Imagine how great this God is in that furthermore,
invisible atoms and ions were put together by God to put in place visible
things which we see daily. Do you really understand this God? As for me I am
completely tongue tied.
The psalmist, in Psalms 145,
wrote, “Yahweh is great and is highly praised; His greatness is unsearchable.
The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and great in faithful
love. The Lord is good to everyone; His compassion rests on all He has made.” Let
me say that God is greater than greatness because words cannot describe his
greatness, in fact it is him who created greatness hence in Genesis 12:1-3 he
could say to Abraham, “I will make you a
great nation; I will bless you and
make your name great; And you shall be a blessing... And in you all the
families of the earth shall be blessed." The hymn writer sang, “the sings
my soul my saviour God to thee, how great thou art, how great thou art.”
When we pray we must be conscious
of this greatness and when we do so faith will be built in us. Faith and
confidence is always put in what is greater than us so when we realise the
greatness of God faith and assurance in Him will naturally grow within us.
Because of his greatness, his
great name must be held in high esteem. The disciples were told to say,
“Hallowed be thy name.” God’s name is sacred and must not be taken in vain. The
Hebrews were very particular about the aspect. The took seriously the Leviticus
19:12 which said, “And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt
thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.” Even whilst reading the
scripture they would mumble when they came to where the name of YHW was written
because they feared to profane it. the Israelites revered the name of God so
much that they only used it in a serious and considerate way so as to avoid
using His name in a useless and disrespectful way.
When they said, “thus says the
Lord”, God would have in deed spoken. They were not like most of us modern men who
are not ashamed to say, “YHW said to me,” when God would not have spoken a
word. Not only does the modern me take his name in vain. They actually misuse
and abuse it. Many in the modern church have lost reverence for God and his
great and awesome name. Many people have been fleeced of their hard earned
wealth by certain deceivers who have said, “God has commanded that you give me
this and that” when God would have said nothing at all. No wonder why most
prayers go un answered because we failed to stay within the prayer pattern
wherein consecrate the Lord’s name. In my book Saints Made Merchandise I emphasise the seriousness of not abusing
the Lord’s for selfish gain.
In my next post I will look at
the phrase, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”
Lesson 5
(Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven)
In the Lord’s prayer the greatest
teacher teaches us to pray for the coming of the kingdom of God. To the modern
man it may be very difficult to understand the concept of a kingdom since we
are used to the idea of democratic republics or democratic constitutional monarchs.
In order for us to understand what the kingdom of God entails, it is necessary
that we comprehend the magnitude of the need for God’s kingdom to come. I also
am of the opinion that it may be necessary to distinguish the differences
between a kingdom as alluded to in the bible and a republic or a democratic constitutional
monarch as is practiced today. A kingdom as denoted in the bible refers to a
dominion with a single figurehead, known as a king, wielding supreme executive
power whereas a republic or democratic constitutional monarch has delegates and
representatives with collective or delegated authority.
Kingdom rule was a form of
government which prevailed during biblical and pre-biblical times. Utmost or
supreme authority resided in an individual commonly known as the king. The king,
in this kind of domination, exercised absolute power over the governance of the
kingdom and often held the title for life or until abdication to an heir who
always was from the same family. The king was wholly set apart from all other
members of the state and he made all the laws and legislative or judicial decisions.
He owned all land in his territory and could even banish offenders from his
land.
Modern day kingdoms, however, do
not have unlimited political power since this type of governance has evolved to
a more citizen-friendly government. They have evolved in to constitutional
monarchies whose powers are limited by constitutions. Most of the kings or
queens are mere figure heads as real political power now resides in the
constitution which delates real political
Democracy is the rule of the
people by the people and is claimed to be based on the principle of equality
and freedom. The equality being defined in terms where all citizens are all
equal before the law which law is made by the people through their
representatives. This follows that the representatives are also governed by the
same laws that govern the ordinary people hence both the governed and the
governors are subject to the same sanctions under the law.
In contrast, in a kingdom the
king makes and gives the law hence he is the law whilst in democracy, all people
are equal before the law including the governors. In a kingdom, supreme power
resides in the king and no one can question his decisions. This is the type of
kingdom Christ was making reference to where God is the supreme ruler. Unlike a
republic or a constitutional monarch were the laws and the leadership is voted
in to power by the governed, the laws in the kingdom alluded to in Matthew 6 is
led by a king who is the supreme leader and exercises absolute and supreme
power. He is the law giver and exercises both executive and judiciary powers.
He is not and cannot be controlled by his own laws.
Because of the supreme authority
alluded to above God says. “I will not yield my glory to another.” When God’s
kingdom comes His own will as king will prevail. He is not elected in to office
hence does not have to seek the will of the electorate. As king he is called
king of kings because he appoints junior kings to execute his rule according to
his own will and that is why scriptures say we shall reign with Christ.
Concerning the kingdom of God Isiah write, “Now it will come about that in the
last days The mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the
chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; And all the nations
will stream to it and many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up
to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; That He may
teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths." For the
law will go forth from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” The
prophet Daniel in verse 44 of his 2nd chapter describes the kingdom
of God in the following fashion. “"In the days of those kings the God of
heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom
will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these
kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.” In chapter 7 verses 13,14 and 27
he writes, “And behold, one like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of
heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him.
Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples,
nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting
dominion, which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be
destroyed. Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms
under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most
High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and
obey Him.” John in Revelation 11: 15 reaffirms this by saying, “The kingdoms of
this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall
reign for ever and ever.”
You see whenever you pray, “Thy
kingdom come,” that is the type of kingdom you will be praying for. You will be
praying for a kingdom where the Lord God omnipotent reigns. Rev 19:6. This
kingdom must start within you and not outside. Jesus said, “The kingdom of God
does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’
For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21). In other words,
before the great and dreadful day comes, God must establish his kingdom within
us. We must subject ourselves to his reign. His desires must reign in us and
must dilute our own desires. That is the reason why the bible says we must
cease to live and allow Christ to live in us.
From this background you can now
understand why soon after praying for the coming of the kingdom we then pray, “Thy
will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” This is an acknowledgement that God
deserves all honour and majesty. It expresses appreciation that God
continuously has the right direction to follow, no matter the circumstances in
which we as human beings find ourselves. In Proverbs 3:5-6 the wise man wrote,
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” What an
excellent guideline for us to follow.
Since God is all-powerful and
“does whatever He pleases” as is depicted in Psalm 115:3, is there any need to
pray for His will to be done when His will is going to occur anyway? You see
this teaches to align our thinking and actions with God’s purpose and plan for
us. We must learn his desires so that thy will be our own desires. Remember
that in the book of Luke it is reported that Jesus knelt down and prayed,
“Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours
be done.”
James 4:3 says, “When you ask,
you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what
you get on your pleasures.” That is the result of prayers that are said outside
the will of God. When we fail to align our desires to the will of God we will
pray amiss. Paul corroborate this when he says, “In the same way, the Spirit
helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the
Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind
of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Knowing
the will of God is therefore key to answered prayers.
Lesson 6 (Praise and Worship)
The greatest teacher ever to walk
on this earth teaches us to pray after this manner, “Our Father which art in
heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” These words apart
from telling us about God’s greatness, they all so tell us about how to start
or enter in to prayer. The psalmist once said, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving
and His courts with praise.” Psalm 100:4. The greatest lesson we get here is
that we must always enter in to God’s presence with praise and worship.
Praising and worshiping God is an
expression of our love and admiration of him for who he is and what he has done
or is capable of doing. In Isaiah 66:1
God says, “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.” He is the Creator of the universe and
everything in it, which includes you and me.
In Psalms 100 the worshipper says, “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. Enter His gates with
thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His
name. For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His
faithfulness to all generations. For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness
is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.” How wonderful and
amazing is that!
Praising and worshiping God is
not a ritual, or recital of an ancient prayer.
True worship calls for total commitment of our body, mind and
spirit. It has nothing to do with
religion, but has all to do with having a profound and intimate relationship
with God. It’s about exalting, adoring and acknowledging the God of the
Bible.
Gotquestions.org has the
following to say about praise and worship.
“Understanding the difference
between praise and worship can bring a new depth to the way we honour the Lord.
Throughout the Bible, the commands to "praise the Lord" are too numerous
to mention. Angels and the heavenly hosts are commanded to praise the Lord
(Psalm 89:5; 103:20; 148:2). All inhabitants of the earth are instructed to
praise the Lord (Psalm 138:4; Romans 15:11). We can praise Him with singing
(Isaiah 12:5; Psalm 9:11), with shouting (Psalm 33:1; 98:4), with the dance
(Psalm 150:4), and with musical instruments (1 Chronicles 13:8; Psalm 108:2;
150:3-5).
Praise is the joyful recounting of all God has
done for us. It is closely intertwined with thanksgiving as we offer back to
God appreciation for His mighty works on our behalf. Praise is universal and can
be applied to other relationships as well. We can praise our family, friends,
boss, or paperboy. Praise does not require anything of us. It is merely the
truthful acknowledgment of the righteous acts of another. Since God has done
many wonderful deeds, He is worthy of praise (Psalm 18:3).
Worship, however, comes from a different place
within our spirits. Worship should be reserved for God alone (Luke 4:8).
Worship is the art of losing self in the adoration of another. Praise can be a
part of worship, but worship goes beyond praise. Praise is easy; worship is
not. Worship gets to the heart of who we are. To truly worship God, we must let
go of our self-worship. We must be willing to humble ourselves before God,
surrender every part of our lives to His control, and adore Him for who He is,
not just what He has done. Worship is a lifestyle, not just an occasional
activity. Jesus said the Father is seeking those who will worship Him "in
spirit and in truth" (John 4:23).
In Scripture, praise is usually
presented as boisterous, joyful, and uninhibited. God invites praise of all
kinds from His creation. Jesus said that if people don't praise God, even the
"stones will cry out" (Luke 19:40). When the Bible mentions worship,
however, the tone changes. We read verses like, "Worship the Lord in the
beauty of holiness" (Psalm 96:9). And, "Come let us worship and bow
down" (Psalm 95:6). Often, worship is coupled with the act of bowing or
kneeling, which shows humility and contrition (2 Chronicles 29:28; Hebrews
11:21; Revelation 19:10). It is through true worship that we invite the Holy
Spirit to speak to us, convict us, and comfort us. Through worship, we realign
our priorities with God's and acknowledge Him once more as the rightful Lord of
our lives.
Just as praise is intertwined with
thanksgiving, worship is intertwined with surrender. It is impossible to
worship God and anything else at the same time (Luke 4:8). The physical acts
often associated with worship—bowing, kneeling, lifting hands—help to create
the necessary attitude of humility required for real worship. Wise worship
leaders know how to structure a worship service to allow participants to both
praise and worship the Lord. Often, services begin with joyous praise songs and
transition to a quieter, more introspective opportunity for worship.
Worship is an attitude of the
heart. A person can go through the outward motions and not be worshiping (Psalm
51:16-17; Matthew 6:5-6). God sees the heart, and He desires and deserves
sincere, heartfelt praise and worship.”
When we praise and worship the
Lord a very profound thing occurs. Psalms 22:3 says that that God inhabits the
praises of his people. In 2 Chronicles 6 we see Solomon at the dedication of
the temple giving an elaborate praise and worship to God. He praised God for
all the good God had done for Israel from the day he delivered Israel from the
days of the captivity in Egypt up to the date of the temple dedication. The
acclaim was so ornate such that in the next chapter, 2 Chronicles 7, we are
told that, “As soon as Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and
burned up the offerings. The Lord’s dazzling glory then filled the temple, and
the priests could not go in. When the crowd of people saw the fire and the
Lord’s glory, they knelt down and worshiped the Lord. They prayed: “The Lord is
good, and his love never ends.”
That is what praise and worship
does. It invites the presence of God in to the midst of his people. When we
praise God his presence will come down and when his presence is in our midst
our trouble will flee away. This explains why the sick get healed even before
they have been prayed for.
Here Jesus is teaching us to do
one of the things that bring about electiveness in to our prayer life. When God
is in our presence no demon can dare stand such an atmosphere charged with the
presence of God. Through praise and worship we break al chains and fetters of
the evil one. Through praise we open flood gates for answers to prayer. Did you
know that God know our needs even before we mention them? Many a time most of
the needs are met without praying about them. When we praise the Lord
everything falls in to shape.
The lesson we therefore get is
that before we make our petition known, we must first acknowledge the greatness
of God and then genuinely and from the depth of our hearts adore God and give
him all the praises that belong to him. Are you aware that Jesus once said that
when people do not worship God, rocks and boulders will praise him
Lesson 7 (Give us this day our daily bread)
In Philippians 4:6, the apostle
Paul writes, “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” In the model prayer the Lord says, “After this
manner therefore pray ye: Our Father ……… Give
us this day our daily bread,” In short, he was saying petition God what you
desire from him. The apostle James addresses the same topic when he says, “You
lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and
war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask” James 4:2. Jesus again said,
“Ask, and it shall be given you” (Mt7:7) and the apostle James in verse 5 of
his first chapter writes, “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.”
Our lesson here is that we must
entreaty the Lord for that which we want. Tell God what exactly you want. In
the model prayer the request is, “Give us this day our daily bread.” If you
desire a house you must pray, “Lord give me a house.” In Mat. 20:30-34 Jesus
was confronted by 2 blind men. Jesus could see that they were blind but he
asked them what they wanted him to do for them. By this act he was availing
them an opportunity to make their request to him. Had they said they wanted
bread he would have availed them the bread. The good news is they knew what
they wanted so they said, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened” and the Lord gave
them sight.
This takes us to the next aspect
which is, know what you want before you pray. Many people pray amiss because
they do not know what they want. James write in Jas 5:14-15, “Is any sick among
you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him,
anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall
save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins,
they shall be forgiven him.” In Matthew 20:20-23 we see the mother of Zebedee's
children making a request to Jesus. As was the case with the blind men, Jesus
asked her what she wanted him to do for her. Her response was, “Grant that
these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the
left, in Your kingdom.” Jesus’ amazing answer was, “You do not know what you
ask.”
Can you see the danger of not
knowing your need? What this woman payed for was not what she really needed. In
a bid to let her and her sons realise that they knew not what they were praying
for he asked, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be
baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” a clever person would have
sought to know what that cup and baptism were but because they were blinded
with pride and greedy they said, “We are able.” Because of lust as pointed out
in James 4:2 they gave this answer because they were obsessed with the to be
the most powerful people in the kingdom of Christ. Because of this obsession
which led them to wrong motives the Lord answered their request by saying, “Ye
shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am
baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to
give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.” So
the sons of Zebedee must not complain about the persecution they went through
because they prayed for it.
In yet another Luke case the Lord
gives us examples of persons who really knew what they wanted and as a result
made the correct petition. First to come to my mind is a certain widow in a
certain city who petitioned a certain judge who did not fear God and had no
regard for man. She petitioned this uncaring judge until he said within
himself, “Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow
troubles me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.”
(Luke 18:4-5) The other example that comes to my mind is case of the Publican
and the Pharisee who went up into the temple to pray. The Pharisee did not know
he needed forgiveness and as a result boasted about all his self-righteousness
and even reminded God that the Publican was a sinner. On the other hand, the
Publican was aware of his inadequacy and made a very simple prayer which was,
“God be merciful to me a sinner.” The Lord said, “I tell you, this man went
down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth
himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” Luke
18:14
The good news is that when we
ask, the Father will always answer us. The Lord said, “Most assuredly, I say to
you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you
have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be
full. These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is
coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will
tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I
do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself
loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from
God.” Jhn 16:23-28. In Luke’s gospel he said, “And I say unto you, Ask, and it
shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto
you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to
him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you
that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a
fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a
scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children:
how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask
him?” Luk 11:9-14
We therefore have the assurance
that when we ask any thing in Jesus’ name, the Father will give us. However, we
must always remember what we learnt in lesson 5 that everything must be
according to his own will. Elijah the great prophet tried it and got a shock of
his life when God gave him a new assignment rather than grant him his request.
In 1st Kings chapter 19 we are told that as Elijah sat under a
juniper tree he requested for himself that he might die. His prayer was, “It is
enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.”
Rather than take his life, God gave him a fresh assignment because (1) it was
not God’s will for Elijah to die before accomplishing his calling and (2)
Elijah did not know what he was asking as he was blinded by emotion. Had he
died jezebel would have been the winner and Elijah himself the looser.
A chapter before chapter 19
Elijah had been an example of a person who knew exactly what he wanted. He
prayed, “LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day
that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done
all these things at thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may
know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back
again.” God did just that by answering with fire all the people were convicted
that YHW is God. 1st Kings 18:39 says, “And when all the people saw
it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD,
he is the God.” Soon after that he prayed for rain and the Lord gave them the
rain. He did not ask for Ahab and Jezebel to die because that would not benefit
him and was against God’s will since he does not delight in the death of a
sinner. He prayed for the nation’s greatest need and God granted it.
Therefore, the lesson here is,
know what you want and let your request be specific. Don’t beat about the bush.
Lesson 8 (And forgive us our sins)
Luke’s version reads, “And
forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us.” Luke
11:4. Here we learn one of the greatest lessons of successful prayer. The
beloved disciple wrote, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 Jn 1:9. In
Psalm 32:5, the psalmist says, “I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover
up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.’” Here
the psalmist addresses, “sin,” “iniquity,” and “transgression” in his prayer to
God because he was aware that the three all describe evil and lawlessness
against God. In 1 John 3:4 the beloved disciple says, “Whosoever committeth sin
transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
This is the secrete which the
Pharisee never knew when he went before God. The tax collector knew it and
returned home justified. 1 John 1:8-10 says, “If we say that we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his
word is not in us.” The greatest lie we can ever live is to deny our
shortcomings and seek remedy for of it. We must guard against iniquity
remembering that God is holy. 1 Peter 1:15-17.
The Psalmist said it all when he sang,
“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: But verily God
hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God,
which hath not turned away my prayer,
nor his mercy from me.” Ps. 66:18-20. He will not turn away our prayers when we
confess our sins and turn away from our transgressions. The ex-blind once
taught the then scholars of the day, that “Now we know that God heareth not
sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he
heareth.” Jhn 9:31. In Proverbs 15:29 the wiseman said, “The LORD is far from
the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.” This is why John
remarked, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
As we seek forgiveness from God
we must also learn to forgive those who trespass against us. In Matthew 6:14-15
the Lord taught, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father
will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will
your Father forgive your trespasses.” As children of God we must be like God.
God is a forging being hence his children must also be forgiving beings. Remember
the parable of the ungrateful servant.
The parable of the ungrateful
servant in Matthew 18 is a good lesson which needs no further interpretation.
Matthew writes, “Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my
brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to
him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times
seven. Therefore, the kingdom of heaven
is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one
was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master
commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and
that payment be made. The servant
therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I
will pay you all.’ Then the master of
that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.
“But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a
hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying,
‘Pay me what you owe!’ So his fellow
servant fell down at his feet[a] and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with
me, and I will pay you all.’ And he
would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So
when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and
came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him,
said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you
begged me. Should you not also have had
compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him
to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.”
Lesson 9 (And lead us not in to temptation)
The next petition we see in this
prayer model is, “…. lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” In
Matthew 26:41, the Lord said, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into
temptation.” He also once said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be
of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Jn 16:33.
Temptation will come but we
desire to be kept away from temptation. The main reason why we utter this
petition is because we acknowledge God as our defence, shelter and source of
victory. Paul in 1st Corinthians 10:12- 14 wrote, “So the one who
thinks he is standing firm should be careful not to fall. No temptation has
seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what
you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so
that you can stand up under it.” satan may tempt us but God will ensure we are
not tempted beyond our capacity to resist. Job is one good example which comes
to mind. When satan got the permission to test Job, God gave satan strict
restriction and at the end of it all, Job emerged the undisputed victor.
God is indeed our refuge, covering and hiding
place. He is the rock to which we run
for protection. The Psalmist in Psalm 62 sang, “Truly my soul finds rest in
God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is
my fortress, I will never be shaken.” For that reason, the Lord Jesus Christ says,
"When you pray say, 'And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from
evil." We thus pray that that God will protect us in the physical and
spiritual realms so as to ensure that we live lives that are pleasing to the
Lord. Every day we ought to be praying for each other so that we are not lead
us not into temptation.
Does this prayer then assume that
God leads people in to temptation so that they sin? The apostle James in his 1st
chapter and at verse 13 writes, "Let no one say when he is tempted, I'm
being tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted by evil and He Himself doesn't
tempt anyone." God isn't going to
tempt anyone.” However, trials and temptations bring out of us the gem that is
hidden in each and every one of us. In the 2nd verse of the same
chapter, the apostle James writes, “Count it all joy when you fall into various
tests." Why, because trials result
in a perfect work as they produce endurance in us. The apostle Peter also says,
"After you've suffered a while, the Lord will make you perfect." Paul said, "It was in my pain and my
suffering, in my agony that I was humbled and that I found in my weakness the
strength of Christ."
So in short we asking God that
temptations must never overwhelm us hence the phrase, “but deliver us from evil.”
In other words, we are saying God do a perfect work in me and ensure that at
the end of the day I emerge the type of person you desire me to be.
Lesson 10
(For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,)
Finally, we come to the phrase, “For
thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” What is
the significance of this statement in prayer? Kingdom, Power, and Glory raise
which sentiments or frame of mind? Is it not proper that every fervent payer
should be concluded by upholding that the kingdom that reigns above every
government, all power, and all glory exclusively interminably belong to the one
and only living God? Every born again Christian should unashamedly and resoundingly
respond with firm amen!
The kingdom speaks about control
and governance. In Lesson 5 we alluded to the fact that God’s kingdom cannot be
destroyed. All earthly kingdoms, dominions and the greatness of all other territories
or governments in the entire world shall serve and obey our God because His
kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and the Lord Jesus Christ shall reign for
ever and ever. By closing our prayer with the words, “thine is the kingdom,” we
will be affirming that the kingdom does not belong to us and hence we are not
in control. We are upholding that God is in control and we are his subjects. In summary we are saying, “I’m not God but you
are my God and king.”
This hearty declaration emphasizes
that God possesses and presides over his immense and unending kingdom as the
sovereign king who exercises supreme authority and unlimited dominion over the vast
domain. God’s reign undoubtedly, embraces both the spiritual and physical as
well as the realm of providence and the sphere of salvation. The great apostle
in his epistle to the Ephesians at chapter 6:11, wrote that God “works all
things according to the counsel of his will” hence in that regard, he controls
and commands all the affairs of mankind. He has infinite control over even the
intricate inner workings of the entire universe including the mysterious things
of the spirit.
In lesson 5 we prayed that God’s
kingdom should come and here we are asserting that the kingdom belongs to God. When
Jesus came in to the world he “went about ….…… preaching the gospel of the
kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the
people.” Matthew 4:23. His main thrust was to establish the kingdom of God. To a
teacher of the law he said, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be
born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God. …….. Jesus answered, Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he
cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
John 3:1-5. It is abundantly clear that the Lord’s gospel is the gospel of the
kingdom and nothing else.
By confessing that the kingdom
belongs to God, we are not just acknowledging that the kingdom does not belong
to us but to God. We are proclaiming that God does what he wants with us. We are
further decreeing that we are willing to conform to his standard and values. The
apostle once wrote, “the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Rom 14:17. This then
follows that for us to be part of the kingdom of we God we must live righteous
lives. In Matthew 7:21 the Lord said, “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord,
Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my
Father which is in heaven.” In other words, by praying, “thy kindom come,” we
will be accepting to be guided by the will of God. That was why in lesson 4 we
sought God’s will soon after praying for his kingdom to come.
The power speaks of control, authority,
supremacy, influence and rule. In other words, by saying “thine is …. the power
we,” we will be succumbing to the authority and influence of God. We will be
saying, “God influence my affairs.” The Lord must order our steps. We follow
his commands and we cannot command him. The psalmist wrote, “Once God has
spoken; twice have I heard this: that power
belongs to God.” Psalm 62:11.
Theologians explain his power as
omnipotence. This refers to having unlimited power. He is called Elshadai which
means the Almighty God. The prophet reports that, “…. the word of the LORD came
to Jeremiah, saying, "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?" God’s power is so enormous that Jesus only
used his finger to cast out demons. In Luke 11:20 the Lord said, “if I drive
out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” In Matthew 10 the Lord compared the power of
those who can kill the body alone agains the power of God who is able to
destroy both soul and body in hell.” Imagine power which is able to raise back
to life the following: Revelations 20:2 “And
I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. And there were
open books, and one of them was the book of life. And the dead were judged
according to their deeds, as recorded in the books. 13The sea gave up its dead,
and Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to
his deeds. 14Then Death and Hades were thrown
into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire.”
Indeed, all power belongs to him.
The Lord taught his disciples to affirm that “the power” belongs to God. The
definite article defines the infinite scope of His sovereignty. He possesses
not a mere portion of some power, but the
power. He has all power in heaven and on earth. All that God’s supreme will
chooses to do, He has the omnipotence to execute it fully. Nothing can hinder
the free exercise of His sovereign pleasure
Glory speaks of magnificence and
the truth that God is an awesome being who says in the book of Isiah, “I will
not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.” Everything is made for
the glory of God! All things in life and ministry must be solely for the glory and
praise of God. Our passion and prayer must be God-centred focussing on
glorifying God in prayer. To this end, all prayer before to God must begin and
end with unqualified acclaim to him. The Alpha and Omega of prayer must be for
the glory of God.
Prayer must not be a selfish self-centred
quest which is motivated by the gratifying of selfish indulgences of notorious “name
it and claim it” or so called “prosperity gospel” which is devoid of ascribing
to God the glory which is his alone. Seeing that Jesus emphasised glorifying God
at the start and end of his prayer model we immediately notice that his primary
focus of prayer is for one to be captivated upon the supreme glory of God. As
our Lord gave instruction regarding how to pray, He was unequivocal in teaching
us to attribute all glory to God. Everything must yield to the glory of
God! The Lord Jesus here indicates how our
prayers should be concluded by ascribing glory to God hence we pray, “For thine
is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever. Amen”
It is desirable that the climax of
any prayer be a pulsating assertion of the glory of God, his power and his
rulership. Our prayers must climax with the proclamation that all glory belongs
to our God. All glory rightfully belongs to God.
Finally, the prayer is concluded by
the word “Amen” which refers to being firm, sure and secure. Indeed his promises
are sure and Amen
.
Copyright
© 2016 Abraham Soka
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