America's Pastor

"Andrea, Billy Graham is on channel 12."

My grandmother would call everytime a Billy Graham crusade was televised in our area reminding my mother and me to watch it.....and ultimately hoping and praying for my salvation.

I did hear Billy Graham preach in person. In 1972 at the Cotton Bowl in Denton TX. at Expo '72. He was everything you can imagine him. Yet, all you saw and heard was how much God and Jesus loved you and wanted you to come to a personal relationship with Him.

Billy Graham died today.

America's pastor, they called him.

My first thought was the verse in 1 Samuel 25:1
 

"Then Samuel died, and all the Israelites gathered together to mourn him,

 and buried him at his home in Ramah."  

We may not gather together physically as a nation, but emotionally and spiritually we will gather in heart and mind and spirit and mourn a great man of God.

I likened him to the great men of God in Scripture. A disciple who did exactly what Jesus told them to do in Mark 16:15,

"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." 

The simple message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: 

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. 

For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him." John 3:16-17 

He stressed over and over that God loved us and if we would turn from our sins and come to Him, He forgives and saves. 

 "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved." - Acts 16:31 

"Repent for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand!" -- Matt 3:2

Somewhere along the way we have minimized the idea that God loves us so much that Jesus, His only son, died for us. Think about it. Has anyone ever stood in your place for anything? Notch it up and realize Christ died for YOU--for you. He loves you that much. 

This past week 17 individuals died in a school shooting in Florida. One of the teachers literally threw himself in front of the shooter and took several bullets to keep kids from getting shot. He died. That's what Jesus did. He died in our place. What a perfect example...

"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." --John 15:13 

Help us Lord, to realize the love of Almighty God -- whose love endures forever-- our compassionate and merciful God. Help us to love you like that.  

Googling for Spiritual Answers.

I have wondered all my life why I am the way I am; judgemental, hypercritical, unkind, phoney-what is it that makes me this way exactly. Moreover, for having professed Christianity for the largest portion of my life - why can't I change, be delivered from this sin that so easily besets me?

One day while I was making our bed, and bitching and bellyaching to no one in particular, AGAIN, about my husband and kids, etc. It hit me. I sat down on the edge of the bed and googled the question "Why am I so critical and judgemental?"

The top link lead to a page from Psychology Today about being this way because you have been raised in a hypercritical environment. As I read on, it described me to a tee. (This also makes me think that there must be a LOT of other's out there that struggled with this).

The term hypercritical environment was something I had to do more digging into, and when I did, it was also spot on.

When a child grows up in an overly critical environment it can have a damaging effect on their psyche. Overly critical parents may feel like they are just driving their children to do their best, but realistically, critical behavior leads to a negative family dynamic. It has an effect on everything from a child's creativity level to her self-esteem. 

Under this were the subheadings: Perfectionism, Anxiety, Unconditional Love, Self Esteem, 

Perfectionism: 

This creates a family dynamic in which the child is expected to perform at unrealistic levels. Psychology Today outlines the issues that come along with seeking perfectionism. The article, "Pitfalls of Perfectionism," says that perfectionism decreases creativity, innovation, and a child's desire to take risks. A child who is raised with overly critical parents is afraid to fail and disappoint her parents. According to Psychology Today, the unattainable expectations put on a child by overly critical parents serves only to increase her negative inner dialogue.

Anxiety:

According to the site Children with Anxiety, a child needs a loving, calming environment when dealing with anxiety issues. Overly critical parents only serve to increase the stress and anxiety within a child. The site says a child can develop depression, or even mental illness if anxiety issues are not dealt with in a healthy manner. A child who has anxiety issues needs parental guidance that does not include stressful criticism, and second-guessing of every move he makes. Children with Anxiety points out that dealing with anxiety is a family issue, not just the child's issue.

Unconditional Love: 

Hypercritical parenting can result in a child feeling she has to earn her parents' love. Dr. Benzion Sorotzkin, psychotherapist, says a child with overly critical parents grows up feeling she has to achieve enough in order to earn the love of her parents. Due to the negative nature of a critical family environment, the child feels she does not receive unconditional love. Sorotzkin explains, in a healthy home a child knows they are loved, even when they do not meet her parents' standards. She knows love is not tied to achievement. In hypercritical households, a child grows up feeling parental love is something that is dangling like a carrot on a string, and until she does enough to earn it, she is not loved. Sorotzkin says this leads to later issues with self-esteem, negative parental relationships and perfectionism.

Self Esteem: 

Children develop self-esteem as they grow and learn to value themselves. According to Kids Health, a child who lives in an overly critical environment internalizes the critical dialogue she hears from her parents. This lowers self-esteem and can lead to depression, says Kids Health. The children's health site advises parents to be supportive and nurturing with children. A child who learns to love and accept herself even when she fails, will develop healthy self-esteem. A child needs to see from her parents that even when she is not perfect, she is worthy and loved. This will help her believe in herself and increase her self-esteem. 

Having grown up in this kind of a household was the insight into all my issues of being so incredibly critical. 

I had lived my entire life in such an environment. The problem was, I lived with a man who had not. Actually, that wasn't a problem, it was a huge blessing. But how to change, how to come out of years, a lifetime of this was hard to figure out. 

I Googled again. I don't remember the question that I asked "the box of knowledge" as Audrey calls it, but out of all the information that it came up with, only one had a spiritual answer and that was what I was looking for. Basically, I was looking for how to balance what I had growing up with what I professed to be and with the God I believe in. I found the perfect answer. 

You can read it here  

But the jest of it was that by focusing on the faults and fallacies of other people, you negate the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

Just like that I was shown what my years and life of criticizing others was a direct slap in God's face at my lack of faith in Him to change, deliver, restore and redeem people. 

Where was my faith in the God I believed in. 

About this time I also started reading a book by Anne Graham Lotz called the Daniel Prayer, which I will write more on later, but suffice to say the combination of the questions and the book, my life and outlook has changed drastically. 

Don't ever be afraid to dig. And if you use the internet and Google, and pray before you do it, I won't doubt that God will lead you to exactly where he wants you to be.   

I had prayed about this problem and God answered by leading me to what he wanted me to know. He is still leading.... I'm so thankful. 

A servant

I have a framed quote on my kitchen window sill by Dr. David Jeremiah that reads:

“You can tell if you have a servants’ heart by the way you feel when someone treats you like one.”

As I read different accounts in scripture of those whose names we know and are familiar with in the scriptures – Joseph, David, Moses, etc. I am struck by the part played, vital parts – by “a servant.”

Joseph:

^“9 Then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh, saying: “I remember my faults this day. ¹⁰ When Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker, ¹¹ we each had a dream in one night, he and I. Each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream. ¹² Now there was a young Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard. And we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; to each man he interpreted according to his own dream. ¹³ And it came to pass, just as he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him.”

¹⁴ Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh.” – Genesis 41:9-14

David:

¹⁸ Then one of the servants answered and said, “Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the Lord is with him.” 

Jesus: 

 9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. 

There are others that appear in scripture briefly to play their part and literally to turn the tide of the events or the story. There are many times in scripture where a life changing event is precipitated on the word of “a servant”.  We never know their names, where they come from, or what becomes of them after their brief part in the particular story, but the outcome of the story, the rest of the person’s life is affected by that one “servant”. 

Jesus was and is referred to in scripture as “a servant” – THE servant who turned the tide of events for all of us.

Don’t balk at being a servant – their roles were instrumental in God’s plan……      

Broken

The broken…..we are all broken. 

Some of us are just a functioning broken, others; can’t function.

The problem is, I’m a fixer. I want to fix the broken, and when I can’t fix, I look away, I avoid, I ignore.

I remember being young, thinking that I could fix the broken ones, get involved, help, time, money, space, involvement, and on and on and on…….

But I am tired and weary of the sea of brokenness that is washing up and into my life all around me every day, no matter where I am or where I go. Church, school, shopping, eating out, Facebook.

Again, we are all broken, some functioning broken, others unable to function. Some choosing not to function.

I was taught to function, no matter the level or degree of brokenness. I was pointed toward a light, a place, someone who I was told ultimately fixed brokenness.

Others didn’t get the memo.

I find myself trying to discern between stages of brokenness these days. Is it self-inflicted? —no time for that nonsense. Or is it a natural brokenness?

Wait………. brokenness is broken.

It all comes from the same place, and it isn’t self-inflicted. It is inflicted, but not by self.

I’m making myself remember who is responsible for the brokenness in the world, and that helps put things in perspective.

I am still graphically aware that I cannot “fix” brokenness, but I haven’t forgotten the place of light where there is someone who can. I just need to remember to take them to Him.

²⁸ “Come to Me, all ^[a]who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. – Matthew 10:28

He is the burden bearer, the fixer. He is the only one who can transform, repair, or “fix” anyone. 

Who do you think Jesus is?

“I'm glad you guys are doing this, because there are so many people out there who are afraid to go into a church. And they look at church people as though they are perfect or think they are perfect. And they need to understand that after we come to Christ we are all still sinners, we are all still failures, that they aren’t any different than we are.”

This was the beginning of Chances’ sermon yesterday as he shared a story of an individual who lauded our starting a church outside a church setting and why. 

The sermon went on to talk at length about the interpretation of scripture that we are not still sinners after we have accepted Christ as our Savior. 

Roger and I discussed this for quite some time immediately following the service, and even later into the day. The entire sermon was preached out of the book of Jude, next to the last book of the Bible right before Revelation. 

After discussing the topic, I circled back around to the initial conversation and told Roger that I would have looked at the man making the statement and asked him, “Well, who do you think Christ is?” the question behind the question being, "Don't you think Christ, the Jesus of the scriptures is more than enough to conquer your sin? He died for it after all. And rose from the dead. Let's talk about THAT Jesus." 

First of all, his entire statement shows his disappointment with the church overall, but also his misunderstanding of who Jesus Christ is. Not an uncommon malady in today’s society, where I find more people base their belief in Jesus on what others have told them, television shows or movies they have watched, or books they have read rather than God’s word…. the Bible or better yet, real experience gleaned from a personal relationship with Christ.

When the question I would have asked him came to mind, I thought of the scripture in the book of Colossians.

¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

¹⁵ The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

²¹ Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of^[g] your evil behavior. ²² But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— ²³ if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

This is Jesus. God through Him has accomplished it all. There is nothing He can’t and hasn’t done, and won’t do for us, as His followers and children. It has all been accomplished by God, through His Son, Jesus Christ.

But listening to the message yesterday, the emphasis was once again not placed on Jesus and who HE is, but on us, and who we are and continue to be after claiming to be Christians.……

The story of Peter wanting to walk on water came to mind.

²² Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. ²³ After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, ²⁴ and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

²⁵ Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

²⁷ But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

²⁹ “Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

When people are told to look to themselves to find their strength, tenacity, motivation, desire, anything other than Christ, they are being told to look at the wind, the waves. Not at Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.

^2 [a]fixing our eyes on Jesus, the ^[b]author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

³ For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary ^[c]and lose heart.

Dr. R.C. Sproul wrote in Table talk magazine several years back in an article entitled, “Preaching Christ” the following:

“If we take time to examine the sermons of the apostles that are recorded in the book of Acts, we see a somewhat common and familiar structure to them. In this analysis, we can discern the apostolic kerygma, the basic proclamation of the gospel. Here the focus in the preaching was on the person and work of Jesus. The gospel itself was called the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is about Him; it involves the proclamation and declaration of what He accomplished in His life, in His death, and in His resurrection. After the details of His death, resurrection, and ascension to the right hand of God were preached, the apostles called the people to be converted to Christ — to repent of their sins and receive Christ by faith.

When we seek to extrapolate from these examples how the apostolic church did evangelism, we must ask: What is appropriate for the transfer of apostolic principles of preaching to the contemporary church? Some churches believe that a person is required to preach the gospel or to communicate the kerygma in every sermon preached. This view sees the emphasis in Sunday morning preaching as one of evangelism, of proclaiming the gospel. Many preachers today, however, say they are preaching the gospel on a regular basis when in some cases they have never preached the gospel at all, because what they call the gospel is not the message of the person and work of Christ and how His accomplished work and its benefits can be appropriated to the individual by faith. Rather, the gospel of Christ is exchanged for therapeutic promises of a purposeful life or having personal fulfillment by coming to Jesus. In messages such as these, the focus is on us rather than on Him.”

If you continue to tell people to focus on themselves, their lives, faults, shortcomings, and watch the wind and the water, they will continue to drown, but if they keep watching Jesus, learning who He was, is and is to come, they will not only walk on water, but become the fishers of men that Jesus told us to be.

Where is the focus, the emphasis? On ourselves, or on Jesus?  

Who do you think Jesus is?

Because your answer to that question is going to impact everything else in your life.

The Cross of Christ

(I originally wrote this June 8, 2015) 

So I’ve been reading a great deal about the homosexual issue that is sweeping the country right now.

After reading in an article from the New York Times today where several pastors and even some heads of prominent Christian organizations are meeting to map out their strategy on how to deal with the ruling once it comes down from the Supreme Court, and where those opposed to homosexuality are meeting with those in favor of, I was left scratching my head.

I read the Bible a lot. I read the gospels a lot. What I see happening here resembles the sessions the Pharisee and Sadducee's had behind closed doors when trying to rid themselves of Jesus.

And before you jump ahead of me here, and think I am likening the LG community to Jesus, let me be clear. 

It wasn’t Jesus that bothered the leadership of the church so much as it was what he represented.

A power they couldn’t control. 

Miracles, deliverance’s from demons, resurrections from the dead, and worst of all, forgiveness from sin. They said it themselves, “Only God can forgive sins!” 

And they knew that they had come face to face with God. Like the Old Testament Israelites who begged Moses to stand in the gap for them, these folks didn’t really want to come face to face with God either.  

Over the past few years I have been wondering and praying about the impotence I see in people who call themselves followers, disciples of Christ. Let’s face it Christians, especially in America, according to statistics, don’t really differ in behavior or lifestyle from those who claim no faith. What has happened to the power of God in the church that has left the leadership scrambling for a position on what has become such a polarizing issue? 

I’m not a theologian, nor a pastor, but I’m a failure at being a follower and disciple of Christ more often than not. And after proclaiming myself to be a follower for better part of 50 plus years, I’m desirous to know why there seems to be this gap between what we say, and what we do, how we live, how we choose…….

That is what made me realize that all this posturing about Gay and Lesbian issues are simply a symptom of something that the church is still afraid of.

The Power of God through the Holy Spirit.

I know, you mention the word “spirit” and people immediately look at you like you have grown a second head, step back, and brace themselves for an onslaught of an “unknown tongue”.

As I read scripture, especially the gospels and the book of Acts I am struck with the power of the Holy Spirit. What ordinary, everyday, common people were able to accomplish for God’s glory.

Has God shrunk? Has His power diminished?

Even in the old testament there example after example of situations from the Red Sea on and even before where the impossible becomes possible. And it had nothing to do with man’s power and everything to do with God’s power.

I think the thing that the church is really afraid of is having its power exposed for what it really is; counterfeit.

We lead people to Christ, and promise them free grace, and some even tell stories of abundance and blessing and profound joy and happiness. But somewhere in the telling, we fail to lead them to the foot of the cross of Christ. Somewhere in the invitation, we leave out the price of the ticket.

I had noticed this several years before at a service where an altar call was given, but no one had to leave their seats. Just raise their hands while everyone else’s eyes were closed and heads were bowed. Easy enough. Salvation becomes a secret that we keep from the rest of the world, even those who are most anxious to share in what should be the most monumental life changing time of our lives. If we can’t share our faith in the house of faith, what has happened to us? How will be possibly ever be able to share it out in the world?

It starts at the foot of the cross. Where there was anguish, and sorrow, and pain beyond description. Where the innocence of heaven came full force against the evil wickedness of sin.

We desire others to know Christ, but we fail them when we reduce that moment to short prayer where the promise of heaven is given without the power of God to enable them to get there is prayed for as well.

Anyone I know who has walked this sod after believing in Jesus as their Savior and Lord for any length of time will tell you that following Jesus can sometimes be the hardest thing they have ever done, and if we don’t take people to the foot of the cross where they can gaze upon the Savior has who made the trip for us, in whom we are crucified too, and yet no longer live, but He lives in us by the power of that Spirit, we set them up for struggles and heartache, and ultimately feeling of intense failure, if not a turning away from the God they sought, who still loves them intensely.

Where is God’s power?

The early disciples experienced it on Pentecost when the Promised Comforter (Jesus knew we would need comfort) came. After hours and days of prayer Peter preached that day taking all those in ear shot back to the cross, the injustice of it, the selfishness behind it, the pain and sorrow and led them beyond it to the empty tomb, to the power of the Spirit which awaited them that they might walk with that Savior they loved.

The Spirit was just the Christ they loved in another form. He was as present to them and with them as he had been when he walked the earth. Their fearlessness at His presence with them was evidence of the power they sensed. They prayed and acted on the assurance that the reality of the Spirit of God was there.

This was the early church.

Let’s face it. I think that we in the church are more than aware of the power of god, but it is with lowercase letters as we are afraid of the God that written in capital letters.

We are as afraid of the power of God today as the early Israelite's were in the desert of Sinai, and the Jews were in Jesus time. We know we cannot wield it, we can only humble ourselves before it, and allow it to do its work in us. We need to get on our faces like the early church, in prayer and fasting. Humbling ourselves on our knees and faces to allow the Spirit to sweep over us. Get out of his way and let Him work.

People would rather conspire, and meet, and plan but not pray, not come to the foot of the cross because there is an admittance that we are not in control. He is.

May God help us!

On Earth As It Is In Heaven...

I don’t sleep well at night. (most of this is due to my age, hormones, etc. don’t worry about me) however, when I find myself awake for hours on end, I don’t find it very easy to lie in bed; so I get up. By this I mean I go downstairs and sit in a chair and either surf the internet, or sit at my computer and write……like I’m doing now.

Or I pray.

Most of the time I pray, and as I pray, my mind invariably races ahead to other things, and I have to reign it in over and over it seems. My mind, you see, is my worst enemy I find, especially when I pray.

Many times I find myself, as I struggle to stay focused on my prayers, turning to The Lord’s Prayer. It isn’t because I consider it an abbreviated version of prayer; on the contrary, it is really the longest prayer, if you think about it as you pray it. But it helps me reign my thoughts in on the one thing I need, and benefit most from thinking about; God.

These are the things I realize and think about as I pray the Lords prayer.

Our Father….

This is a big one for me. The very word Father doesn’t denote for me the same things it brings to mind for most people. Daddy died when I was 7 so from that point on, there has been a big fat void in my concept of “Father”. This brings me back to passages of scripture I’ve read over the years where the attributes of God as our Father come to mind, my favorite passage being Psalm 103.

103 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and all that is within me,
    bless his holy name!
² Bless the Lord, O my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits,
³ who forgives all your iniquity,
    who heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the pit,
    who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
⁵ who satisfies you with good
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

⁶ The Lord works righteousness
    and justice for all who are oppressed.
⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,
    his acts to the people of Israel.
⁸ The Lord is merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
⁹ He will not always chide,
    nor will he keep his anger forever.
¹⁰ He does not deal with us according to our sins,
    nor repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west,
    so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
¹³ As a father shows compassion to his children,
    so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
¹⁴ For he knows our frame;^[a]
    he remembers that we are dust.

¹⁵ As for man, his days are like grass;
    he flourishes like a flower of the field;
¹⁶ for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
    and its place knows it no more.
¹⁷ But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
    and his righteousness to children's children,
¹⁸ to those who keep his covenant
    and remember to do his commandments.
¹⁹ The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
    and his kingdom rules over all.

²⁰ Bless the Lord, O you his angels,
    you mighty ones who do his word,
    obeying the voice of his word!
²¹ Bless the Lord, all his hosts,
    his ministers, who do his will!
²² Bless the Lord, all his works,
    in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Searching scripture, the attributes of our Heavenly Father are listed over and over, but in PS 103 I find them somewhat encapsulated.  He does all the above for me, and to me. Those are some very comforting things to dwell on.

Who art in heaven…..

Some would look at this and say, “yeah, He is up there, while I’m down here”. But to that I say see previous entry under “Our Father”. Any father THAT involved in my life can’t be that far away. To me, this says heaven is a place; a place to go to dwell, to get away from here…….and all that that implies.

This earth is not my home. I don’t belong here. This is not the place God had planned for me, or anyone who is His child. My place is in God’s presence, as He sits on His throne in heaven.

Revelation 4

4 After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” ² At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. ³ And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. ⁴ Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. ⁵ From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings^[a] and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, ⁶ and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: ⁷ the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. ⁸ And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
    who was and is and is to come!”

⁹ And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰ the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

¹¹ “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they existed and were created.”

Ezekiel 1:26-28

And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire;^[g] and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance. ²⁷ And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him.^{[h] 28} Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around.Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

This is the place of God. Our Great Big God Who art in heaven. This is whom the Lords Prayer is addressed to. The all seeing, all knowing, omnipresent, omnipotent God, who remember now, is OUR FATHER! Yes, the same Father who just a few of His surprisingly human attributes are listed in PS 103. Take a minute and think about that… for that is where you will spend eternity.

Hallowed be Thy name….

Many people don’t even know what the word “hallowed” means.

Holy, set apart, sacred, revered…..be Thy name; the name of God, who He is.

We bat God’s name around in conversation, or worse use it as a curse word, when in the early days of Scripture, they didn’t even mention God’s name it was considered so……so…….Sacred, Hallowed, Holy.

If you Google the names of God, the list is amazing…….He has many. But the names of God are not just names in the sense of a moniker like our names. The names of God are a verification of His attributes, His character. So when I think of revering God’s name as Holy, sacred, set apart, I think back to PS 103 and beyond in the descriptiveness of God’s very nature.

He sees, He provides, He is three in one, He is my banner, He heals, He sanctifies, He is my Peace, He is my Shepherd, He is I AM………..

His name? Honor it? Hallow it? Yes, as the one who provides for me, who sees all and everything about and concerning me, who heals me, who delivers me, who saved me, who sanctifies me, who gives me peace, who leads and guides me…….a name……

Thy Kingdom Come…….

This immediately takes me to the gospels where Jesus, over and over, starts a story with, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…”

He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. Matthew 13:30-32

He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” Matthew 13:32-34

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Matthew 13:43

⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, ⁴⁶ who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Matthew 13:45-46

⁴⁷ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. ⁴⁸ When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. Matthew 13:46-48

⁵² And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” Matthew 13:52

God’s kingdom…do you want it to come? Reading the above passages, I realize that the kingdom of heaven isn’t a place so much as a desire that takes over your very life, to the point that you will give up all you have to attain it. When you pray, “Thy kingdom come” do you really want the kind of life where your desire for God and what He wants, penetrates to your very core, and changes the direction for your life?

Thy Will be done….

Notice this says, “Thy will” not “My will”.
God’s will…….people will ask, “but, what is God’s will?” 

Don’t complicate this. God told us his will for us back in the book of Deutoronomy 10:12-13

¹² “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹³ and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?

Jesus responded with the same passage in Luke 10:26-28, when ask “What should I do?”
²⁶ He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” ²⁷ And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁸ And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

God’s will, for us to Obey Him, to Honor Him in our lives, to Revere Him, to Love Him, to Serve Him, with every fiber of our being……to love others as we love ourselves, loving Him more than both…

What was that thing about God’s kingdom taking over our lives?

God’s kingdom, God’s will…….. Hmmmm?

When I’m struggling with God’s will, I think back to this, and ask myself, “Do I REALLY want God’s will in my life?” Cause if I do, I have to realize that for God’s Will to be done, His kingdom will have to come in my life, which leads perfectly into Jesus’ next phrase….

On Earth as it is in Heaven.....

We have already established that Heaven is a place; a separate place from earth.
Recognizing who God is, desiring God’s will for our lives and His kingdom here on this earth…….bringing heaven down. This is exactly what Jesus did; Jesus, the author of this prayer.
He occupied both places. When He prayed these words, he had a frame of reference for both that we don’t have.

Hebrews 5:7-10
In the days of his flesh, Jesus^[a] offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. ⁸ Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. ⁹ And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, ¹⁰ being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 1:1

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, ² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. ³ He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ⁴ having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Hebrews 4:14 
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Jesus, the Son of God, left heaven and came to earth. He understood fully when he prayed and desired for things here to be as they were in heaven.

I figure that if Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith desires things on earth to be like they are in heaven that should be my prayer also. And seeing God in PS 103, desiring His will for my life and His kingdom to come by what I’ve said before, this is a logical next step.

Give us this day our daily bread…

What is YOUR daily bread? Breakfast, lunch, dinner?

For me there are two levels to this request, the physical and the spiritual.

Feed me Lord, both physically and spiritually. He is faithful to do both.

I never go hungry. I never have, and I find it unlikely that I ever will. Physically, I am well feed. My cupboards are full. I have very few physical needs.

But in the day when this prayer was prayed, starvation, lack of clothing, were realities that haunted everyone. For some on this earth they still are; but not for me.

Provide our needs. By asking we show trust we know He can and He will.

The verse from Matthew 6 automatically comes to mind:
²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?^{[g] 28} And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹ yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

The encapsulation of “Give us this day our daily bread”; in the physical sense.
But Jesus also addresses the spiritual sense of this request too.

In John 4:31-34 is says,
³¹ Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” ³² But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” ³³ So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” ³⁴ Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.”

So you ask, “What IS our daily bread?”

To do God’s will.

Refer back to Deut…. Remember?
Yes, it is easy to sit here with a full stomach and a hot cup of coffee within reach, and a fully stocked kitchen and say rather flippantly, “God will provide my needs.” But shouldn’t I be more concerned about God providing my spiritual needs to “do his will” and “to accomplish his work”. To feed me with the bread of heaven that I can’t possibly provide or buy for myself. Maybe that is the comparison here of physical and spiritual. And by doing that kind of work, I pray for those whose physical needs aren’t being met, and ask how I can be His hands and feet to help provide their daily bread. .

And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us……

Trespasses, debts, infractions, things owed…. sin………

Regardless of the way it is worded, we all know it means wrongs done against God and others.
I seldom give this a thought anymore. I’m covered by the blood, I’m saved by grace, yeah, I screw up, but when was the last time I REALLY sinned? When was the last time I really felt like I needed God to forgive me of something? Bold huh? Or maybe just stupid…..

But I DO owe a debt I can’t pay. I have been reminded that I am the sinner who owes much, and didn’t have the grace to forgive others. 

Forgive.

We get caught up on the words like trespass and debt and kinda skip the first and biggest word.
Forgive. 

It can be hard to forgive, sometimes impossible. (I’m not judging, just saying what I’ve been told).   But when you recall that Jesus hung on a cross, beaten and bloody, and actually ask God to forgive those who had done this to him, it sort of clears the fog as to the extent of forgiveness He was and is talking about. 

Who do you need to forgive? Cause it says, “as we forgive others”.

Jesus actually follows the Lords prayer with the following statement, “¹⁴ For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, ¹⁵ but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Colossians 12:13-14
¹² Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, ¹³ bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴ And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

So you ask, is God’s forgiveness conditional? Yes, on the contingent that we forgive as he does. 

Scripture is encouraging here…..once again, PS 103. “¹² as far as the east is from the west,
    so far does he remove our transgressions from us.”
¹⁰ He does not deal with us according to our sins,
    nor repay us according to our iniquities.

Another reminder that is God can forgive me, then I am to forgive others…..there are no limits to this, go guidelines, or limitations……forgiveness………..unequivocal, pure unadulterated forgiveness. Walk away, let it go, forget about it.

This is often a good opportunity for us, even in the Christian community to split hairs, and that is exactly what Peter tried to do when he ask Jesus the following question:

²¹ Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” ²² Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.
²³ “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.^{[g] 24} When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.^{[h] 25} And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. ²⁶ So the servant^[i] fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ ²⁷ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. ²⁸ But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii,^[j] and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ ²⁹ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ ³⁰ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. ³¹ When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. ³² Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ³³ And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers,^[k] until he should pay all his debt. ³⁵ So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

I don’t think you can improve on that explanation.

And lead us not into temptation…….

Now just to be clear here, God tempts no man.

James 1:12-14 says: “¹² Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. ¹³ Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. ¹⁴ But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.”

Also, temptation itself is NOT a sin….giving in to temptation is the sin. But we are all tempted each and every day, aren’t we?

My temptations seem small and trivial. Too many snacks, ignoring things around me, just tempted to let them go. But temptation is temptation. And by walking into it, giving into it, what are we really saying? Am I trusting God to get me through it, out of it?

I realize as I pray this phrase that I need Gods help here more than I realize.

The next phrase explains this….

But deliver us from evil……

Temptation comes from the evil one, Satan, as he is called. Let’s face it, it started in the garden and hasn’t let up. The battle still rages and it is a battle not over sin, but for our souls in the way that we are going to have to choose to trust God or not.

When we are tempted, do we turn to God for help? Scripture says we can.

1 Corinthians 10:13 “¹³ No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Complacency has cost some of us so much that the damage done by it can be and is irreversible. I need to develop a mindset here, that when temptation comes, first remember the source of the temptation, and run from it, run straight into the arms of God, to help in the fight.
Temptations now-a-days are getting to be more costly it seems.

Internet Pornography, alcohol, drugs, money, lying, cheating……. Giving into them can bring consequences that will never go away. If God is truly faithful, and we know He is, then we can remember the above verse, especially as we pray this prayer; a prayer of deliverance from the evil one.

Sometimes when I pray this prayer and I get to this phrase, I say “but deliver us from the evil ONE” because it helps me realize and remember that I am in a battle for my soul. Jesus has saved me, but I want him to able to say to me when I stand before Him on that great day, “Well done, thy good and faithful servant.” And Satan doesn’t want that for me, so the battle rages. The enemy is out to destroy me and Jesus knew it, or he wouldn’t have given his disciples and us such instructions on how we are to pray to our Heavenly Father….

SO, this is not a comprehensive explanation of the Lord’s Prayer; there have been entire books written on it. But this is my explanation of what I think about as I pray it. These are the reminders that come to mind for me of God’s faithfulness, and presence and steadfastness to me as I pray the prayer His Son taught us to pray.

 By the time I get through to the end of the prayer, my mind is better focused and I am better able to concentrate, not on what I want to pray, but on whom I’m praying too, and suddenly the who and why of my prayers seem somewhat inconsequential and I know that “My Father” has got it all covered. 

Jesus knew just what I would need……..


HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD!!