Does the Lord’s prayer cover everything?

In Matthew Chapter 6 the Lord Jesus gives us the blueprint for praying to God.  I have thought about “The Lord’s Prayer” many times, pondering on what I’m really praying and asking for.

Have you?

Have you ever stopped to consider what Jesus gave us to pray?  Or have you just recited it, because you learned it in church growing up?  Because it has become a “religious re-citation?”

When my heart is burdened and I don’t know what to pray and ask for, I pray Jesus’ prayer.

When I am confused or don’t know which way to go, I pray Jesus’ prayer.

When I’m tempted – and that can be with anything, including being negative, making wrong food choices, stressing, being angry, not wanting to forgive – I pray Jesus’ prayer.

If there was no other prayer to pray but Jesus’ prayer, it would be more than enough because it encompasses all of our needs.

Remember last time I spoke about the importance of meditating on God’s word, ruminating on it like a cow chewing its cud? (You can read the blog post here.)  As we deliberately and intentionally set aside time to be with the Lord in this manner, coming with the desire to learn more, to hear more, He will come and meet us where we are as we reach out to Him.

But to hear, we must listen.  To hear, we must quiet our minds and thoughts.

God will not talk over the top of us!  He comes with that still, small voice when our focus and attention is on Him.  Psalm 46:10 tell us to be still so that we may know that He is God and come to know Him in a personal, intimate way.

In John 14:26, Jesus said that Father God would send us the Holy Spirit, also known as the Helper, who would teach us about Jesus and the Kingdom of God and remind us of all things that Jesus has spoken.  This is our promise from James 4:8 NKJV:  “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”  Notice we take the first action – we draw near – and the consequence of that – the resulting action – is that Holy Spirit will draw near to us.  Our love, devotion, and desire for Him becomes a drawing factor for the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus starts out by praying:  “Our Father, Who is in heaven. Holy is Your Name.”

We are to approach God with the respect and honor and reverence due Him.  He is altogether righteous.  He is all-powerful, omnipresent, and omniscient.  His intellect, His greatness, His wisdom, His understanding is so far above ours.

Americans are a proud people.  As Americans, we often think we are very smart.  We think we know it all and have it all.  But when we approach God with this kind of prideful, arrogant attitude – not being quiet, not being still, and wanting to dictate to God how to be God – we are dis-respecting Him and trampling on His Holiness.  It will get you nowhere!

Instead, reflect on His greatness for a few moments.  Don’t just think about what He has done for you.  Being thankful is important but that is different than worshiping Him for who He is – for His Holiness.  Take a few moments just to worship Him, not because you want anything from Him, but just because you want to love on Him.  There is a song by Chris Tomlin that goes, “here I am to worship, here I am to bow down, here I am to say that You’re my God.  You’re altogether lovely, altogether worthy, altogether wonderful to me.”  This is a good place to start.

The next verse is, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as in heaven.”

This is so very powerful.  As Christians, when we experience the re-birth through belief in Jesus Christ, His sanctifying work on the cross and His resurrection from the dead, we are birthed into the Kingdom of God at that very moment.  We become citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven.  My husband has written a powerful book explaining this subject in detail and the implications for us as Christians.

Our Father – our Heavenly Father – is ruler and King over that Kingdom.  Our spiritual domicile is no longer earth, but heaven.  When Jesus came to earth, He said, “the Kingdom of God has come near you” and “the Kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

Really ponder on what this means.  Contemplate:  what is God’s Kingdom like?

There is no sickness or disease in heaven.  There is no poverty or lack.  There is joy and happiness.  Peace.  Security.  Stability.  Truth.  Wisdom.  Knowledge.  Understanding.  Health.  Wellness.

As you seek, Holy Spirit will begin to reveal the Kingdom of God to you.  As He does, pray into that and ask for the Kingdom of God to come not only on earth, but in your life and in the life of your loved ones.  Pray for His will to be done, not only on earth, but in your life.  His will.  In Jeremiah 29:11 He says, “For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you, plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster.”  His will is good for us, even when we don’t see it or can’t see it.  This is where faith and trust come in.

We’ll pick up here next time.  In the meantime, I encourage you to be like David in Psalm 63.  Verse 1 in the KJV says, “O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee.”  The original Hebrew word used for early means, “dawn; that is, be up early at any task with the implication of earnestness; to search for with painstaking: enquire early, seek diligently early, in the morning.”

“Turn to the LORD and pray to him, now that he is near.” Is 55:6 GNT

Set a goal to begin seeking the Lord first thing in the morning, before you get busy with anything else and your mind gets cluttered.  Set Jesus as the foundation of your day.  It’s amazing how much better your day will go!

The NIV says, “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you.  I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.”

The Amplified says, “You are my God; with deepest longing I will seek You; My soul [my life, my very self] thirsts for You, my flesh longs and sighs for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

Synonyms for earnestly are sincerely, seriously, intently, intensely, and deeply.

Here’s my rendition, put into context:

“O God, Father in Heaven, You are my God and I worship You.  You are Holy.  You are righteous and I search for You.  I earnestly and sincerely and intently and intensely and deeply seek after You and pursue You, to know You and to understand Your Kingdom and Your ways that I may live and not die. I thirst for You; my whole being – every part of me, down to the smallest cell – longs for you, like yearning for water in a dry and parched land where there is no water.  Just like water, You are essential to my very life.”

Coming full circle to Jesus’ prayer of “Holy is Your Name”, let’s end with verses 2-4 in the Message Translation:

“So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open, drinking in your strength and glory.  In your generous love I am really living at last!  My lips brim praises like fountains. I bless you every time I take a breath; My arms wave like banners of praise to you.”

Stay tuned for part 2!

If you are interested in learning more or need help in making and implementing lifestyle changes, contact me for a free discovery session to see if we are a fit.  You can learn more about me here.