Compelling Love

In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches the disciples how to pray:

Matthew 6 (NKJV)
⁹ In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
¹⁰ Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
¹³ And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Ken Hemphill in his 2001 book, “The Prayer of Jesus, The Promise and Power of Living in the Lord’s Prayer” writes, “In this book I want you to see the Lord’s prayer, not as a memorized mantra, but as a pattern you can use at all times, in all situations, and all day long to express prayers to God that connect and communicate.”

“Notice the obvious progression of the prayer—from praise, to promises, to petitions, to parting reminders. See how easily it breaks into even series of three, making it easy to use and remember.”

Ken Hemphill breaks the prayer into the following sections:

The Three-Part Address
Our                                          Stresses community
Father                                      Stresses relationship
Who is in heaven                     Stresses authority

       The Three-Part Commitment
Hallowed be Your name         Commitment to Holiness
Your kingdom come                Commitment to participation
Your will be done                    Commitment to obedience

                   The Three-Part Petition
Daily bread                             Trust for physical provision
Forgiveness of debts               Trust for cleansing from sin
Deliverance from evil             Trust for power over temptation

                   The Three-Part Benediction
Yours is the kingdom               Focuses on His rule
The power                              Focuses on His sufficiency
The glory                                Focuses on His presence

“When we use this pattern, prayer becomes what Jesus intended it to be: a conscious, volitional opening of our lives to God as we invite Him to accomplish His purpose in and through us. It enables us to seek His resources unselfishly as we commit ourselves to the advancement of His kingdom.” (p. 22)

Addressing God as “Our Father” means that we are praying not just for ourselves, but for others as well. It also expresses the intimacy with God that He desires all of His children to experience. “Hallowed be Your name” is acknowledging that God is holy and completely worthy of all our praise and worship.

When we pray, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”, we are praying that we will be participating in the expression of God’s kingdom and of His will through all that we say and do.

“Give us this day our daily bread” acknowledges God as our provider in whom we can trust for all our needs.

When we pray,“Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”,we are confessing our sins to God and committing ourselves to forgive the sins of others against us. Ken Hemphill writes, “Clinging to sin and seeking His kingdom cannot happen at the same time. So if we are going to fulfill the three commitments we have made to God, this petition to “forgive us our debts” must be given equal weight with our request for “daily bread” – our rent, food, and clothing. Yes, God wants us to have four good walls and grocery money. But for us to be useful instruments in His hand, we desperately need the freedom of a clear conscience. If we hide our sin or attempt to deny its existence, we will not experience the incredible joy of knowing God’s forgiveness and the full privileges of sonship.” (ibid, p. 74)

1 John 1:8-9 (NKJV)
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.

When we pray, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”,we are acknowledging our need for God’s help to overcome temptations and repel the spiritual attacks of the devil. Ken Hemphill writes, “The quickest way to make this request a reality is to realize that we can make no headway in holiness without God’s constant provision. Not only are we no match for our adversary the devil, but we cannot even trust ourselves for help in keeping our lives clean. As long as we are here on earth, we will have to contend with our enemy, with our environment, and – yes – even with ourselves in order to let God lead us to victory… When your hope for personal holiness is in Jesus Christ alone, you’ll find you have muscles you never knew you had.” (ibid p. 79-81)

 “For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever”.Ken Hemphill writes, “The first part of this benediction reminds us that our greatest desire and privilege as children of God is to participate in the work of His kingdom. He is the King and we gladly serve Him. He alone can grant us the resources we need for daily, victorious living.” (ibid, p. 85-86)

“Thine is the power.” “No matter what you’re experiencing in your daily life, be confident that all power belongs to your King, and His power is available to you as you seek His kingdom.” (ibid, p. 89)

When we acknowledge “Thine is the glory,” we dare request in childlike faith that He reveal His glory in and through us. What a wonder that Almighty God would choose to express His awesome presence through our actions and deeds … Will you be an outpost of glory in your corner of the world? Then seek His kingdom, make your life a pure available instrument for His power … Glory be to God!” (ibid, p. 89-92)

David Krause, dhkrause2@gmail.com, https://compellinglove.net/