Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say:
“Father, hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come.
Give us each day!
our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.
[Deliver us from evil. Matt 6:13]
5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
[For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.]
Amen.
In the Name of Jesus Christ the LORD. Amen
I'm not sure why we don't usually ask in the Name of Jesus Christ the LORD.
John 14:13-14
Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
Two things happened today. We've been praying for a blessing for my brother John since June. And I'd have to say - John got an answer today!!
With the second being - you bring up prayer with Christians and you will get dialog. And a really good example of prayer. Angie Key was telling a friend about a situation in their children's school. Her friend said, let's pray. Angie and her friend then held hands and prayed on the sidewalk. This turned into seven or eight ladies beginning to pray in the locker room each morning. This bloomed into the Principal seeing the effects of answered prayer and attending conferences on prayer rooms. Soon a prayer room was made and then prayer cards. A place for prayer requests.
Jesus is telling us - today. NOW He is engaged with prayer. And in a certain place. The Bible is rather mysterious about that place. With so many conversations about prayer, perhaps there is a mystery to prayer.
However, I'd say Jesus is saying HE understands that prayer is sensitive.
Our conversation today asked:
Is God Sovereign?
Do we change His Plans?
Is He still Sovereign?
Are His Plans written in stone?
How would we ever know the answers to these questions? This is overwhelming. And today we know where David's Palace is located because.... exactly, because someone took the time to see what God said. The instructions were in His Word.
We can trust His Word because Jesus is the Word of God spoken in Genesis Chapter One.
God told us immediately about how HE sees prayer... Prayer is something He looks forward to and is a cool walk in the Garden from a day of work. Revelations says our prayers are fragrance to Him. The New Testament says pray constantly and with thanks. This would make our souls, our lives a wonderful place for Him to move, dwell and have our being. A Place the Holy Spirit longs to reside.
Enter in the temptation. Eve did not tempt Adam, rather Eve longed to be a Judge. To Judge Good and Evil. To be like God. We live this life making choices and judgements. We need judgment to have Wisdom. Jesus knew what was in the heart of mankind, no one needed to tell Him. And knowing all this God Chose to Save HIS World. The Fullness of the World is His. Creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the Sons of Men.
Romans 8:26
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
Even the hairs of our head have been numbered. This is how deeply our Father longs for us.
Is God Sovereign? This is the work God assigned to mankind, that we believe in Him.
Do we change His Plans? A friend who has impudence, He will rise and give him whatever he needs. Key word - needs. Gosh, was Jesus just whistling Dixie? We change God's plans. And we call that wonder a Miracle.
Jesus told us to pray and not give up hope. And then HE told the story of an evil judge pestered and pestered. And we know the story of Israel. Jacob wrestled for Blessings.
Would you prefer God saw you as His friend or an evil Judge? Expectation is important. Do we truly believe our prayers could change the plans of the Almighty? He says something about that. All things are possible to him who believes. Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved. Confess with your mouth, believe with your heart.
And even more incredulous than I have plans to give you a hope and future declares the Lord, all things work together for good, for those who love the Lord.
How wide, how high, how deep is His love for us ... today?
Now Jesus was praying in a certain place.... Jesus does not say where. And He doesn't say how He positioned Himself. He does not even tell us what HE was praying for.
He tells us this ~
Matthew 6:6
But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Is He still Sovereign? Matthew says He is. The Father rewards.
Are His Plans written in stone? That's the 10 Commandments. However...
Psalm 139:13-17
For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
So perhaps, just maybe, what we are really asking is if God uses white-out on His Book. Referred to as the Book of Life.
No, sadly, God does not often use white-out.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Now don't do this....
Ephesians 4:14
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.
Because God IS the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.
It is that Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, we see the Book of Life is created...
2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness
We should seek to be the one God looks forward to speaking with. In prayer, a conversation with God who would walk with us.
2 Corinthians 5:5
He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
Philippians 4:19
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
John 14:13-14
Whatever
you ask in my name,
this I will do,
that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
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