Perspectives

Matthew 6:9-13 (King James Version) … 9) Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10) Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in 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 lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.  Amen

Let me start this lesson by asking the question … Who of us has never said the Lord’s Prayer? Well most of us would say, “We have prayed it many times.” I must admit that I have said it many times, but did I really know and understand what I was saying … there are those who say only after we enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, can we truly know and understand what we are saying as we pray the Lord’s Prayer.

One thing I can never forget when we pray this prayer and say the words, “Our Father” is that God is not only our Father; He is also Our Father who is in heaven. That should remind us of His Holiness.
 
I must remind myself never to use the word Father carelessly or cheaply when I am talking about God. Never should I think of God as an easygoing friend or parent that shuts their eyes to all my sins and faults and mistakes. God whom we call Father is a God we must still approach with admiration and respect and fearfulness and wonder. Therefore, it should remind us not to demean and not to overstress the whole Idea of the fatherhood of God. I do not believe that we should, nor can we make an excuse for an easy-going, comfortable faith, and think of God as a good fellow with whom we have an easy-going relationship; who will forgive and all will be well. I need to remind myself that it is Our Father in heaven to whom I am praying; however, I must always remember that God’s love is there, and His Holiness is there too.

Would it be correct to say that before we say the Lord’s Prayer that we actually believe that there is a God and that Jesus Christ is God’s Son?  Once I believe that there is a God and that Christ gave His life for my sins; that means I must acknowledge and understand that I have sinned. Most people take a rather dim view when called a sinner that deserves hell. After all, we readily agree drunkards, murderers, bad-mouth people and the like are sinners. I used to think of myself as not being guilty of these types of sins or any kind of sin. After all, I only drank on weekends. I thought I was a decent, respectable person and not in danger of going to prison; therefore, I felt no need to repent or acknowledge that I was a sinner. However, I do remember times when I would cross the line between honesty and dishonesty, times when I lost self-control and made an absolute fool of myself.  Many times I knew what the law meant, but went ahead and broke the law. There have been times when I wished I had never heard of the Ten Commandments. Times when I wished I had never broken any of the Commandments … but I cannot, therefore, I was and am in need of Christ’s forgiveness. Never can I claim to have perfectly fulfilled my duty to humanity and God. I doubt if such perfection ever existed … other then say Jesus Christ.

Perhaps we should close our discussion with verse 12 … And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. This part of the Lord’s Prayer is a bit frightening to many. Not only must we realize that when we say this prayer and asking God to forgive us, but we are also saying that we will forgive those who have sinned against us. Jesus taught the disciples that if they or we would forgive others then God would forgive us; but if we refuse to forgive others, God would refuse to forgive us. I suppose it would be correct to say that if I pray this prayer and refuse to forgive others, well then I am really asking God not to forgive me.

Human forgiveness and divine forgiveness connects together. I must forgive others if I expect God to forgive me. I must learn to understand that there is always a reason why a person does something I do not really like. Perhaps forgiveness would be much easier for me if I tried to understand before I condemn. Perhaps I need to learn to forget. If I am going to hang on to or brood about something bad that happened to me then there is little hope that I will ever forgive.

 Would you pray this prayer with me … “Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Forgive my sins. I want my life to change. My thoughts and my attitude need to change. I do not have the peace in my heart that I yearn for. I really want that peace, joy and happiness that will fulfill my hearts desire. Please let the Holy Spirit help me be the kind of Christian that will honour Your Name.” Amen.