2006-02-24
Good Morning Fellow Believers,
We are delving into the first index sentence of the Lord's Prayer, MT 6: 9-13. Our spending this time is a worthy pursuit in view of the fact that this is Christ's greatest teaching on prayer. That first index sentence is: "Our Father, hallowed be Thy name..."
Prayer is actually a privilege of being a child of God. That may be a new way of looking at it to some, but it is a truth we shouldn't miss. Those who had no faith and who reject God are unlikely to even try to pray to Him. Those who have come to the end of themselves may actually come to faith as a result of their pleas to God. The Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit hear every prayer offered, and since all three personalities of God are omniscient, they know whether a prayer offered up is genuine or not. One of my favorite stories from the Scriptures is found in 2 CH 20: 1-30, which I hope you will read now and then return to this devotion. I promise you will find it spiritually stimulating.
This is the story of how King Jehoshaphat and the Jews defeated a combined army of the Edomites, the Ammonites, and the Moabites- with God's help. I find this story very compelling not only for its supernatural qualities, but also for the lessons in it for all of us. Verses 1-3 present the peril. In we can see the initial human reaction, which is panic. Now isn't that a great example of Satan-pleasing behavior? However, we see Jehoshaphat's faith in God kick in at this point. In (3b) the king prayed to the Lord for guidance. Then he gave orders for a fast to be observed throughout Jerusalem. Verses 4-5 tell us that the news spread all over Judah, and people poured into the Jerusalem temple courtyard to pray and fast with the citizens of Jerusalem. How many times have our pastors told us that when we are challenged, the first, not the last thing, we should do is seek God out in prayer? Just in case there is a question about what this has to do with the first index sentence of the Lord's Prayer, this was a great acknowledgement of the Father's power and the Jews' belief in it at the time. Verses 6-9 leave no question of this in the reader's mind, as Jehoshaphat reiterates God's history with the people. Jehsoshaphat states the issue between Israel and her enemies succinctly in this passage and appeals to God to punish this combined army of enemies in (10-12). This part is the supplication he offered. With everyone (men, women, and children) present (13), the Holy Spirit led a Levite, Jahaziel, son of Zechariah, to tell them all not to be afraid or discouraged. Then he said, "The battle depends on God, not on you" (15). This is followed by God's detailed directions on what to do. Verse (17) contains an amazing truth, "You will not have to fight this battle." Accepting this rests solely on the exercise of faith. What follows next is a lesson to us on how to show God how much faith and reverence for Him we have in the face of challenges. After hearing that the Lord will be with them, Jehoshaphat bowed low (18), with his face touching the ground, and the people did likewise in an act of worship-the very point of the Lord's Prayer's first index sentence! That worship was followed immediately in (19) by praise of the Lord. Jehoshaphat was wise and knew to remind the people to trust God (20). More praise followed, and musicians, robed for sacred occasions, led the Jewish army singing, "Praise to the Lord! His love is eternal!" in (21b). God's response was to throw the invaders into a panic. This led to them killing all of each other and not touching a single Jewish soldier or musician! Only God could provide this kind of miracle (22-24). After the Jews took all the spoils of war, they gathered in the Beracah Valley to praise the Lord once again for all He had done (25-26). The valley itself is named Beracah, which means "praise." The news of this triumph spread outside of Israel, making other nations unwilling to breach her security (29-30). What a great example of deliverance and peace this story is. Notice that it began and ended with worship of God. How can we miss the parallels between this and the lessons of the Lord's Prayer?
The bottom line is that God wants us to seek Him first and always. He wants us to acknowledge His supremacy and sovereignty over us and to worship and praise Him for His righteousness, His power, and His compassion. All these things can be seen in this story. He wants us to trust Him, even when the odds look like they are against us. He wants us to thank Him for what He is and what He does for us. He wants us to listen for His direction, follow it accurately, and keep being faithfully obedient to Him. He is eager to protect and provide for those who love Him. He wants us to wait for His perfect time and way to respond to our prayers with patience and trust in Him. His desire is to bless us, not to bring us ruin. Each day, we can look at the exact circumstances of our own lives and find ways to live the lessons of the Lord's Prayer and this great battle in 2 CH 20: 1-30. If we will take the time to do this, we too will find ourselves richly blessed.
PRAYER: O Lord, the best way that we can begin this prayer is to bow down before Your mighty throne in reverence and let You know in our hearts that we are aware of our own spiritual poverty without You. Your name is to be worshipped and praised. This morning we use Your words rather than our own to express the content of our hearts. PS 91: 1-2, "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God, in Whom I trust.'" PS 100: 1-4, "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He Who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter the temple gates with thanksgiving, go into its courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise Him." We know that when we find ourselves in a place of darkness, suffering, or other trials, we can rely on Your word to light our way to deliverance. PS 119: 105, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, a light for my path." We know that You will help us. PS 121: 1-3, "I lift up my eyes to the mountains, from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, the Creator or heaven and earth. He will not let you fall; your Protector never slumbers." You have asked us to trust you, and we do. PR 3: 5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." We know You will deliver us from our sorrows, trials, and losses, because You love us. PS 32: 7, "You are my Hiding Place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance." You encourage us when we need our spirits lifted. PS 27: 14, "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." We long to be with You, Lord. PS 42: 1-2, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" We praise You, O Lord, with all we have. PS 86: 12-13, "I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify Your name forever. For great is Your love toward me; You have delivered me from the depths of the grave." We will never forget the sacrifice You made of Your Son, so that we could be saved. We love You, O Lord. In His holy and mighty name, we pray. Amen.
Next week, we will review some of the names of God and how they reveal His attributes. This is crucial within the context of the Lord's Prayer, because we must understand and know the God to Whom we are praying. We always need encouragement, even the most spiritually mature of us. God gives us plenty of that in the Scriptures, both OT and NT. However, we need to encourage each other. God understands this, which is why He has put us in congregations. We were never meant to be spiritual Lone Rangers. Sometimes the least expected people give us the greatest encouragement. We have a class of mentally challenged people in our congregation. Last year, they were organized into a choir complete with fancy matching vests. They sang at the sanctuary service Peter and I attend, and it was simply wonderful! All through their song, I kept thinking about the obvious esprit de corps and love that emitted from this group of singers for each other, for us, and for the Lord they serve. It's humbling to think that my complaints about my own lot are so useless and unnecessary. God had a lesson for us that day, one that hasn't been lost on me. He loves each and every one of us, not matter what our circumstances may be. We owe it to Him to place our deep and abiding faith in Him. He will indeed deliver us if we will endure in our daily obedience to Him and trust of Him. That is why I will end with PS 68: 19-20, "Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, Who daily bears our burdens. Our God is a God Who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death."
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn