2006-06-02
Good Morning Cherished of God,
Have you been changed in a God-pleasing way yet whenever you hear the Lord's Prayer [MT 6: 9-13]? I have felt so differently about it by knowing the index sentences we have seen so far. It's no longer something I simply say by rote. After having looked at the first three index sentences- "Our Father Who art in heaven hallowed by Thy name," "Thy Kingdom come," "Thy will be done" - we are ready to move on to the fourth one - "Give us this day our daily bread." In all honesty, God brought me to an intersection with a sermon I just heard at church very recently on this subject by Vicar Matt Blackford. If some of what I say sounds like him, I really can't help it; he did a wonderful job.
After opening with worship, moving on to allegiance, and then to acknowledgement of submission, Christ teaches us that it's okay to make petition with this fourth index sentence. However, we should pay attention to what petition Christ uses here. JN 14: 13 expresses His point. "And I will do whatever you ask for in My name, so that the Father's glory will be shown through the Son." But let me back up in human history, so that we can see this point more clearly. When the ancient Jews were to wander in the desert, God provided them with food. The people had been complaining that they were without food. EX 16: 9-11, "Moses said to Aaron, 'Tell the whole community to come and stand before the Lord, because He has heard their complaints.' As Aaron spoke to the whole community, they turned toward the desert and suddenly the dazzling light [Shekinah glory] of the Lord appeared in a cloud. The Lord said to Moses, 'I have heard the complaints of the Israelites. Tell them that at twilight they will have meat to eat, and in the morning they will have all the bread they want. Then they will know that I, the Lord, am their God.'" This was followed by the appearance of a large flock of quail at twilight and the following morning when the dew evaporated, there was something thin and flaky on its surface laying on the desert ground. The Israelites gathered this substance and seemed at that point to know how much of it to gather for the day. Moses explained that no one was to take more than enough for just one day, except when the Sabbath [the seventh day] approached. Then, they could gather enough to cover their needs over the Sabbath. The Israelites called this stuff manna (13-29). Moses instructed the people that no one was to work on the Sabbath; instead the Lord should be worshipped. This is what the people ate for the next 40 years, until they reached the land of Canaan. EX 23: 25 really clarifies God's attitude. "If you worship Me, the Lord your God, I will bless you with food and water and take away all your sicknesses." Repeatedly, the Lord said, "Open your mouths and I will feed you" [PS 81:10; EZK 2: 8, for example] throughout both the OT and NT.
God has wanted us to give reverence to Him and obey Him all along. He keeps us coming to Him for always-righteous reasons. The term "manna" refers to "bread." While the manna found each morning in the desert by the ancient Jews was meant to feed them physically, the instructions for it were to cause them to focus on their need for God at the center of their lives spiritually. Sadly, for a whole generation of Jews in that group except for Caleb and Joshua [NU 14: 30-31]. Only their children would enter the Promised Land.
In the NT, the Lord Jesus refers, and rightly so, to Himself as the" Living Bread," in JN 6. Let me share some excerpts that will illuminate the true meaning of this term. In (32-33), He says, 'I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father Who gives you the true Bread from heaven. For the Bread of God is He Who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." In (35) He said, "I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to Me will never hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst." Often I cite (39-40) which is Christ's mission statement, "And it is the will of Him Who sent Me that I should not lose any of all those He has given Me, but that I should raise them all to life on the last day. For what My Father wants is that all who see the Son and believe in Him should have eternal life. And I will raise them to life on the last day." The gist of Christ's words here and in the 4th index sentence of the Lord's Prayer is summed up in (51). "I am the Living Bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats this Bread, he will live forever. The Bread that I will give him is My flesh, which I give so that the world may live." I would be remiss if I didn't share another very familiar verse that we hear every time we take communion. 1COR 11: 23-25, "...The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took a piece of bread , gave thanks to God, broke it, and said, 'This is My body, which is broken for you. Do this in memory of Me.' In the same way, after the supper He took the cup and said, 'This cup is God's new covenant sealed with My blood. Whenever you drink it, do so in memory of Me.'" Yes, the fourth index sentence of the Lord's Prayer is an amazing blessing to us!
PRAYER: O Lord, You give us through Christ's words in the Lord's Prayer a new and more profound perspective on what should be our priorities in life and what is important to You. As true believers in Jesus Christ, our desire is to make changes in our thoughts, priorities, and behavior that please You. We are imperfect and have no way to do this without Your intervention in our lives. We stand before Your throne ready and open to making those changes, but leave You with our petition for Your help. You send that to us through the Bread of Life, the Lord Jesus, and Your Spirit. You already know that we have physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual needs. You have directed us to care for our physical selves in 1 COR 6: 19-20, "Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, Who lives in you and Who was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourselves but to God; He bought you for a price. So use your bodies for God's glory." You make many references to how we should express our emotions; a good example is found in EPH 4: 23-24, 26-27, "Your hearts and minds must be made completely new, and you must put on the new self, which is created in God's likeness and reveals itself in the true life that is upright and holy...If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry all day. Do not give the evil a chance." Making decisions is an act that follows the establishment of one's thinking on the subject at hand. This kind of intellectual expression should happen only after we seek You. You make this clear in JER 29: 12-13 right after You explain that disaster in our lives is not Your will. "Then you will call to Me. You will come and pray to Me, and I will answer you. You will seek Me and you will find Me because you will seek Me with all your heart." The fact that You feed our intellect is shown by all the innovations that have come into our lives. Lastly, You feed our spirits with Your Spirit. We know this from RO 8: 16, "God's Spirit joins Himself to our spirits to declare that we are God's children," and JN 14: 16-17, "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor, who will stay with you forever. He is the Spirit, Who reveals the truth about God. The world cannot receive Him, because it cannot see Him or know Him. But you know Him, because He remains with you and is in you." Dearest Abba, we bow before You today to offer You our worship, adoration, thanks, and praise. In Christ's mighty name, Amen.
Next week, we will look at the fifth index sentence, "Forgive us our trespasses...," which is a confession and acknowledgment of our sinful nature. The Holy Spirit is really taking us on a fascinating and important journey in this study of the Lord's Prayer. Saying it by rote without consideration of the wonderful lessons in it won't be an option after He is through. I must personally witness to the great blessings we who believe in the Lord Jesus have been given. It begins with His wonderful teaching, so consistent with everything that comes before it in God's word. His sacrifice on the cross for our salvation is next, and then His gift of the Holy Spirit to dwell within us. Who could ask for more? And yet, He blesses us with more every day, if we are willing to look for that. In my life, He has blessed me with wonderful friends who, by example, teach me to be a better believer. He has given me a husband, who is supportive of my ministry, a wonderful companion- loving, and caring. After waiting for 29 years, He has even arranged for a sweet dog, a great source of joy, to come into our lives. As I write these messages each week, He gives me the words to say and enough affirmation to continue. As I share my blessings, it is my hope that you will examine your own lives and discover the wonderful blessings He has given and continues to give to you. Truthfully, space doesn't permit me to enumerate all the wonderful blessings He has given me. It is my hope that you discover you have the same problem.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn