Study Guide: "Praying Like Jesus, Part Two"

Matthew 6:9-13

 

"Prayer does not equip us for greater works— prayer is the greater work. Yet we think of prayer as some commonsense exercise of our higher powers that simply prepares us for God’s work. In the teachings of Jesus Christ, prayer is the working of the miracle of redemption in me, which produces the miracle of redemption in others, through the power of God."

                                         __Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

 

Jesus teaches us that prayer is possible because God invites us to pray and Jesus instructs us on how to approach God.

"Our Father ..."

I. Prayer is intimacy.

1. The early Hebrews struggled with how to address or even speak about God.

·      The Old Testament begins by using the Hebrew word Elohim.  This was a generic name for God and probably was used by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  But Elohim was not God's name.

·      Moses is credited with learning the name of God.  At the burning bush, God (Elohim) commands Moses to return to Egypt and free his people from slavery. Moses said, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"  God responds, "Say to the Israelites, 'The Lord (Yahweh), the God (Elohim) of your fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and God of Jacob--has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation." (v. 13)

·      Yahweh may not be the correct pronunciation.  Early Hebrew did not include vowels and Yahweh was written YHWH.  When Jews encountered these letters in Scripture they would use the word Adonai, which translates as "Lord." They discouraged people from speaking Yahweh because it was thought too holy to utter out loud.

2. Jesus changed the rules on how to approach God.

·      Approaching a king is a complicated process. You request an audience. You choose the right gift. When you approach the throne, you kneel or bow.

·     People have approached God in prayer in much the same manner.  Often using sacrifices, candles, incense, and altars, they hoped to influence God by ceremony and with decorum.  God was approached in fear and addressed from a distance.  No one dared run to the throne of God, jump in his lap, and call him "Daddy."

·     Yet, this is precisely what Jesus is teaching his disciples to do. He did not tell his disciples to pray to Elohim, Yahweh, or even Adonai.  He did not complicate prayer with ceremony and ritual.  Jesus cut through the confusion and eliminated the pretense.  He tells us to call out to our "Daddy."

 3. "Father" is actually a metaphor.

·      All Scripture given in a specific historical context.  Jesus used father imagery to counteract those titles that kept God distant and impersonal.  "Father" communicated to the patriarchal Hebrews -- father was the patriarch of the extended family.  Protector, provider, authority.

·      God is neither male nor female.  What concerned Jesus was not God's gender, but any term that denied God's intimate knowledge and concern for his children.  Jesus spoke of a father who gives good gifts to children, who knows the number of hairs on their head, who dresses them more splendidly than wild flowers, and feeds them more faithfully than the birds in our yards and gardens.  This father Jesus spoke of was not a stern or distant disciplinarian whipping us into shape by brute force.  He is a devoted, attentive parent.

4. Intimacy is allowing someone in increasing measure to get inside of you.

·        To know the real you that no one else sees/ knows.

·        The greatest potential for true intimacy is with the Father since He already lives in us.

·        Intimacy develops primarily through listening.

"Who art in Heaven."

This is given as amplification of the intimate term Jesus has just used to address God.

1. His meaning is not as obvious as one may think.

·        Traditional view is that Heaven is some far off place in the clouds.

·        If this is the meaning, it places God in a far off place (e.g. Bette Middler song, "From a Distance").

·        Jesus said Heaven is here, inside of you.  Closer than breath or touch.

 "Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, 'The kingdom of God does not come visibly, nor will people say 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you.'" (Luke 17:20-21)

 ·        Heaven is a matter of dimension, not distance.

 II. Prayer is Worship.

 "Hallowed be Thy name"

1. All true worship begins with the recognition of who God is.

·     Worship in Scripture begins most often with someone falling on their face as they realize that they are in the presence of Almighty God.

2. Worship proceeds with praise & thanksgiving.

·        Praise him for who he is.

·        Thank him for what he has done.

·        This dynamic duo is what creates trust.  And trust is the foundation of faith and all prayers of faith

 

CLOSE:

Jesus teaches us that prayer is possible because God invites us to pray and Jesus instructs us to approach God as a father who desires intimate connection with his children.

 

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes, pastor)