One of the attribute of a good leader is to be able to pass on your knowledge or skills unto your followers. There can never be a success without successor! If when you leave no one else is able to do what you do in a similar way to how you did it then you have failed. Jesus in this wise was passing unto his disciples one of the gifts or knowledge that helped him in ministry. I want to say that before you can teach people anything in life you must first have practiced it. In Acts 1:1 Luke was opening his account and he made a profound statement in the later part say.. Of all Jesus began both to do and to teach. Which means Jesus never taught anything he didn't do himself. So he here speaking to his disciples starts to teach them on how to pray. If Jesus taught on prayer I believe prayer is important for us as Christians. I know prayer is something of hardwork for us as Christians but it is very crucial. Jesus would wake up a great while before dawn and go out to pray. It is the power generated in the secret place of prayer that he come to the open to demonstrate. So he wants his disciples and us as Christians to know how to pray. Teach us how to pray Lord!
The first thing I can get from this prayer is the word 'our' . Though it is a personal pronoun it is also indicative of inclusivity. Too much English you would say (smiles). In simple terms the word mean that whatever or whoever is being referred to belongs personally to me but at the same time I'm sharing that personal relationship with another. He is MY father but not only does he belong to me he is also my brother's father. This would teach us that Christianity is a relational experience. Enough of all these just me and God no relation with other people stunt. It is unscriptural and borne out of pride. He is my father, your father, his father, her father, their father.. Our Father! It is so amazing that the creator of heaven and earth would come to our level so much that we can own him - Our Father! Jesus could have decided to claim sole ownership of him because he had the right- he was born by the direct implant of the Holy Spirit in a virgin's womb. No, he is not like you and me. He teaches his followers that God is as much his father as much as he is their father as well. Christians like exclusivity, first you had to be Jewish, pure blood descendants of Abraham, then you had to be Christian, connected to Jesus, then you had to be a born again Christian, then you had to be a spirit filled born again Christian, then it became tongue talking demon chasing born again Christian... The list is endless all in the name of exclusivity. None of this is of God! There's neither Jews or greek with God as he is not a respecter of any person or race.. Our Father! He is the father of the struggling Christian as much as he is the father of the bishop.. Our Father!
Without dwelling too much on the our let me try to look at Father! Father!! Father!!! What diverse memories this brings to us. The english dictionary has different meanings for this awesome word that you would be amazed. The first one is a male person whose sperm unites with a female egg resulting in conception and consequently the birth of a child!! Another one says a man who adopts and takes responsibility of raising a child. A male ancestor. A man who creates or births something. The list of meaning for a father in the worldly terms is endless. The word means different things to different people especially in this day and age of absentee fathers. About 65 percent of the world population don't know what it is to have a father hence their difficulty in relating to God as their father. Fatherhood brings pain anger and resentments to their heart hence it is difficult to relate to anyone as their father. Their idea of a father is the man who got their mum pregnant and ran away for good only to show up 13years later to inform them that he's their father and he's still alive. Some fathers even tried and stayed till you were 10 years old and found another love and another family else where and like a flash they are gone. Even the ones who managed to stay are just their physically but they might as well be gone! These are the perverted sense of fatherhood that we are familiar with but I'd like us to know that that is not the true meaning of a father. Some of us have been priviledged to have a true father or a father figure in our life and it is a great thing! A father nurtures, guide, guard, and god his child. He provides for the child's needs. He represents authority in the life of the child hence the child is not left to live anyhow he pleases. He corrects and rebukes the child when he's wrong, praises the child when he's right. He builds up the self esteem of the child so that the child is confident wherever he or she goes. Whilst the child is asleep he watches over the beautiful young face and glows over the child. The father teaches the child about life and life issues. I could go on and on about what a father is but none of it would suffice to describe Our Father! Our Father! Who would never leave us or forsake us. OurFather! Who knew about us before we were a beep on the pregnancy monitor. Our Father who knew us and loved us whilst we were still and embryo in our mother's belly. He before I formed thee I knew thee. No not like the man that ran and left us! Knew what we would become yet still loved us. When we cried our first he was there. Oh what love he has for his children! He said can a suckling mother forget the child of her womb? He said even if they do he would never forsake the cry of his children-Our Father! You mum or dad may forsake you but this Father never forsakes. You know how your parents can give up on you because you're bad, this Father would come looking for you when you're down to your last. Ohhh the dept of His love! Whilst we were yet sinners he sent his son, his first born as a sacrifice for our sin. Our Father! The thought of God being my father is so overwhelming I can get over it. You know your father might want to help you but under certain circumstances or conditions he might be handicapped but no not Our Father! He sits in heaven and this whole earth including the galaxy is just his footstool- Our Father! He is so powerful that he rest his legs on our planet! He's so rich that the gold ( treasures ) of the earth are just foot dust in his presence. He own a cattle upon a thousand hill - Our Father! Not only is he willing to help in times of trouble or need he is also very able- Our Father! The God of ability, the able God.He say he's able to do exceeding Abundantly above all we can ever think or ask according to his power at work within us -Our Father! I love the song that says I have a father that would never never fail me. I have a father that would never never fail me Jesus is my father and he'd never never fail me rock of ages never never fail. Our father!
Who art in heaven- my father's address is heaven! He lives above the economy of the world. He's not affected or disturbed by the world economic recession. He lives in heaven! Oh how beautiful heaven must be. The pavements are made of Gold! How majestic his throne would be- the description in the book of revelations is breath taking! Looking even at his creations on earth and how beautiful they are give me an idea of heaven. Oh how I long to see his glorious face as he sits amongst the cherubims and the host of heaven singing and worshipping him. I know we live in a time where going to heaven seem like an abstract to Christians we want to bring heaven to earth! As much as this sounds good it is not scriptural. Bible says we should not store up treasures for ourselves here on earth where thief come in an steal but let our treasure bank be in heaven. Heaven must be a safe place! How wonderful it would be to see the glow in the eyes of saints victorious. To ask them how they survived the wickedness of their generation. You know how we feel when we worship God and feel his presence, imagine live eternity in that mode. That's what they do in heaven. He lives in heaven! Now if my father lives in heaven- he is the king of heaven- then what does that make me in terms of my citizenship? So, if I'm a citizen of heaven why am I living like I have permanent residence here on earth. Why am I building empires and kingdoms for myself here on earth? I know we lie on God and say we're doing it for God but deep inside is that what he's sent us to do? If heaven is my home am I prepared to go back home anytime soon? Or do I want to be here forever. It is appointed unto man to die once after that is judgement. Heaven is his home!
Hallowed be thy name - the word hallowed means to be sanctified, holy, blessed, honoured, dedicated, set apart, revered, consecrated, beautified and glorified. Remember when God was giving Moses the ten commandments one of the commandment was that they should not take or use the name of God in vain. Why is this you might want to ask. The Israelites were God's children and as a good father he would always answer whenever they call his name. It would not be a good thing for me to call my father and he shows up and I say to him I was just playing. I'm not sure my father would be happy with me. Same with God, Everytime you call on his name he would answer and considering the fact that he is a busy father you don't want to call him for fun. Jesus here in teaching his disciples says they should reverence the name even in their prayer. The name of the Lord is a strong tower righteous run into it and they are saved. Note that this is an act of adoration and worship even in the place of prayers. We honour, glorify and adore the name that's above every other name. Hallowed be thy name!
Thy Kingdom come - this should be an everyday prayer for every believer because this is the very heart cry of our father. Thy kingdom come. The word kingdom is composed of two root words - king and domain. Kingdom hence mean the king's domain or where the king exercises his dominion or the region where the king dominates. Now praying for God's kingdom to come should make you and I understand that presently God is not dominating in our world. The world is ruled by the devil and his agents. The assignment of every believer is to shine as light in this dark world so that we can have more believers. The more of the children of God we have the more his kingdom is being established. If we as his children are focused on building his kingdom and not our own kingdom then maybe by now this prayer should have been answered. Thy Kingdom come! When a country or a city wants to take over another country or city, they would send their soldiers to fight and take over and then when the soldiers have won they would put the home country's or city's flag on the land to show that the land belongs to the head of their country or city. He then sends representatives to take over the just conquered region on his behalf. The same applies in the kingdom of God. We have been chosen as soldiers to take over the land for our king and father but we have all failed him terribly. We have sold our weapons in exchange for comfort and riches. We are no longer concerned about his assignment as we now have our own assignment. So called soldiers would back of cry and leave the battle because people don't acknowledge us. We would surrender our weapon because it is heavy. So of us would even make a league with the enemy for fame and position!We call it wisdom but I'd like to call it compromise. What would happen to a British soldier that joins up with the enemy in Afghanistan? He would probably be in danger in the midst of the afghan and by all means he dare not return to any British territory. He has committed a treasonable felony punishable by hanging in military. This is what most of us do as soldiers of heaven, we compromise join up with the world without act like we are part of them. Gain some of their goods and run back to God for covering. How we mock the king of kings! Some soldiers assigned to the project "Thy kingdom come" have even broken ranks, carried some other gullible soldiers away after them and established their own kingdom with their flag in the enemy's territory. You have used the resources heaven gave to you, soldiers you were assigned to by heaven and promoted yourself and your name! Thy kingdom come! The kingdom of God would definitely come whether we like it or not. Whether we pray and work towards it or not. Individually the day you die, his kingdom has come upon you! Then you'd have to stand before him and give account! If you've done well whilst you were here then the coming of his kingdom would be for you a blessing, if not well I don't want to find out! Thy kingdom come!
Thy will be done on earth - this particular statement relates very closely to the forgoing one. The word will also means desire, want, what you wish for or wish to see. In the context of our passage - Thy will be done- this is praying that whatever the father desires, wish for, want we want him to have can someone say amen! This is really interesting as the will of the father is most times in contrast to our own will. Most of the time we do our own will rather than that of the father and still pray this prayer - thy will be done on earth! If you and I are not doing his will then how will his will be done on earth? Just asking! The good thing about the father is that he gives us free will- we can do what we want, how we want, when we want it. Most times we satisfy ourselves first doing our will before remembering his will. Yet he still wants us to do his will. Jesus himself was faced with a precarious situation at the garden of gethsemane, was faced with the agony of death and his own will was to dock this cup of shame. I'm sure most of us would have "applied wisdom" in that situation but no not the saviour! Hear what he said not my will but yours be done! How many time have you done this in your life? How many times have you let go of your will to follow the father's will? It is easier to preach the will of God than to do the will of God. People who live all their life doing their own will come to the time of marriage and now want the will of God! In fact, this will of God has really been abused, it is bad enough that we want to do our own will but absolutely horrific to now claim that we are doing it because it is the will of God! Lord have mercy! God wants his will to be done on earth- he wants every creature to do what he instructs. Do we want to see his desires come to pass? What are we doing to make this happen? Evangelism is a tool to making his kingdom come and making his will done on earth. How committed are you to evangelising? I know most of us would say our life is a vehicle for evangelism and I totally agree. Jesus Christ was an embodiment of godliness but still sat, despite his busy schedule by the well of Samaria waiting for just one soul. He evangelised to the woman and the woman herself became an evangelist. Thy will be done on earth! Like I said before the earth and the people therein wouldn't do the will of the father because they are not under his dominion, and the father wouldn't come down to force them, he is depending on you and I. To be able to pray this prayer effectively we must resolve in our own heart to do his will first before we can pray for others to join us. Trust me there would be times you would disobey him and do your own will even after this but if you are committed to find out and doing his will he would grant you grace to do it.
