The Lord's Prayer

“The Lord’s prayer”

Matthew 6:9-13

Floating in the river:

About 6 or 7 years olds we lived in Washington State

Our family was playing in the cutout on the river,

apparently the river was taller than the barrier meant to keep people in and safe.

My tube floated right over the barrier and I was zoomed down the river.

I didn’t know I was headed towards the rapids:

Back then we didn’t think about life jackets

I was just sitting in the inner tube chilling out.

Floating towards the rapids

My dad yelled to me to “stay in the tube”

So I stayed in the tube enjoying the view of the trees

Of my dad running down the bank of the river

And my dad ran as fast as possible along the bank

to get ahead of me and keep me from drowning.

It wasn’t until later I learned the danger:

At the moment I had full confidence that my dad was in control of things

I wasn’t worried in the least

A few minutes later my dad plucked me out of the river.

I wasn’t scared, in fact I enjoyed the ride!!!

My dad didn’t have to prove he was trustworthy

I already trusted my dad

he had never failed me so I didn’t have any reason to think he would now.

Do we have that kind of TOTAL trust in God?

Where trouble lurks around every corner and

We trust God to protect and provide for us?

But do we know God well enough to trust Him?

Can we say with David:

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4

The message today is a message we all need to hear:

It is that God listens, God cares and God is our lifeline

Bob the Tomatoe has a message for all of us:

God is bigger than the boogie man.

He's bigger than Godzilla,

or the monsters on TV.

Oh, God is bigger than the boogie man.

And He's watching out for you and me.

The Lord’s prayer teaches us to stay close to Jesus:

He is our life

He is our security

He is our mediator and Great high priest

Yet we often consider prayer a chore,

when it is really oxygen to our soul.

Prayer is the lifeline that connects us to the blessings of God

Keeps us on the right path

Prayer equips us, sustains us,

encourages and directs us

Pray is something a child can do, yet we adults often neglect

Jesus assumes that we will pray:

Matthew 6:5 says “when you pray”

Matthew 6:6 says “when you pray”

Matthew 6:7 says “when you pray”

Prayer is a privilege to be treasured, not an anchor to drag.

The Lord’s prayer is a model prayer:

It’s simple and sincere

Like the prayer of a child

It’s short in length, but deep in content

Listen as Jesus teaches us to pray:

It’s short and to the point

expressing full reliance on God from the heart

it asks for things and expects to get what it asks for

“This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Remember that God is control Matthew 6:9-10

God has brought Christians into His family

Human fathers have flaws and limitations

They get tired, run out of money, come short of wisdom

We make mistakes, have regrets, don’t always know what to do

Our heavenly Father is perfect and has no limitations

God is more than able to run and sustain this world:

Is higher than we can imagine

More powerful that we can fathom

He was before creation and will outlive this world.

The Lord is our light and our salvation, whom shall we fear?? Ps. 27:1

Praying: “ your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”

We live on Earth, but we are submitting to God’s power in heaven.

We draw a line in the sand and stand on God’s side

Saying come Hell or high water I’m with you.

#1 Remember that God is in control

Trust God will provide for your needs Matthew 6:11

“Give us today our daily bread.”

When was the last time any of you missed a meal?

Not because you were too busy to eat, but bc there was no way to eat?

Not because you didn’t like what was available, but because nothing was available

God has blessed us:

What we lack is usually a want more than a need

God is faithful to our meet our needs

He takes good care of His children.