I'll let it speak for itself, keeping in mind that these are the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
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. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen."
-Matthew 6:9-13
Notice how Jesus, in His example of how His disciples [that's us] should pray, emphasizes God's glory. God's name (which is not Jesus, by the way, although Jesus is unquestionably God) is lifted up as holy, and the individual praying asks for God's kingdom to come and for His will (not the praying person's will) to be done. It closes by recognizing that the kingdom, the power, and the glory belong to God forever and ever - not to man. In this way, the Lord's prayer, the example Jesus gave of how we should pray, exalts God and recognizes men as askers, not commanders, of God.
God doesn't need our permission to accomplish His purposes in the world, but like any good Father, He hears the requests of His children, and grants them if it suits Him. We must always keep in mind that He knows better than we do, that He sees a bigger picture that He has not revealed to us. Although, as His children, we may be crying out for the spiritual equivalent of ice cream, the Father knows we haven't yet eaten our dinner. Or maybe what we're crying out for is so outside His plan for us that He snatches it away quickly, because He knows that, like the can of pesticide beneath the kitchen sink, it would be poison to our souls if granted. He knows. We don't. That's why our prayers are always to be couched in gentle requests with the acknowledgement that God's will and knowledge are higher and better than our own.
To say something akin to, "Father right now in the name of Jesus I command this affliction to leave this individual" is to fail to recognize that it's possible GOD HIMSELF caused the affliction for His own purposes. Like that of the man blind from birth, some afflictions are not from sin, but rather came about so that God's glory might be revealed (John 9:1-4). And some afflictions actually do come from God. Take, for instance, the case of King David's affliction.
"I know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness You have afflicted me."
-Psalm 119:75
Why was King David afflicted? To bring about his renewed obedience to God.
"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey Your word."
-Psalm 119:67
I personally believe, though it's not explicitly stated in the Bible, that King David strayed from God because he followed after the lusts of his flesh - not just his lust for another woman, but lust in general born of a greedy and manipulative heart. He became so consumed with his riches and power that he got comfortable and no longer obeyed God. I believe that God had to strip David of some of these things to accomplish His purpose in David's life - namely, repentance and a renewed commitment to obeying the Lord. Again, I believe that like any good Father, the Lord removes things from our lives that are preventing us from being the person into whom He is shaping us. This may, in the momentary and temporary sense, be perceived by us children as an "affliction," but really the Lord is just chastising and growing us by removing anything that is not of Him. By framing our prayers in an imprecatory fashion, by asking God instead of telling Him, we exalt Him and acknowledge the superiority of His thoughts and ways over our own.
"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."
-Proverbs 16:9
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment