The Everyday Prayer

If I call God King, He may say that I have been a rebellious subject and refuse to hear me.   If I call God Creator, He may say that I have fallen short of His purpose and ignore my plea for help.   If I call God Judge, He may say that I have broken His law and condemn me.  But if I call God Father,  He must hear my call because  my sins can never change the fact that I am His son.  When I talk with my Father, I am not afraid that He misunderstands me.  I may get the words out of place, but He hears me somehow.  It is not something that I can depend on from the Governor or a friend, but hearing me and helping me is something that I can count on with my Dad.  May the Lord teach us to pray these wonderful words!

Romans 8 speaks of “the spirit of adoption by which we cry ‘Abba Father’ “.  What is the spirit of adoption?   It is a combination of faith that knows God to be Father, love that loves Him as Father,  joy that relaxes in His love, and confidence that looks to Him for protection and supply.  Martin Luther said that there is more eloquence in the words, ” Our Father” than in all the orations of educated men.  Friend, do you have this spirit?  Do you have the inner assurance that you are a child of God and therefore have all access to His promises and protection?  If not, then it is time for you to seek Him, to look to Christ on the cross who gave His life so that you can be born into a family. . . a family of prayer.  Calling God Father must rise from deep within our hearts.  It is a gift of God’s Spirit.

When we become aware of our Father, we become aware of our brothers and sisters.  Jesus does not teach us to pray, “MY father”.  He teaches us to pray, “OUR Father”.  Every prayer, every morning is a consciousness of others who are related to us by a common love for Christ.  Some of God’s children differ from us in doctrine.  The tensions can be very real, but the assignment stands.  If we only love those who agree with us on all points who will be left?  Some of God’s children have different stations in life.  They are poor in this world but rich in faith.  Some of God’s children are separated from us by continents and culture, but it is remarkable how similar we are on our knees.  Pray this morning, friend!  Pray with an awareness of your large family and your powerful Father.  Then stand and act it.  If God is our Father, we have many brothers and sisters.

Today’s inspiring thought is from Charles Spurgeon.  There are no degrees of sonship.  Either we are a children or we are not.  No one is “almost” or “partly” a member of God’s family.  The elder brother was not more related to the father than the prodigal.  “You have children yourselves. One is grown up and out in business, another is still a child in arms with daily needs.  Which is most your child?  ‘Both’ you say.  So the little Christian is as much a child of God as the great one.”  If we are born again, neither David, nor Paul, nor any of the giants of the faith are more welcome or loved than we are!  We have a full and permanent place in the family of God.  The privilege of prayer is ours.  Let this give us courage when we draw near to God and say, “Our Father which art in Heaven.”

If our sonship (through adoption) assures us of God’s love, it also requires love from us.  It is natural and right for a child to love his/her Father.  What do we think of a child who repays a parent’s love with selfishness and ingratitude?  Doesn’t the universe, in similar fashion,  judge us who receive from God without loving Him in return.  Friend, do you love your Father in Heaven?  The language of love is obedience.  When He says, “do this”, we do it.  When He forbids a path, we avoid it because we love Him.  Jesus said, “If you love me keep my commandments” (John 14:15)  How strange it must appear in Heaven for people to call God “Father” and still live in rebellion and resistance.  As you pray today, will you draw near to God like a child?  Will you receive His love?  Will you give yours in return?

Yesterday (at FBCSA) we spoke of parents.  We considered the courageous promises that we must make so as to fulfill our duties to God and our children.  Did the Spirit of God speak to you, calling new commitments from your heart?   Today we reverse the image and think of ourselves as a children.   Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “Our Father”.  It is only true for those who have been born again.  The Bible gives testimony to the “spirit of adoption” (Romans 8 ) by which a person becomes a child of God.  “No man has a right to claim God as his Father unless he believes, solemnly, that he has been adopted. . .He has been taken out of the old family, into which he was born, washed, cleansed, given a new name and a new  spirit.”  (Charles Spurgeon)  All prayer rises or falls on this truth.  If we have been adopted, the Father will turn His great heart toward us as we pray.

“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”  Other than the encouragement of the Lord, why do Christians pray these words?  Because we are afraid that we will not stand in temptation.  Because we know ourselves to be weak and therefore need His intervention and daily guidance.  It is a logical development of our previous prayers.  What folly it is to pray for forgiveness of sin if we do not sincerely desire to avoid it in the future.  What dishonesty it is to ask for His cleansing and, at the same time,  entertain thoughts of doing it again. “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” said Jesus to his friend Peter.  Part of our daily conversation with the Father should be a frank conversation about the “unconverted parts” of our fickle hearts.  He does not reject us for this admission.  He wants us to talk honestly with Him.  He wants us to have a healthy fear of sin.

Interesting words today from John Broadus. (19th century Baptist preacher) “In the strict and proper sense, it is not our duty to forgive a man unless he repents. . .’If he (your brother) turns and says, I repent, you shall forgive him.’ (Luke 17:4)  It is not right that you should restore a man to the confidence he forfeited unless he proves himself worthy of it. . .We are, however, to love him. (Matthew 5:44)  We need not, and really should not forgive him in the full sense while he remains impenitent. . .but we must bear him no malice, we must do him no harm, in fact, do him good in anything that will not promote his evil designs against us.  In this way, we become the sons of our Father in Heaven.”  Is it possible to LOVE a person you have not FULLY FORGIVEN?  Is the prodigal son our example?

Food is only part of what we need.  (See yesterday’s blog)   “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”  A full stomach with an empty heart is not the LIFE that God intends. We need God’s voice!  So Jesus tells us to ask for forgiveness–to deal honestly with our sins so that we can recover our “ears” for His truth.   Some Christians believe this prayer for forgiveness is unneccessary.  The cross has taken our sin away.  I believe that real righteousness deals daily and honestly with the sins that divide us from our fellowship with God.  If “His mercies are new every morning”, doesn’t it make sense that we would experience them daily?  Of course, a request for forgiveness obligates us to give the same grace to others.  With forgiveness we also find freedom from resentment and pride.  It is something we need every day.

If the Lord’s prayer begins with petitions for God’s GLORY, it moves eventually toward petitions for our GOOD.  Observing this order (God first), will give us  confidence when we ask for “daily bread” and all the other things we need for life.  Asking for bread may seem strange to those of us who have food in our cupboards and money to buy more.   This overlooks the role that God is playing in our blessings.  He sends rain.  He makes crops grow.  He lavishly fills the earth with food and fish and fruit.  He also provides jobs and strength.  “The Lord your God . . .is giving you the power to make wealth.”  (Deuteronomy 8:18)  All these come from Him in answer to prayer.   Without His steady management of the world, a trip to HEB would be useless.  So, as an act of dependence and gratitude, we ask!  Not just for ourselves.  It is OUR bread that concerns us–bread for all of His children.