A Scary Prayer
But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:6
How often do we repeat a memorized prayer (Bible verse, creed, etc) and not give any real thought to what we are saying?
In Matthew 6 Jesus is teaching His disciples. Apparently, this was not just the twelve but a multitude of “disciples” who were not necessarily faithful followers. (See John 6:66).
He has already covered a lot of teaching territory:
- how to be blessed (Matthew 5:1-12)
- being a people who are salt and light (Matthew 5: 13-16)
- that He came to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17-20)
- about anger, lust, divorce, and oaths (Matthew 5:21-42)
- loving our enemies (Matthew 5:43-48)
- giving to the needy (Matthew 6:1-4)
Then, in Matthew 6:9 Jesus begins to teach everyone listening how to pray. In verses 7 and 8 He tells them how NOT to pray and reminds them that God knows what they need before they pray. Then He says to them:
Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:9-16
Have you ever considered what it means to pray “Your will be done on earth as it is heaven?” In heaven God’s will is perfectly carried out. His Law will be obeyed by everyone there – no exceptions. There will be no hatred, no war, no abortion, no homosexuality, no human trafficking.
When we repeat the Lord’s prayer, we are asking Him to remove those things from the earth – now, in time and history. This has huge implications for us politically, economically, socially, and even in our personal relationships.
If we are willing to ask God for these things, are we willing to stand up for what God says here and now?
The second one is a little more personal. “Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Our debts to God are payment for our sin (Romans 6:23). If we refuse to have mercy on other people for what they do to us, then we must resign ourselves to the truth that we cannot expect God to forgive us for our sin.
Jesus gives His followers a lot to think about by preserving this teaching for today’s Christian. He calls us to consider our own behavior and attitudes as He promises that God will not forgive us if we do not forgive others.
Do we mean what we say when we pray this prayer? Do we want God’s will to be done on earth as it is heaven? Lots of people will fight us as we work toward that end.
The Lord’s Prayer is only scary if we pray it but we don’t mean it.
That’s a really good point, Beth—do we TRULY want God’s will on earth? I do, but I think it’s something we all should ask ourselves and truly think about the meaning behind our words. Thanks for the thought-provoking blog!
I once prayed for God to put one of my sons where he needed to be. I couldn’t complain later when he ended up deployed to Iraq.
But God did put him where he needed to be. He came home with direction for his life. He had to find it in a faraway place so much unlike home.
His will be done is scary–but we must trust.
Oh Nancy, That is scary but you are right, God is faithful and worthy of our trust!
Glad it was thought provoking for you, Jessica! In my mind I want His will, too… Sometimes I know my heart questions it. #stillgrowing
Yes, it is so scary to pray for God’s will to be done on earth and in my life. But, we realize how much better His ways are and the rewards that await us at the end of time, then it is worth being scared. Amen
Such a convicting thought. Am I asking God to do things that I’m not willing to cooperate with?
Ouch!
Yes, Ava, I am sure I do it more often than I care think about – though I need to so I can repent!
So true Yvonne, His ways are higher than ours!
Thanks, Beth. It’s a good thing to know and understand the meaning behind what we pray. I reflected on this prayer a few months ago. Now I pray for the Lord’s kingdom over my kingdom, and His will over my agenda.
I may adopt those prayers! I long for the day when we will see God’s will done as it is done in heaven!
It is a scary prayer. My life has not been easy but God has been present through it all. This prayer implies trust and it’s only been within the past year that I’ve been able to trust him again. Thanks for sharing!
This is interesting Beth. When we ask that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven, I don’t know that we typically give much thought to what that may really mean. Thank you for this thought-provoking post.
S.A., I often wonder about the words we sing in praise to God, too. Do we mean what we say? Thanks for commenting!
Wow, Candice, So grateful the Lord has shown His faithfulness so you are trusting Him again!