THE SCENARIO:When the curtain as also our blessed Jesus’ body was rent at Calvary, a doorway burst open for Christ’s followers; a doorway opened into the presence of our immaculate Father God in heaven. Ever since that glorious day, prayers offered in Christ’s Name, in spirit and in truth, in reverence, love, and adoration, cross that threshold and are received and honored by our blessed Father God. Prayer is a great privilege; it is an expression of fellowship with Jehovah God, and thus a foretaste of life eternal in His presence (Salvation). It is probably not coincidental that the One who threw down the barrier that prevented communion with God also laid down a pattern for that communion. Thank You Lord Jesus Christ, thou great One. This scenario was occasioned by our Lord’s disciples’ concern to learn how to pray (Luk 11:1, cf. Mat 6:5-8). It is written around the “Our Father,” which our Savior gave as a pattern for His disciples to follow when we pray. There are seven “Our Father” base verses which we will prayerfully explore in the outworking of this scenario, as follows: (1) the address, (2) celebration of the Kingdom, (3) championing God’s will over self-will, (4) holy dependence upon God, (5) confession, penitence, forgiveness, (6) Light and leading in temptation, (7) Deliverance from evil.
1. ‘Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name.’ Papa, in heaven thou art, that blessed place that we much anticipate entering, for where thou art, Papa, there we long to be. Nigh unto thee. With thee; ever by thee. Close to thee. God is a Father; a consummate Father. He is our Father; and we claim Him. And His Name is to be feared upon the earth, for the fear of the Lord redounds laser-like to reverencing Him. Papa, we tremble before thee when we consider thy mighty acts, thy bared right arm, thy quintessential goodness and purity, thy counterintuitive mercy, and grace, and sacrifice of Self, even unto very present communion with us, fallen; even unto eternal fellowship with thee in thy heaven, nigh unto thee. With thee; ever by thee. Close to thee. Greatly and much art thou to be praised Papa Jehovah. Thus we address our God as Father, and wrestle with Him in our prayers; we talk to Him in our prayers, as peaking to One from whom we issued forth, a Papa, whose familial image we of necessity bear. And we are concerned that His Name (“O, That Name!”), which He has graciously bestowed upon us (imagine that), is magnified throughout the earth; let us be sensitive to that. Christian friend, does your walk hallow our Father in the eyes of all those whom He has placed into your life? Give it your very best Christian friend, and lean on Him to help you; He will. And where you and I stumble, fall, fall short, He will pick us up, like a Papa, and get us back into the race, for His Name’s sake. He is our Father, in heaven, very much hallowed by His own, who dearly claim and love Him (Mat 6:9).
2.’Thy Kingdom come.’ Supplant; O that thy reality might supplant the status quo Papa. Thy manner of rule and justice; fair-play and brotherly love; integrity and virtue; thy manner of Truth; thy manner of order and systems, design and teleonomy. Thus let thy Kingdom come Papa, ever with thee at its head, for thy Name’s sake—thy Kingdom doth proof thy Name. Thus supplant. Christian friend, we are sojourners on this earth; we are all alike looking for, are all alike awaiting something better, a Kingdom, our God’s Kingdom (cf. Hbr 11:13-16). We look for and await not a “pie in the sky,” for Jesus was raised from the dead and is seated at the right hand of Father God Jehovah; Amen. Our hope rests in that, it rests in Him, and thus it is sure. The kingdom we await shall manifest in its due time. Let it manifest Papa Jehovah. Our God’s Kingdom will come, and in many respects, through the Christian Church, which our Lord purchased, through you and I Christian friend, it has already come. Praised be God for this and its ultimate consummation. Fully it shall manifest (Mat 6:10a).
3. ‘Thy will be done on the earth as it is in heaven.’ Thy will, thy good will. O that it might flux into the hearts of humankind; hearts receptive; acquiescing, agreeing thus with thee. That this much excite our end Papa, as in heaven, thy heaven, that blessed End thy will doth affirm, doth bear, doth characterize. Christian friend, it is God’s overarching will that all walk the walk of Jesus Christ (“Be Holy”), like unto sons and daughters of a Papa; like He, Jesus, is His Son; yet a Brother; a Son; the Son. Let us thus join with the holy angels, executores, the hosts of heaven; let us thus walk, even run, crisp, sharp, swift. On the move; like unto Him. Help us Papa Jehovah to thus do thy will; pick us up when we stumble, fall, fall short. Thou surely wilt pick us up, like a Papa, and get us back into the race, for thy Name’s sake—thy will doth proof thy Name (Mat 6:10b-c).
4. ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ Ever anhungered art we Papa. O thou, Good. Thou plenteous Good. Thou openest thy pierced hand; thou satisfiest our every need. Thou feedest us good. Thou makest our faces to shine Papa. Thou givest us our daily bread, the Staff of life, the Bread of Life, the Best of Life. So good; it is Good. O Papa, we Live, ever satisfied, in thee, Good. O thou, plenteous Good, El Shaddai, Jehovah Jireh, thou providest. Christian friend, we want not in Him, El Shaddai, Jehovah Jireh, plenteous Good, Able, Sufficient, Willing (Mat 6:11).
5. ‘Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven those indebted to us.’ Forgive. Forgive me Papa. For as thou, by thy grace, reasonest; reasonest patiently, aplenty patiently, reasonest thou with me. This latter season thou revealest. O how it bites; my heart sees, it doth vex me. Thou revealest; thou revealest my great Need, ever in need, of thy forgiveness. Forgive me Papa. I stand naked before thee, thou revealest. With nary good to reason, a sinner; a sinner par excellence stand I before thee. Thou art merciful, thou hast forgiven. I walk by Grace. Christian friend, what good is there in importunate confessions when unforgiveness festers in the heart? Sensitize us Papa; reveal; reveal thou unforgiveness that festers in the heart, of us, forgiven. (Mat 6:12).
6.‘Lead us not into temptation.’ Ever it looms before me, a line storm evil, foul, shadowy; howling, ranting, twisting; here, there, yonder, all about. Papa be thou ever on guard, lest I sleep; I stumble; make haste, awaken me, sober me. Christian friend, to be alive is to be thrust headlong into much unGodly Temptation; it is all about, it lurks within and without. But to be alive and Christian is to see it for what it is—Adultery’s snare, the way of Death, Destruction. Thus our Father steels us—sober—and provides a Way. Straight, Level, Lighted. We continue homeward bound. Straight. On the way Home. Straight. No fatal byways, twisting—straight Home. Safe at Home. Thus Led (Mat 6:13a).
7. ‘Deliver us from evil.’ Papa, deliver me from the mouth of the lion, Evil. O thou, Omnipotent, hast done it. Dearest Christian friend, let us praise and rejoice in our Father God Jehovah, even Him, in Heaven, Hallowed, Amongst us, Undeterred, Succoring, Forgiving, Leading, Delivering, Glorious (Mat 6:13b).
Thine, Papa, is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, forever, and ever, and ever, and ever… Amen.
Praised be your Name Papa, our Papa, Papa God Jehovah, ours—we claim YOU…