REAL-LIFE EXPERIENCE THROUGH THE LORD’S PRAYER

Prayers are a means by which we seek interaction with God. Informed mainly by religious and cultural biases, we seek the divine in the best way we know how. customarily, we end up engaging in extremely legalistic practices in an effort to conjure God’s presence and response. Unsurprisingly, some of the practices are a consequence of religious superstitions we have acquired over time. Nonetheless, what we all seek is fruitful engagement with our maker.

John 4:19-24 NKJV

“The woman said to him” Sir I perceive that you’re a prophet. Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” Jesus said to her,” Believe me the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Ostensibly unproductive prayers yield frustrations and in dire cases, desperation.  In Luke 11:1, The disciples of Jesus sought his counsel on how to pray. It is not that they never used to pray, but having observed his prayer life, there was outstanding effectiveness in everything he did. From the way he lived in faith, the numerous miracles he performed; healing the sick, raising the dead, delivering the possessed from demons,  calming the storms, walking on water, etc. They desired this efficacy and as a matter of fact, it is not divergent from what all believers aspire.

Luke 11:2-4 NKJV

So, he said to them,” when you pray, say:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us day by day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins,

For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil.”

A broader review of this model prayer reveals the substance which is more than just an invocation. It is a way of life that is a prayer in itself. It is an economy of words that depicts a human being’s lifestyle that guarantee God’s promises. His promises are hinged on a certain way of life.  God is just and keeps his word. When your end of the bargain is met, have no doubt that his promises are set in motion. Jesus was outlining these seven applications that attract God’s promises:

EXALTATION (our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name)

A relationship with God is one that should be intentional with full knowledge and appreciation of his stature in our lives. He deserves worship and praise as one whom we hold above any other authority. It is a demonstration of faith to whom we owe our trust and everything. We esteem, praise & worship on whom our faith rests.

Hebrews 11:6 NIV

“And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

By living a life of praise and worship, we reiterate the first three commandments handed to Moses

Exodus 20:3-7 NKJV

“You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image-any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.”

SEEK GOD’S KINGDOM (your kingdom come)

God’s kingdom is the spiritual realm he reigns as king.

Luke 17:20 NKJV

“Now when he was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God will come, he answered them and said, ” The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ’see here!’ or ‘see there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

Luke 12:31 NKJV

“But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you”

Seeking God’s kingdom entails ceding spiritual ground in our lives to the Holy Spirit who comes in establishing territorial integrity in us making us partakers of the kingdom. By the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, Christ reigns as king in our hearts. His kingdom is fully within us.

Daniel 4:34 NKJV

“And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me, and I blessed the most high and praised and honored him who lives forever: For his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation.”

Daniel 4:36-37 NKJV

“At the same time, my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.”

Through his experiences, King Nebuchadnezzar was brought to an awakening of whose kingdom even the earthly kingdoms owe their existence to. The Kingdom that every human being should diligently seek before any other thing.

SURRENDER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT (Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven)

The Holy Spirit dwells in every believer. It is by yielding to his will that we are viable vessels for his will to be done through us. Heaven’s Will is made manifest through our surrender to the Holy Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 NKJV

“Do not quench the Holy Spirit”.

1 Corinthians 2:10-16 NKJV

“But God has revealed them to us through his Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the Spirit of the man which is in him? Even so, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is Spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ”.

REQUESTS AND SUPPLICATIONS (Give us day by day our daily bread)

God understands our earthly needs and it is his desire to meet them in accordance to his will. We therefore should not be afraid to make them known to him. It is in the knowledge that he is aware and mindful that we are peaceful even in seemingly difficult times. He will deliver our needs not necessarily as envisioned by us, but in the most optimal way for our lives. In a way that brings glory and honor to his name.  

Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus”.

Judges 7:2 NKJV

“And the LORD said to Gideon,” The people who are with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against me, saying, ’my own hand has saved me”

Matthew 7:9 NIV

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?”

Being adopted as sons through Jesus Christ, prayers are made effective through him

REPENTANCE & FORGIVENESS (And forgive us our sins, for we forgive those indebted to us)

Sin remains the biggest barrier to our relationship with God being the reason for the initial separation. A Christian’s life should be that of repentance, asking for forgiveness, and mending fences with God.

Job 1:4-5

“And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. So it was when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said,” it may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. ” Thus, Job did regularly.”

No doubt Job knew the open secret to being in the right standing with God. His blessings in life were evidence of his understanding of the walk with God in repentance.

Ephesians 23-24 NKJV

“And be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness”

A human being’s relations are twofold: Relationship with God and relationship with fellow human beings. All the commandments seek to address these two relationships. Indeed Jesus in his response to the question of the greatest commandment consolidated them into two; Matthew 22:37-40 “. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and the great commandment. And the second is like it: ’you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” What we seek from God, we should therefore be ready to extend it to our fellow human beings.

Matthew 18:25-35 NKJV

“But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant, therefore, fell down before him, saying, ’ Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all .’Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ’pay me what you owe! ’So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ’Have patience with me, and I will pay you all. ’And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had him, said to him, ’you wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you? And his master was angry and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. So, my heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

TAMING THE FLESH (Lead us not into temptations)

The battle with the flesh is a constant one in every believer’s life. All the devil has to do is throw temptations at the flesh and watch you self-destruct. He appealed to the flesh in the garden of Eden. He will arouse your fleshly desire and let you do the rest to your own demise. He will tempt you when you’re most vulnerable when your spiritual immunity is seemingly down. In the wilderness, he tempted Jesus with the desires of the flesh when he had fasted for forty days & forty nights.

Galatians 5:17 NIV

“For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other so that you are not to do whatever you want”

1 Corinthians 9:27 NKJV

“But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”

Jesus had all the reasons to remind Satan who he was as the Son of God. But in all the temptations, he used the word of God to rebuke Satan. ’’It is written”.

Luke 4:13 NIV

“When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time”

He senses opportunity when you’re least able to resist at your most vulnerable moment. Knowledge of the word of God and its application suffices as a useful tool of resistance. He has no choice but to let you be but will certainly seek another opportune moment as is with his nature.

James 4:7 NKJV

“Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”.

SPIRITUAL WARFARE (But deliver us from evil)

With two opposing spiritual kingdoms (The kingdom of Light & the kingdom of darkness), spiritual warfare is inevitable each trying to gather territory in humanity in its own way. The devil in addition to temptations will certainly wage a war in the spiritual realm.

Ephesians 6:12 NKJV

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplications for all the saint”.

Though believers cannot have the indwelling of demons or evil spirits (possession), we shouldn’t be naïve of their influence in our lives. They could still influence our lives through other exterior means e.g., oppression, distraction, deception, etc. It is by taking up the whole armor of God as prescribed by Paul that we are able to stand and enjoy the freedom in Christ Jesus.

Numbers 23:19 NIV

“God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”

Though expansive, a life lived under the guidelines of the Lord’s prayer unlocks God’s promises from the heavens onto our lives. Our Lives become the prayer. The magnet of his assurance in his word. The ultimate fruitful life.

John 15:7 NKJV

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you”

AMEN.