One of the most familiar texts from the Bible are the words of Jesus found in Matthew 6:9-13. It is often called, “The Lord’s Prayer.”
“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is 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 do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
In the 1950s, Texas’s children started their school day by reciting these words. Unfortunately, the children did not understand the meaning of the words they were reciting. Many of us still do not. For today’s Bible toolbox, let’s look at one great purpose of this verse.
These words are not intended to be a memorized form for prayer, but rather an example to teach us about prayer. Those who teach about prayer will often use this prayer example of Jesus to show want our prayer ought to cover. Notice these parts to a good prayer.
Prayer should:
1. Acknowledge God as our Father: The opening phrase of the prayer, “Our Father in heaven,” reminds us that God is not only our Creator but also our loving and caring Father.
2. Honor God: The phrase “hallowed be your name” acknowledges God’s holiness and reminds us of the need to honor and respect Him.
3. Pray for God’s will to be done: When we pray “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” we are surrendering our will to God’s and asking Him to bring about His purposes in our lives and in the world.
4. Pray for our daily needs: The prayer includes the phrase “give us today our daily bread.”.
5. Confess our sins and ask for forgiveness.
6. Ask for God’s protection. The prayer includes the request “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
These lessons still provide insight and inspiration as we study and practice the blessing of prayer.
Think of all the things Peter, Andrew, James, and John might have asked Jesus.
§ He was a great teacher. They might have asked him to teach them how to teach.
§ He worked miracles. They might have asked him to show them how to work miracles.
§ He was a great leader. They might have asked him for lessons in leadership.
On and on the list could go, but there is one thing they asked him to teach them. It is found in Luke 11:1
“When he finished praying in a certain place, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.’”
Did you ever think about John the Baptizer teaching his disciples to pray? Probably not, but he certainly did.
Did he have a special class where he gave pointers to his disciples? I don’t know, but what he did caused the disciples of Jesus to make a request to him for similar teaching.
Of course, there was one other motivation for the disciples asking Jesus to teach them to pray – they heard his prayers and saw his prayer life.
I am so thankful that the disciples made this request. Prayer is a subject that needs to be taught. Prayer is also a subject that needs to be learned.
Perhaps when we struggle with prayer, we are really struggling with not really understanding what prayer is or how to really pray.
For our own sake, each Christian should learn how to pray.
I know I said, “Grandfather’s” toolbox instead of some other name, but that is because I am a grandfather, but whatever you are, – a grandmother, aunt, uncle, or just friend, we all need a toolbox of stories and lessons we collect to save for just the right moment. Those stories become our “words fitly spoken” that are “like apples of gold in settings of silver.” (Proverbs 25:11). It becomes that wise story you can tell at just the right time.
We all need that toolbox, but how do we get them? The answer is that we collect them. We write them to ourselves. We store them for just the right time. Just the other day I told my son to write his stories down. I now say that to all of you. Write them down. One of the biggest lies that we tell ourselves is “I don’t need to write it down. I will remember.” Write down, not only your stories but also those you hear from others.
Each Wednesday, I will share one of mine for you to put into your toolbox.
Today’s story is called “Doomed”
A bunch of really smart people got together in 1880 to predict the future, according to Jeff Stibel in his book Breakpoint. These experts were called on to predict how the rapidly growing New York City would manage into the next century and beyond.
The prognosis was not positive.
NYC was a major source of American innovation in 1880. Skyscrapers, subways, stock exchanges — and it was doubling in size every 10 years. The experts were concerned by this growth, because they projected that by 1980, you’d need six million horses to transport everyone who would live there.
Well, that is one little story I collected along the way. Why don’t you send me one of yours?
It reads, “‘But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.'”
The Spider and the Bug
Unknown Author
There was once a spider who lived in a cornfield. He was a big spider and he had spun a beautiful web between the corn stalks. He got fat eating all the bugs that would get caught in his web. He liked his home and planned to stay there for the rest of his life.
One day the spider caught a little bug in his web, and just as the spider was about to eat him, the bug said, “If you let me go I will tell you something important that will save your life.” The spider paused for a moment and listened because he was amused. “You better get out of this cornfield,” the little bug said, “The harvest is coming!”
The spider smiled and said, “What is this harvest you are talking about? I think you are just telling me a story.” But the little bug said, “Oh no, it is true. The owner of this field is coming to harvest it soon. All the stalks will be knocked down and the corn will be gathered up. You will be killed by the giant machines if you stay here.”
The spider said, “I don’t believe in harvests and giant machines that knock down corn stalks. How can you prove this?” The little bug continued, “Just look at the corn. See how it is planted in rows? It proves this field was created by an intelligent designer.”
The spider laughed and mockingly said, “This field has evolved and has nothing to do with a creator. Corn always grows that way.” The bug went on to explain, “Oh no. This field belongs to the owner who planted it, and the harvest is coming soon.” The spider grinned and said to the little bug, “I don’t believe you,” and then the spider ate the little bug for lunch.
A few days later, the spider was laughing about the story the little bug had told him. He thought to himself, “A harvest! What a silly idea. I have lived here all of my life and nothing has ever disturbed me. I have been here since these stalks were just a foot off the ground, and I’ll be here for the rest of my life, because nothing is ever going to change in this field. Life is good, and I have it made.”
The next day was a beautiful sunny day in the cornfield. The sky above was clear and there was no wind at all. That afternoon as the spider was about to take a nap, he noticed some thick dusty clouds moving toward him. He could hear the roar of a great engine and he said to himself, “I wonder what that could be?”
There were 5,000 men to feed. The disciples had no food and were at a loss about how to handle the big problem.
Peter explained, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” (John 6:9)
Such a little amount seemed unimportant to the disciples. The feeling of the disciples is among us today. We look around and see the little that we have and think we are helpless. We have only a little talent. We only have a little money. We only have a little time. If only we had more we could do something.
God warned the Jews not to despise “the day of small things.” (Zechariah 4:10) Small things sometimes make big differences.
There is a true story of a man who got up one morning and put on a new pair of shoes. On the way to work he developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at the store to by a Band-Aid. The little stop made him late. It was the morning of September 11, 2001 and he worked at the World Trade Center. He is alive today because of a little thing.
In a circular called “Little Things” several more stories like this are revealed around September 11.
“The head of one company got in late that day because his son started kindergarten. Another fellow is alive because it was his turn to bring doughnuts. One woman was late because her alarm clock didn’t go off in time. One’s car wouldn’t start. One had a child that dawdled and didn’t get ready as soon as he should have.” All these people lived because of the effect of “little things.”
Little things make big differences. A little prayer time each day, a little time in the Word, a little giving, a little kindness, all these make you a great person. Everything starts with something little, but often ends in something big. With God’s help, the little boy and the five little loaves of barley bread and two little fish were able to feed 5,000 men plus women and children.
Do something little today. It will be huge tomorrow.
