PRAYING WITH UNDERSTANDING

To me, this post is the most important of all! It deals with the Lord's Prayer.

Assie Friso, the Dutch Prayer Warrior was at GCC yesterday and she gave us an unique understanding of the most 'rattled' prayer of all! I say rattled because i was born a Catholic and when we prayed the rosary, we literally said the 'Our Father' and the 'Hail Marys' the chipmunks style! The Our Father is the oldest of Christian prayers, going back to Jesus Christ himself, who, in Matthew 6:9-13, taught his disciples to pray in those words. 

The following are notes taken from Sr. Assie's teaching of last night, along with some of my own reflections:

Let us use the fingers on our palm to remind us of the 'prayer points' in the Lord's prayer!

1: "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name"

THE THUMB is the only finger on the palm that can touch every other finger. When we pray the 'Lord's Prayer', let it remind ourselves of our heavenly father. We begin our prayer in praise to God, acknowledging Him as Father and honouring His holy name - Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

"If you, with all your sins, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to anyone who asks Him!" —Matthew 7:11

Our heavenly Father, like our earthly fathers, wants to be known as a good provider. The way a father provides indicates his love for the family. The Lord says, "My God in turn will supply your needs fully, in a way worthy of His magnificent riches in Christ Jesus" (Phil 4:19)

The Old Testament refers to God as “Almighty” fifty six times in the English text. The New Testament is equally clear. Colossians 1:15-18 says, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. (16) For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. (17) And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. (18) And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.” (NKJV)
The problem is, sometimes we are just too proud to admit we need God’s power in our lives!

2: "Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven"

THE INDEX FINGER points us in the direction of heaven and reminds us the we must let heaven invade earth! His kingdom of peace, righteousness and power must impact the earth! 

Let the index finger remind us to affirm God’s priorities as our own - Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.

Let us also not forget Isaiah's prophecy of the New Heaven that is yet to come!

For behold, I create new heavens
and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered
or come into mind.
Isaiah 65:17 (ESV)

3: "Give us this day our daily bread"

THE MIDDLE FINGER

Let the middle finger remind us to appropriate God’s provision for our lives here and now - Give us this day our daily bread. This not only indicates 'physical food' but 'spiritual food' also!

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ Mat. 4:4

In another scripture, Jesus says that His 'food' is to do the will of the Father!

4: "forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors"

THE RING FINGER.

Let the ring finger remind us to ask for God’s pardon and commit ourselves to forgive others - And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

We must forgive others for the wrongs they have done to you but more so, we must learn to forgive ourselves! Sometimes it is so very difficult to forgive ourselves but the Lord says,"I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins." Isaiah 43:25

And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your father who is in heaven forgive.” Mark 11:25-26

5: "lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one"

THE PINKIE

Let the pinkie remind us to seek God’s protection from temptation and Satanic attack and engage in spiritual warfare ourselves - And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

This 'deliverance not only deals with the evil one but also deliverance from sickness and poverty. The 'divine exchange' that happened on the cross has been listed below for your reference:

1. Jesus was punished that we might be forgiven
2. Jesus was wounded that we might be healed
3. Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness, that we might be made righteous with His righteousness
4. Jesus tasted death for us that we might share His life
5. Jesus was made a curse that we might receive the blessing
6. Jesus endured our poverty that we might share His abundance
7. Jesus bore our shame that we might share His glory
8. Jesus endured my rejection that I might have His acceptance with the Father
9. He was cut off that we might be joined to the Lord
10. Our Old Man was put to death in Him that the New Man might come to life in us

 6: "For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen"

ALL FINGERS FOLDED AND THUMB OUT! 

If the Thumb reminds us of the Heavenly Father, all other fingers folded indicates complete complete sovereignty of the Father. Everything else must bow down in front of the Father!

David’s prayer in 1 Chronicles (29:11) says, “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, And You are exalted as head over all.” (NKJV). While man has an ego that needs to be stroked by praise, God does not. Yet He calls us to praise Him. He even commands it. Why? Not because He needs praise, but because we need to praise Him is why! Praise does something for us. It reminds us of God’s greatness and of His glory. It alters our perspective. It changes our attitude. 

The wonderful truth is not that Jesus is going to be King, but that HE IS KING NOW!!! When we pray, “yours is the kingdom” we are acknowledging the fact, the present day reality, that Jesus is King. When we pray, “yours is the kingdom” we are also recognizing that we are subjects of the King. We are freely acknowledging his right to LORDSHIP in our lives. 

In the New Testament we read in Revelation 5:13, “And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and Honour and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!” (NKJV)

I wrote all of the above with the hope that your praying of the OUR FATHER will no longer be the same again! PRAYING WITH UNDERSTANDING IS POWERFUL!