SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/3/2020 10:37 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-4 “God’s
Purpose”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew
6:9-15
Message of the verses: “9 "Pray,
then, in this way: ’Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. 10 ’Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 ’Give us this
day our daily bread. 12 ’And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our
debtors. 13 ’And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For
Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.’ 14 “For
if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive
you. 15 “But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your
transgressions.”
I
want to mention again that we are talking about “The Disciples’ Prayer” and it
is not a set of words to repeat like many people have done for many hundreds of
years. If we desire to just recite it
that would not be wrong as we recite many other parts of Scripture, it is even
better to meditate upon this after we have memorized it. However it is not so much a prayer in itself
as it is what we could call a skeleton which believers are to flesh out with
their own words of praise, adoration, petitions, and son on as MacArthur
suggests. He then writes “It is not a
substitute for our own prayers but a guide for them.”
MacArthur
gives us some examples of what are seemingly endless schemes by which it can be
outlined: “When outlined from the
perspective of our relationship to God, we see:
‘Our Father’ showing the father/child relationship; ‘hallowed be Thy
name,’ the deity/worshiper; ‘Thy kingdom come,’ the sovereign/subject; ‘Thy
will be done,’ the master/servant; ‘give us this day our daily bread,’ the
benefactor/beneficiary; ‘forgives us our debts,’ the Savior/sinner; and ‘do not
lead us into temptation,’ the guide/pilgrim.’
“From
the perspective of the attitude and spirit of prayer, ‘Our’ reflects
unselfishness; ‘Father’ reflects family devotion; ‘hallowed be Thy name,’
reverence’ ‘Thy kingdom come,’ loyalty; ‘Thy will be done,’ submission; ‘give
us this day our daily bread,’ dependence; ‘forgive us our debts,’ penitence; ‘do
not lead us into temptation,’ humility; ‘Thine is the kingdom,’ triumph; ‘and
the glory,’ exultation; and ‘forever,’ hope.
“In
similar ways the prayer can be outlined to show (1) the balance of God’s glory
and our need; (2) the threefold purpose of prayer; to hallow God’s name, bring
in His kingdom, and do His will; and (3) the approach of present (‘give us this
day our daily bread’) past (‘forgive us our debts), and future (‘do not lead us
into temptation’).”
As
we look at these suggestions we can surely know that there are many more ways
to outline these verses of “The Disciples’ Prayer.”
Because
of the great importance of what we are studying here I will continue to quote
the last two paragraphs of MacArthur’s commentary on “God’s Purpose.” “The purpose of prayer is seen more in the
overall thrust of these five verses than in any particular word or phrase. From beginning to end the focus is on God, on
His adoration, worthiness, and glory. Every aspect of true righteousness, the
righteousness that characterizes God’s kingdom citizens, focuses on Him. Prayer could hardly be an exception. Prayer is not trying to get God to agree with
us or to provide for our selfish desires.
Prayer is affirming God’s sovereignty, righteousness, and majesty and
seeking to conform our desires and our purposes to His will and glory.
“Every
facet of the Disciples’ Prayer focuses on the Almighty. Here Jesus gives a comprehensive view of all
the essential elements of righteous prayer, every one of which centers on God—acknowledging
His paternity, priority, program, plan, provision, pardon, protection,
preeminence. Each element is overloaded
with meaning, its truth being impossible to exhaust.”
We
have just finished things about what God’s purpose was in these verses which
make up The Disciple’s prayer, and it is my prayer that what I write and what I
pray will bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.
“Joh 14:13 “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the
Father may be glorified in the Son.”
On
another note it is my desire that many believers prayers in this country will
be answered by God, and that these prayers, the Father may be glorified in the
Son as He continues to allow President Trump to led our country for the next
four years. This has been my prayer for
many, many, months and may God’s answer be as I have asked, and may it bring
revival to the Church and glory to our Savior.
11/3/2020 11:05 AM
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