 We have recited it in private and also prayed it publicly in unison with others; we have even sung it in reverence on select Sunday mornings. It's been a familiar prayer at somber cultural events. Yet I wonder if we really grasp what was in Jesus' heart when He gave His disciples the words to "The Lord's Prayer."
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We have recited it in private and also prayed it publicly in unison with others; we have even sung it in reverence on select Sunday mornings. It's been a familiar prayer at somber cultural events. Yet I wonder if we really grasp what was in Jesus' heart when He gave His disciples the words to "The Lord's Prayer."
Remember, they had asked Him, "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1). Contrary to its most typical uses, the Lord did not give His disciples a prayer just to help them cope. What He gave them was almost militant in nature; it was vibrant, not passive.
For many centuries the holy realities of this prayer have been obscured by traditions of religious unbelief; its potential was relocated strictly to eternity, and thus disbarred from affecting conditions on earth. In recent years, its truth is again filling the words of this heavenly anthem: Thy Kingdom come! Thy will be done!
These are emphatic statements. They ought to be punctuated with exclamation marks. This prayer is Heaven's Pledge of Allegiance.
This not a prayer limited to the Millennium. It is a decree that God's will, through our living union with Christ, should be accomplished today on earth. Where is the room for compromise in those words? Jesus is saying that, with miraculous power, abounding joy and unwavering mercy, God's will is destined to be fulfilled on earth, just "as it is in Heaven!"
We call this The Lord's Prayer, yet more appropriately, it might be called The Disciple's Prayer or The Kingdom Prayer, for it is something Jesus gave to ignite fire in the hearts of His followers. Indeed, this prayer is revolutionary. It is the kind of prayer a spiritual extremist would pray.
Fighting Words
We have been too polite with God. I do not mean we should be disrespectful or irreverent; I am saying the Lord's Prayer is not a weak, pleading prayer. Yes, there is a time for pleading with God, but this is prophetic prayer. There is not a "please" anywhere in it. Jesus taught His disciples to pray with power, not merely pleading.
We already know it is the "Father's good pleasure" to give us His Kingdom (Luke 12:32). Jesus is not instructing us to beg for a blessing or two; He is commanding us to call for God's Kingdom to rule on earth. This is a prayer of authority. The Son of God wants us to pray like we were created to bring Heaven to earth. Our prayer simply aligns us with what is already God's great pleasure to give us.
Of course, it is vital we embrace repentance for both our sins and the sins of our forefathers. But there is another type of prayer that builds upon repentance. It is the prayer of those fully committed to the vision of God! It embodies the expanse of what Jesus came to establish. Although men and women are both called to proclaim the words of this decree, this is decidedly a masculine prayer. These are fighting words.
Remember, this form of prayer is not my idea; it's Christ's. He told faltering, fumbling, often sinful disciples to pray like they were mature, victorious warriors. He didn't say this prayer should be prayed only when they had become perfect. No. He was saying this is how we should pray right now, even while we are imperfect. Yes, we humble ourselves; yes, we confess our sins. Yet, we must learn to pray with unsheathed spiritual authority, with heroic faith, and with the fire of divine possibilities burning in our souls.
Beloved, a time is coming when God's people will have reached the depth of their repentance. Knees bent and worn from the weight of prolonged kneeling will slowly creak upward. Heads will lift, and then hands. Like the rumbling of a volcano no longer dormant, the cry, "Thy Kingdom Come" will begin to gather and then rise from within the inner spirit of the redeemed.
Yes, even now, the armies of God in Heaven are beginning to unite with the armies of God on earth. Lightening-like power is beginning to fill the backbone of the redeemed. From every nation, a holy people shall stand upright before the Most High. In their mouths will be the words taught them by the Son of God Himself:
Thy Kingdom Come! Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven!
Used by Permission: Francis Fragipane’s teaching ministry has taken him around the world. He has started a number of ministries to serve the Body of Christ. This includes weekly radio and television broadcasts and In Christ’s Image Training that provides both on-site and online Biblical training and Advancing Church Ministries an association for pastors and church leaders. www.frangipane.org
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