August 2009

This year’s Vacation Bible School had us teaching the children about the Lord’s Prayer.  I thought it would be a good idea if we reviewed this amazing prayer ourselves.  This month we finish what we started last time.

Give us this day our daily bread
In my mind, this is one of the more difficult lines to pray in this culture.  We ask God to provide our daily bread and then head off to Safeway and pick up a loaf.  In our minds we tell ourselves that God provides it, but in our hearts we beg to differ.  We need to regularly, daily remind ourselves that God is the provider of all the prerequisites for life.  Remember how dry it was last year, and how we could do nothing but wait on God?  Those seasons make us uncomfortable, but if in our difficulty, we are reminded that it is God who provides the building blocks for life and bread and peace and whatever else we need, we are the better for it.

Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors
Forgiveness is a topic that makes us uncomfortable. Whether we are forgiving or seeking forgiveness, we just don’t like it.  When we are in need of forgiveness, we are reminded that our sin is actually a part of us, not just an aberration.   Humbling ourselves to seek forgiveness if very hard, at least for me.  It seems as if I should be able to find a way to justify my actions, maybe I was not wrong after all.  At least I should be able to find some mitigating circumstances to lessen my guilt.  But no, God calls us to see our sin for what it is and confess it without without justification.
Sadly, we are no better at forgiving than we are seeking forgiveness.  When we have been wronged, we are often quick to demand vengeance, especially when our advesary has not displayed sufficient sorrow.  “They are not even sorry; let them think about it for a while and when they really understand how much they hurt me, then maybe I will forgive them”.  Is that how we want God to forgive us?  Our lives depend on God forgiving us as soon as we sin; our task is to learn how to forgive in the same way.  Later, Jesus will say, “For if you do not forgive your brother who sins against you, neither will your Father forgive you”.  It is the same gate in our heart that both dispenses and receives forgiveness.  Close it off because you do not want to forgive and you will lose the ability to be forgiven.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
You have heard me say that our sin can be traced to believing one of three lies:  God is not powerful enough to protect us, not wise enough to guide us or does not love us enough give us what we need.  This line in the prayer asks us to believe that is God is wise enough to chart the best course for our lives.  It is when we chase short cuts that we find ourselves in trouble.  As a parent, I counsel my children to defer pleasure, that long-term joy is preferable to immediate gratification.  Why can’t I trust God when he tells me the same thing?

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever
When all is said and done, we are bit players in this play.  God loves us so much and has done so much for us; it is easy to think ourselves greater than we ought.  In the book of Revelation, the saints of God receive their crowns as a reward for their faithfulness.  These crowns are ultimately cast at the feet of Jesus.  Standing in the presence of the one who has done so much for us, we finally begin to understand; it is God’s kingdom, power and glory that makes it all possible and worthwhile.