The Lord's Prayer Part 4 - Richard Maisenbacher

Continuing our discussion regarding The Lord's Prayer, let's look in Matthew 6:12, the next verse in this prayer - "And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors."

Forgiving others and ourselves has always been challenging for the Body of Christ. We usually have excellent reasons to hold on to our unforgiveness. However, complete forgiveness is the very relationship we enjoy and embrace from Christ. In addition, there also seems to be some significant physical healing that takes place for the one who forgives!

Forgiveness includes asking for and releasing forgiveness to God, others and ourselves. And when one apologizes forgiveness does not mean that everything goes back to normal as if nothing ever happened. God gives us the grace to forgive. I have found if I am having difficulty forgiving, I am in need of His wonderful grace to help me. However, sometimes because of the depth and variety of the abuse, restitution, safety and appropriate boundary setting need to take place before trust can be restored.

Here are a couple prayer examples that may help you get started when true/honest  forgiveness seems to be impossible.

"I release to You/Father my anger and disappointment resulting from knowing that my perception and understanding are limited by my own viewpoint of why You allowed a particular situation to occur. You have a greater purpose beyond my understanding, so please forgive me and help me to understand Your ways."

"I allow Holy Spirit to flow through the bitterness and disappointment in this situation and release Your 'river' of forgiveness to flow our and through me because the Spirit of Christ leads the way. I can release forgiveness because of the forgiveness You have released to me. Thank you for producing peace again within me and my other relationships."

The Lord's Prayer Part 3 - Richard Maisenbacher

As we continue reflecting on The Lord's Prayer, let's look at Matthew 6:11 which states: "Give us this day our daily bread."  We are reminded in this one sentence that our basic daily needs come to us from heaven one day at a time. Planning and setting goals for our future is good, but apprehension for tomorrow can result when we take our eyes off His provision for today. Jesus shared His cure for anxiety when He spoke in Matthew 6:25: "For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing?" And in Matthew 6:34 He reemphasizes and concludes His message with one final thought: "Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." 

When we pray, "Give us this day our daily bread" our belief structure may be challenged as to whether His daily bread is a gift of God or a daily expectation. In Matthew 6:33 if we assume that we will "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; all these things will be added" to us, our faith increases and we trust in Him and our relationship with Him. On the other hand, if after praying we choose to posture ourself with a demanding attitude that He will now meet our need, we have chosen a relationship based on demand and one's right, rather than a relationship founded on love and trust.

This part of the Lord's Prayer becomes a reminder that we are a part of a covenant God who keeps His word to those He is in covenant with. He loves us and He looks for ways to bless us in our relationship with Him. Therefore, we love Him and look for ways to please Him by following Him and His ways. As this process of love and trust increases, we quit looking for ways to minimize the uncertainty of life by trying to control everything in our future. We then can rejoice that He meets our needs through this intimate relationship of prayer one day at a time, while our worry dissipates right before our eyes.

The Lord's Prayer Part 2 - Richard Maisenbacher

Previously in my December post, I discussed with you how the Lord's Prayer appears to be a modified version of the eighteen Benedictions of Blessings the Jews recited three times a day. Within their busy work schedules, abbreviated prayers became acceptable as demonstrated by Jesus' example in the Lord's Prayer..

To review, the first verse of the Lord's Prayer which appears in Matthew 6:9, begins with "Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name," which we found to translate as "May Your name be sanctified." Sanctify means to make clean, holy, purify, or separated unto Him. Therefore, because we are in covenant with Him, whenever we obey His commandments we are sanctifying His name.

The phrase "Thy kingdom come" found in verse ten was common in Jewish prayers. It referred not only to the future Messianic Age, but also to our present needs here on earth, depicting the kingdom of heaven is at hand. They were also accustomed to praying, "Let Him cause His kingdom to reign and His redemption to flourish." We see that "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven," is very similar to the 3rd benediction found in the Amidah which states: "We will sanctify Your name in the world even as they sanctify it in the highest heavens." Therefore, as a result of our prayers and obedience we see that we have an important part in our relationship with the Lord to sanctify His name on earth as it is in heaven.

Now I pray with greater understanding knowing the deeper meaning of this beautiful prayer. In summarizing, let's look at the following:

1. Our Father whose name is to be hallowed will be sanctified.
2. Since we are in covenant with Him and choose to obey His will, we purify or sanctify His name.
3. In our covenant union, the two become one. Names are not only exchanged, but the characteristics representing the meaning behind each name is also exchanged or sanctified.
4. Since His will is already done in heaven, it is now duplicated here on earth as we follow His instructions.
5. His kingdom not only represents what will take place in the future age or in heaven, but is also applicable to our current needs here on earth at this time.

Israel knew that their hope for redemption was related to their obedience to the commandments of God. In praying the Lord's Prayer I have learned it is not simply a prayer of words for the Lord to hear or answer, but it implies a a responsibility on my part. If I want the Lord's name to be sanctified on earth, I must choose to keep His commandments, which in turn will expand His kingdom.

I will continue to discuss some of the benefits of walking in His covenant of love, expressed in the Lord's Prayer next time.

A Season of Change - Richard Maisenbacher

When I consider the New Year in 2016 I hear the Lord saying to be open to change. For some change will be a wonderful thing to look forward to because of the challenging year they have just experienced. For others it will be difficult to look at any change because they enjoy things just as they have been and change seems unnecessary.

When I researched the word "change" in the Bible, in Jeremiah 4:27-28 concerning Israel God declares: "I will not change My mind, nor will I turn from it." However when they are considering killing Jeremiah because of his challenging messages, the Lord says: "Now therefore amend your ways and your deeds, and obey the voice of the Lord your God: and the Lord will change His mind about the misfortune which He has pronounced against you." 

Scripture encourages us in Hebrews 13:8 that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." Even though Jesus never changes, we find seasons do change as we are reminded in Isaiah 43;19: "Behold I am doing something nene, now it will spring forth, will you not be aware of it?"

Recently in a dream I was playing tennis and my shots did not have any power or accuracy. The Lord then said, "Make a small grip change." In making the subtle grip change, I suddenly had more power, accuracy and depth on each shot. This change produced impactful shots while using less effort. I believe my experience in this dream is applicable to our Christian walk. When we make even the smallest change in our life, like deciding to align our lives with His directives and word, we increase our chances of hitting the mark. You may choose to pray, study the Bible, address negative attitudes and belief systems, make adjustments to lifestyle choices, tackle bad habits or addictions, recognize obstacles and change behaviors to overcome them. Making small changes in any of these areas can bring increase and breakthrough for you.

Small changes can make a big difference in your life as well as the Kingdom. Maybe God has already been speaking to you about some changes He may have highlighted for you. I want to encourage you that this is the season to not only make the change, but step out and watch how even a small change can make a big difference in your life!