In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
Matthew 6:9
This Sunday in our prayer series, In Jesus Name, David Chan explores the first line of the Lord's Prayer with four keys to expand our understanding of prayer. Jesus taught his followers to pray, reminding us that prayer isn't about "vain repetitions" (Matthew 6:7) or checking off a box but rather connecting with Our Father.
Our Father
- The opening words, "Our Father," reflect Jesus' relationship with God the Father.
- Father was not a common name for God in Jesus' time. More frequently, God was called Lord, Jehovah or Yahweh—titles and names filled with reverence, not familiarity.
- This is a fresh revelation of who God is and how our relationship with him can be intimate.
- "I and My Father are one" (John 10:30) and "I am in the Father and the Father in me" (John 14:11), Jesus teaches.
- Jesus doesn't say "my Father" but "our father," including us in the gospel story.
- We are not orphans nor are we alone.
- 1 John 3:1, "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the word does not know us, because it did not know Him."
- Through Jesus, we have access to the Father as his children. We do not have access by our own strength, righteousness or actions.
- Shame and past mistakes can keep us from prayer, but starting with "Our Father" reminds us who we are, children of God who are loved regardless of performance or achievement.
- God as our Father gives us confidence to approach him with our needs and requests.
- Matthew 7:11, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"
- "Our Father" connects us to the greater body of Christ in prayer because our relationship to the Father is not just individual but collective.
- Jesus teaches in Matthew 6 about a hidden, unseen prayer life, but there is also encouragement to pray together (Matthew 18:19-20), something we often see the early church doing (Acts 1:13-14, Acts 16:25).
In Heaven
- God is outside of time and space, separate from our current situation.
- It's easy to get caught up in the cares and concerns of our daily lives, forgetting the majesty of our God in heaven.
- Do you reduce God to your level or shrink him to your current perspective when you pray?
- Isaiah 6:1, "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple."
- King Uzziah ruled for 52 years, leading Israel in prosperity, but when Uzziah died, Isaiah saw the Lord.
- Uzziah was only a human king, but God is our true King, our heavenly ruler clothed with majesty and glory.
- We can elevate so many other things in our lives, banking our success on a relationship, a promotion, a bank account.
- Who sits on the throne of your life? Who do you look to and trust?
- Psalm 115:3-7, "But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; eyes they have, but they do not see; they have ears, but they do not hear;
noses they have, but they do not smell; they have hands, but they do not handle; feet they have, but they do not walk; nor do they mutter through their throat." - Our all powerful God speaks, sees, hears, hands that heal and strengthen. Our idols cannot compare.
- When we pray, we can trust God's guidance, strength, leading and provision.
- As we pray, our prayers shift to be in alignment with the will of heaven.
- What is the will of our Father in heaven? For you to experience freedom in every area of your life, for you to grow in relationship with him, for all to be saved.
- We represent heaven to earth as ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Hallowed Be
- The word "hallowed" in Greek is "hagiastheto," which means to make holy, consecrate, sanctify or set apart.
- Remembering God's holiness leads us to humility, a recognition of our own sin in light of his righteousness.
- Isaiah 6:5, “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”
- In God's presence, Isaiah is immediately aware of his sin and unclean lips, responding with repentance.
- Isaiah, already in relationship with God, is being called to a deeper level of consecration.
- Repentance is not a one-time event at salvation, but an acknowledgement that there are blind spots and areas of growth that, if unaddressed, will hinder the full development of our relationship with God.
- As we pray, the Holy Spirit will reveal blind spots to us so that we can be transformed into God's image (2 Corinthians 3:18).
- In Exodus 3:4-5, God meets Moses in the burning bush, telling him to take his sandals off because Moses is standing on holy ground.
- Why did the Lord ask Moses to remove his shoes? Your shoes carry the remnants of where you once walked in the past.
- There are things we need to leave behind as we step into God's holy presence.
- Shoes are also protection, and without them, we are more sensitive to where we stand, more in tune with God's holiness and where he wants to take us.
- Lastly, removing shoes is a sign of respect or surrender.
- Growing in prayer is growing in surrender, removing the barriers that hinder so that we can step into greater sensitivity to his holy presence.
Your Name
- There is no name like the name of God.
- In his conversation with Moses in Exodus 3, God introduces himself as, "I am who I am."
- God is sovereign, powerful over all, self-sustaining.
- Malachi 1:11, "From the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations."
- Proverbs 18:10, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe."
- When we exalt the name of the Lord, we are strengthened because we are reminded of his character, faithfulness and goodness.
- God's name is his character and we can trust who he is.
- Names of God:
- El Roi – the God Who Sees Me (Genesis 16:13)
- El Shaddai – Lord God Almighty (Genesis 17:1)
- Jehovah Jireh – the Lord Who Provides (Genesis 22:14)
- Jehovah Rapha – the Lord Who Heals You (Exodus 15:26)
- Jehovah Raah – the Lord Is My Shepherd (Psalm 23:1)
- Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)
- Emmanuel – God With Us (Matt 1:23)
- Lamb of God (John 1:29)
- Deliverer (Romans 11:26)
- Redeemer (Galatians 3:13)
- Author and Perfecter of Our Faith (Hebrews 12:2)
- King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelations 19:16)
- We often treat the phrase, "In Jesus Name," like a slogan but Jesus' name has power over every other name, every sickness, every anxiety, over all.
Dinner Party Questions
- Do you reduce God to your level or shrink him to your current perspective when you pray? How does remembering that God is in heaven affect your faith?
- God told Moses to remove his shoes before stepping onto holy ground. What shoes are you wearing? What is God calling you to remove as you step into his holy presence?
- This week, we encourage you to pray God's names and remind yourself of his character. How does praying this way strengthen you?
BK Dinner Party Questions
- How does knowing the power of Jesus name inform how you pray? Do you experience the reality of knowing a God who is able and willing to work on your behalf?
- We pray to a God who understands us. How does it comfort your heart knowing that Jesus is not unfamiliar with what you’re going through?
- Do you treat prayer casually? How can you value the sacrifice Jesus made to bring us into God's presence?
