In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus taught the disciples how to pray. Let's take a look at a few aspects of it and reap some great encouragement. Keep in mind, that if anyone knew how to get a prayer through to God, it had to have been Jesus. Think for a little bit. Surely, the Precious Son of God should KNOW how to approach His Father and how to pray effectively.
In verse 9, the first thing He does is declare that God is His Father and begins praising His name. The devil would have us to believe that we are here all by ourselves; a little, defenseless sheep left to a world of ravenous wolves. Even in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus never prayed like a defenseless little sheep.
What He did pray is defined in verses 10 and 13. He spoke to His Father and said, Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven. And- For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever. Then He finished it by saying "Amen." Now, folks, that's not religious talk for "10-4, over and out." Amen is a Hebrew word dating back to the time of the Exodus and it means "so be it." It was used when a listener heard someone speak a vow and he wanted to agree with what that person said. Get ready to shout, now. What Jesus was saying to Father God was "Hey, I might be living down on this devil-infested earth, but You're still in control. Father God, I believe You are in control and not the devil. Blessed, Almighty God, I believe that You are going to bless me on this earth just as if You would if I was standing with You in Heaven."
Jesus was an expert in the Word of God and He knew that as a blood covenant believer, God was honor-bound to pour out Heavenly blessings according to Deuteronomy 28. It would do you good to read the first 14 verses of that chapter to see just a portion of what Jesus was Amen-ing. What was that, you just asked? Why not read all of the chapter? Silly, believer. The rest of the chapter is filled with curses against the people who would rather walk in sin. By the way, it's about twice as long as the first 14 verses. I'm not planning on walking in the curses. I'm concentrating and Amen-ing the blessings that God has already ordained for me to walk in. Jesus prayed in agreement with the Word of God and said "Amen. So be it, Almighty God. I believe that all of these blessings are coming to me, because You said so and I agree with YOU."
Look at verse 13- Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. You might be asking yourself, if Jesus is praying "lead us not into temptation," why did He have so much rough stuff happen to Him. And then again, am I being punished by God, or left out by God? Because, right now, as well as in the past, I have seen some awfully rough roads. Here's a point that I had missed for years. Jesus is not asking His Father to never have a temptation or a trial or to let Him live in a bed of roses. He Himself said in John 16:33-These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. Did you notice the almost contradiction? He said "I am going to tell you something to give you peace." Then He says, "In the world ye shall have tribulation." I knew it. I knew it was too good to be true, right? But He doesn't stop there. He tells us to be very happy--good cheer--because He has overcome the world. Now, back to Matt 6:13. Jesus' attitude in this verse is, "Father, I know that you are not leading me into a temptation just to throw me to the wolves. You a leading me into deliverance from all of the power of the devil."
Folks, even though, right now, you are going through hell on earth, it's not the end of the story. You have lived a good life, trusted God and you are still smack dab in the middle of the valley of the shadow of death. Remember the Lord's prayer. All of the kingdom power that God has He bestows on us. He is not leading us to destruction. Let Him finish what He has started. Grab His hand and praise Him that He is your Heavenly Father and let Him tug on your heart strings and lead you into deliverance. You might not be there right now. Just like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was hurting with fear until He prayed His flesh under control. Then, when He surrendered to His Father's will, He had the strength to go through the valley of the shadow of death because He feared no evil. Shout about this thought for a couple of days. The Heavenly Father was not leading Jesus to the cross. He was leading Jesus to the resurrection and the restoration of His presence in the lives of His people. The cross was only a 6 hour hitty-bump in the road. Now, tell the devil that what you are going through is only a little hitty-bump in the road and you've got enough Holy Ghost shocks to keep you on the road to God's blessings.
Enjoy Jesus and enjoy today.
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