Understanding the Lord's Prayer Part 1

[saint701]

Hello Christianity Oasis!

Happy Memorial Day! Let us remember the greatest hero of all, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.




I was at church yesterday morning. It was a charismatic service with high octane praises that lifted up the hands of those with love and adoration for our Lord. But, for some reason, after we sang praises to the most high, I was somewhat stunned that we were asked to recite the Lord's Prayer. Why you ask? The reason is that we recited it without understanding. The minister did not interpret it for us by adding each part's meaning. After all, its fulfillment has already come in the lives of those filled with the Holy Spirit. Please allow me to explain what I mean.

Matt.6

...........................................[9] Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
[10] Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
[11] Give us this day our daily bread.
[12] And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
[13] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

First of all, what does "Hallowed by thy name" really ask of us? Is it asking us just to keep our Father's name sacred and holy within our hearts? Or is it asking more? I say that it is asking more of us because the law that governs our daily living asks more of us. Consider the following scriptures.

Matt.22
1.[37] Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
1.[38] This is the first and great commandment.
2.[39] And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mark.12
1.[30] And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
2.[31] And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Luke.10
1.[27] And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

Therefore, when we say, "Hallowed be thy name," not only must we consider His name sacred and holy, but understand that as we do we must love Him with all that makes us alive in Him, bringing the fullness of our will into all that He has made us into play when we think of His name.....Hallowed be thy name my Dad, keeping your name sacred and holy in my heart, loving you with all of my heart, mind, soul, and strength.

Heavenly Father, I praise and worship your Holy and Sacred name this day! I love and adore you so much! Oh how I love you Father. Glory to you Dad in the highest forever and ever!

The problem with some of us not being able to find such passion for our Heavenly Dad in our heart of hearts is that we have a stoney heart. How can we know if we have a stoney heart or not? A stoney heart has no feeling in it. We can't feel or give love out of it with passion. The main reasons for this is that we have been raised in a stoic enviorment where emotion is frowned upon, or our heart has been trampled on in the past when we were capable of opening our heart up to love. We have either forgotten that a soft heart is available to us as part of our New Covenant rights, or failed to understand they that make their heart hard and cold cannot love as God has commanded us, or that those that harden their heart with malice often are in great danger of losing out altogether.

Here is God's promise to us that He will fullfill in us if we greatly desire Him to and ask Him to give us a new spirit and place His Spirit within us, removing the hardness of our heart, and replacing it with a softened one that is soft like the flesh of our heart. Pray that the promises given in the following verses be fullfilled in your life. After all, when the Spirit of God is within us to will and do for His good pleasure makes it much easier being a Christian. We no longer must spend our energy doing what is impossible for us to do, which is to imitate Christ through the working of our own will. We must grow to where our Christian life is no longer we that live, but Christ that lives within us.

Ezk.36

[26] A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
[27] And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

Blessings!

Love,In Christ Jesus, saint.

[ServeGod]

Amen.

[Debbie]

Thank you saint. I definitely recognize for God's touch upon my "stony" heart, and pray that someday, even soon, I will be able to feel and to love. God bless.

[Karon]

Dear Debbie
I understand what you are saying. God has began to soften my heart and I pray he will heal you heart to and allow you to feel again and love .

[saint701]

Thank you Karon, Debbie, and Servegod for your comments. Karon, I'm praying that the Lord will complete the good work He has begun in you, for He is faithful that promised He would perform it to the end. Debbie, I sense your heart is deeply yearning for the Lord to fill you with His love. You wouldn't have that yearning if the Lord by His Spirit of grace hadn't placed it in you. Remember, it is our Lord that has promised to soften your heart. In fact the entire work of our salvation is His work. Our part is to offer ourselves by our own will into His hands for His will and purpose. His will and purpose if for us to love as He loves, but that is His work and comes to us as we humble ourselves before Him in prayer.

The prayer doesn't have to be a long agonizing session each day, just a gentle loving request such as. "Please, Father, soften my heart this day through the Spirit of grace that you have given me. I love you Dad. Please love me this day as you loved my Lord Jesus. I love you so very, very much Father. Please touch my heart this day with your love so that I might walk in your love and be soft and tender hearted, meek, and with a quiet spirit....

1Pet.3
1.[4] But let it be the hidden one of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

If you desire a softened heart, set your heart on loving our Heavenly Dad. God is love remember. If you can make yourself to fall in love with the Father, He will happily, and with great joy and love for you, soften your heart, make you soft and tenderhearted toward others.

Love, in Christ Jesus, saint.