40 DAYS OF PRAYER: DAY 14
Gods Sovereignty
As we continue in our study on patterns of prayer look at the end of verse 9.
Matthew 6:9 “ Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
What does it mean to be Holy? The word Holy is the description given to God who is exalted, worthy of devotion, and is perfect in goodness and righteousness.
Psalm 99:9 Exalt the Lord our God And worship at His holy hill, For holy is the Lord our God.
To “Hallow” is to make Holy or to set apart, it means that the very name of God is a sacred name. Do we really understand the power of prayer? Or the attitude that we should enter into prayer with? A sense of awe, reverence, worship and thanksgiving. Not flippant or passive aggressive. As I pray I thank God for what He has done, but I have learned to simply thank Him for who He is. He is great and worthy, regardless of my circumstances, He is worthy of praise, honor and Glory at ALL times. I asked a friend who was struggling with His life and where He thought he should be. I asked him, is God still God if you get ALL of your hearts desires? He answered YES! Then I asked, Is God still God if you don’t get any of your hearts desire.... he said, “don’t ask me that”!
That same question came back to bite me as Pam laid in ICU fighting for her life. Is God still God if she is healed and walks out of the hospital? Absolutely, Yes !!! Is God still God if she dies tonight in ICU? Insert quiet pause and reflection here...Absolutley, YES. God is God! So as we pray understanding that He is Holy no matter what is happening will bring us into the proper mind and heart set. Everything belongs to God, we are thankful for the gifts, talents, treasure or possessions, jobs and even our kids or grandkids. But it all belongs to God. Hold on to all of those things loosely.
Exodus 20:7
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
Psalm 24:1
The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it.
1 Corinthians 10:31
Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Can we have the same mindset the Jewish people did? They had so much respect for the name of God, they wouldn’t write it or even speak it. They wanted to do everything they could to keep the name of God Holy. Set apart. The power of Gods name, is representative of His character, His plans and His will. When ever I hear someone use the name of God or Jesus as a part of their cursing tirade, it turns my stomach. But the reality is that it starts in the heart, the attitude of the heart towards God is just as sinful as what they spew out of their mouths. If a follower of Christ is indifferent or lacks respect for Gods name, it is sin.
Revelation 3:15-16
‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.
I never want to be in that position, the word spit is actually translated “vomit” meaning you will be spewed out of His mouth with force. Jesus always encouraged His followers to honor God with their speech and to honor the name of God. He is indeed holy and worthy of ALL praise and glory. If you want to show the depth of your faith and reverence for God, let it be seen by your actions and words.
1 Peter 1:16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
Interesting thought... we are to be Holy... set apart from this world as we follow Jesus with eyes fixed heavenward. This is the attitude we should have as we begin our prayer. Know and understand who it is that you are addressing.
Prayed for you all this morning!
Much love and blessings,
Pastor Scott
*** Rose Publishing has a great pamphlet on the Lord’s Prayer. This is where I am taking the format for our study from. It would be a great resource to add to your personal study material.