Today And Every Day Part 2
{GUEST POST} by Nate Whitelock
Today (Part 2)
I don’t always know what to say, either. Life… Crushes. It tears. It breaks. Our hearts, our emotions, our homes, our budgets. We know we should pray. I know I should pray. But I don’t always know what to say. So, I talk. Sometimes I ask. Sometimes I beg. Sometimes I dare, I barter, I bargain…. And I shouldn’t. I get frustrated when God says “no.” Why is that, do you think? Why does he say no? Maybe? Wait?
I’ve never liked formula prayers. I treasure knowing that I have a God that craves my interaction with him. He desires a relationship with us. And in turn, we respond with a desperate love for him. It’s strange then, that we struggle to understand the real relationship as it stands. He is our father. We are his children. He loves us beyond measure, and we love him back. He leads us, teaches us, trains us, helps us make the right choices, and when we sync ourselves to his will, things tend to go pretty well for us. We might not see it from where we are in that moment, but we know that it’s true. We have his promise that when we approach him and ask him for something, he, like the perfect father that he is, gives us good things. (Matthew 7:9-11). One of the things, one of the many things, that he taught us to do, is how to pray.
How to Pray
No. I don’t mean that we should read a prayer off a page, say amen, and hope for the best. I mean that he left us a marker. A set of instructions. Jesus Christ, the son of God the father, told us how to approach HIS father’s throne, and he promised us what would happen when we do. That in itself is a mouthful. Unfortunately, these days we seem to be almost scared of anything that looks traditional, anything that seems to look “religious” that we border on rebellion. I’ve done it myself. I’ve been in churches where the Lord’s Prayer was recited, and I’ve either recited the words without a second thought, or just sat there, waiting for it to be over… I missed the point. Jesus said “when you pray, pray like this:”
I challenge you today, have you really ruminated over the words he spoke? What they mean? What they could mean for you?
Our father who art in heaven:
Your own, personal, abba daddy God, that loves you, and wants nothing but the best for you. Your prayer starts with acknowledging him, who he is and his place in your life.
Hallowed be thy name:
After you acknowledge who he is, you worship him. You praise him. You are kneeling in the presence of your God. Your words, the attitude of your heart, your life and breath, right here in this moment… Imagine that you could reach out and touch him… Because he is that close to you. He is consecrated. Sacred. Adored.
Thy kingdom come:
You are stating how much you long to be in his presence forever. That you want nothing more than to watch as he reigns over eternity.
Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.
This is the big stuff. This… This is the life stuff, the stuff that we can’t find the words to say. It is easy to toss out a cliche like “live and let God.” It’s something else to be on our knees and telling him to do his will. We hate letting go. We don’t even know how most of the time. We pray “God, help me get this job!” “God, heal me!” “God, deliver my friend from alcohol!” “God, guide my kids so they don’t make mistakes!”…. Who do we think we are?! Not one of those things are bad things to hope for, nothing there is unscriptural… Until you realize that you are making the decisions… And telling God how to fix the problems in your life, and the lives of the people you are praying for. Step off. Step off the throne, step out from under the light. It doesn’t belong to you. Every time I try to find the words to pray about something hard in my life… I find myself being pretty specific about what my father ought to do about it. I need to realize that heaven is pretty well managed. Things run pretty well up there. All I can really ask, is that the one responsible for that excellent management… Takes care of my issues too.
Give us this day our daily bread:
These are the things we need. Interestingly, he didn’t say to ask for tomorrow’s bread. He didn’t say we should secure our wealth. He in fact, told us in another passage, to let tomorrow worry about itself. It is perfectly okay to ask God to provide for you. It’s encouraged even. And when you do, abba daddy isn’t going to give you a rock instead of bread, or a snake instead of fish…. He loves you and WILL give you everything you NEED. But know that it will be, as with everything else, inside HIS definition of “need,” not yours!
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors:
Ask him for mercy. Know that you fall short, that you mess up just as often as everyone else around you. You aren’t perfect, you need salvation, and you need forgiven. You also need to be merciful to others when they fall short and it impacts you. Just as you aren’t perfect, neither are they. Nobody has everything right. And if the person that failed you, the person that wronged you, the person that owes you, doesn’t even know Christ, you can’t possibly expect them to even know that what they did was wrong. Here, you acknowledge your failings, ask for forgiveness, and ask for the strength to forgive others.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
Protection. We are called, instructed, challenged. To live IN this world, but not conform to it. That is a tough calling. It’s hard to go to work with people that cuss like sailors, and set a higher standard. It’s even harder to let them see you living your faith. Guys, here, you may be literally praying that no girls in short skirts walk by today. Girls, you might be praying that you don’t find yourself alone with your boyfriend. Maybe you need the strength to say no to hitting the bar after work. To keep your temper in check. To avoid gossiping after church… or during! You are trusting God and asking him to help to keep you right. Keep you pure, and deliver you when a situation presents itself.
For thine is the kingdom:
Everything is yours. Heaven and earth, all that is between. This heart is yours, build your kingdom here.
The power:
You have the power to do this. You reign. I have placed my faith in you.
And the glory, forever:
May everything on my heart bring glory to you. May people see my life, the impact I have on others, and glorify your name because of it. In all of this, I want only to see you glorified. It is never about me, God, it is about you, and it is always about you.
Amen:
The word means “so be it.” The Hebrew roots emphasize “certainly” and “truly.” The bottom line: there is a finality, a taking your hands off the wheel, relinquishing control; a handing it all over to hands more capable than yours, getting up off your knees, and walking on in submission, knowing, having faith, that the matter is settled. It doesn’t need to be discussed, burdened, agonized over, anymore. When you say amen you are announcing that it is no longer your problem. You are telling The Lord that you have faith in his action over the desires of your heart, and that you are okay with aligning yourself to his solution. When you say amen to this prayer, you are sealing the matters on your heart. Even the ones you didn’t have words for.
Not Knowing What to Say
So you see, I don’t always know what to say… But maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe in those moments, it’s alright to catch a little bit of direction, and pray “this way.” For me, my prayer life can suffer for a lot of reasons. There are a lot of excuses, and they’re all weak. Most of them involve my schedule. This prayer popped out at me a couple weeks ago and I felt ashamed of myself for “not having the time” to still my heart for long enough to pray these simple yet profound words. The words themselves aren’t magical. If you don’t mean what you pray, all you did was waste a few seconds. But if you mean them… Can you imagine the breakthroughs in your life, and the lives of those you pray over?
Today may you find beauty in simplicity. May you have the courage to pray “this way” over the obstacles you encounter. May you worship fervently and trust completely. May you forgive easily, approach boldly. May you never find yourself in temptation. Most importantly, when you say amen, may you have the will to let it be your last word. Be strong, be courageous, be blessed!
(Coming soon, Part 3)
**Nate is a singer, songwriter, and worship leader. He is a husband and a father of 2 girls. He and his wife work out of their home doing contracting and crafts. Find him here .
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