The followers' prayer

by Richard Navarro

This prayer is a pattern, a model prayer, but it is a model for those who are Jesus' disciples--then and now. It is for those who confess Jesus as their Master. By praying it, we are acknowledging our position as His disciples, His followers. At the very heart of this model prayer is humble dependence. In our modern culture of self-reliance and independence, the Lord's Prayer is a disciple's declaration of dependence on God.

The prayer begins with the recognition of a relationship. We can call God our Heavenly Father. He is not a distant God. He is not unapproachable. Pagans do many things to reach up to God, but in Jesus Christ the Holy God reached down to humanity to bridge the separation caused by sin.

If we call ourselves Christians, we carry Jesus' name. Therefore, we must always do and say what will give Christ glory and honour. To hallow God's name is to have proper respect, honour and awe. It is to recognize the difference between our sinful selves and the Holy God.

A kingdom suggests a king. To pray "Your kingdom come" is to ask that God be the King on the throne of our hearts. We are asking for a kingdom in which we are subjects. That is not easy to do. Often we would rather exercise control over our lives, we'd rather be in the driver's seat. Recognizing a King other than ourselves, and asking Him to reign supreme in every facet of life, is what is conveyed in this prayer.

At the height of his career, Napoleon gave this cynical answer to someone who asked him if God was on the side of France: "God is on the side that has the heaviest artillery."

Then came the Battle of Waterloo, where Napoleon lost both the battle and his empire. Years later, chastened and humbled in exile on the island of St. Helena, Napoleon quoted these words: "Man proposes, God disposes."

This is the lesson with which history confronts us all. God is able to work His sovereign will in spite of us. When we pray "Your will be done", we say to God, "Have it Your way."

The petition for daily bread is an acknowledgement of God as the One who supplies everything we need. It speaks of our dependence on Him. When we pray this, we recognize that from His generous hand flow blessings for our physical and spiritual nourishment.

Compared with other religions of the world, only Christianity has a focus on forgiveness and a method to achieve it. On the cross at Calvary, Jesus Christ suffered and died for us sinners so that we might be forgiven. We are forgiven when we repent of our sinful ways. Let us not be so proud that we cannot admit our sinfulness.

God is a forgiving God, but in order to be forgiven, we must be forgiving. We need to make every effort to resolve conflicts quickly by talking to the ones who hurt us instead of talking about them. Someone said, "He who cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass."

Temptation can mean being enticed to do evil, or it can refer to a trial or test. Jesus Himself was tempted by the evil one--and yet was without sin (Hebrews 4:15).

Trials will come our way, just as they did for Job. He lost everything he had--possessions, servants, social standing and even his children. But he kept his faith and his integrity and continued to live for God's glory. After all of Job's trials, God blessed him with twice as much as he had had before. Ultimately, trials are for our own growth and for God's glory.

To pray this prayer is to recognize that on our own we are weak and need God as we face trials, temptations and the challenges of everyday living. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

This declaration is not included in the oldest and best manuscripts as part of the prayer. It was added later as a response to conclude the prayer when used in corporate worship. It is a fitting climax and an affirmation of the prayer's opening. It brings us back to the Source--God, our Father in heaven, who reigns as King of the universe and Whose power we can draw on for day-to-day living.

Richard Navarro is a member of North Langley Community Church in Langley, B.C.

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