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Hey All,

This week we will begin to look at the prayer Jesus taught the disciples to pray in Mat 6:9-13. Let’s read it! Let’s think about it! and then let’s discuss the following question before looking at the prayer in depth.

Is prayer a part of the 10 Commandments? If so which one?

I was in a meeting last week and some of the people there said that 7th and 8th grade for them was not a fun time and so recalling things taught in confirmation was sometimes hard. That time for me was fun but I still need to go back to the small Catechism from time to time to review the basics. That may be an item for later……stay tuned.  We may have some refresher topics. So did y’all figure it out????    Yes. It’s the Second Commandment:

You  shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.

What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we  may not curse, swear, lie, use witchcraft, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray praise, and give thanks.

I must confess this is the commandment I have struggled with the most over the years. It is clear what God is telling us not to do: curse, use God’s name disparagingly, or lie but let’s look at what it calls us to do.  God wants us to call upon his name for for good.  We should respect how we use God’s name, for he is Holy and our words should reflect the truth about someone or something. In Psalm 103:1  it says  “Bless the Lord O my soul, and all that is in me bless His Holy name.” In addition to praising the Lord, he wants us to call upon him in prayer, especially in the time of trouble. This is reflected in Psalm 50:15 where it says “Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will rescue you and you will glorify me.”

How does this relate to the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer?

Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Mat 6:9

Let’s dig a little deeper into what it means to pray to God.   “Hallowed (holy) be your name.”   Just as it said in the second commandment, by praying this prayer we are acknowledging God’s righteousness. Now God doesn’t need to hear that because he knows he is Holy. Recently PJ lead us in a review of Psalm 145: 1-21 where is says continually throughout this Psalm that the Lord is Great, and Highly to be praised. His greatness is unsearchable…….The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds. (I encourage you to read this Psalm, as it was meaningful to me) God wants us to acknowledge His majesty in prayer but this should also be reflected in our lives.

Peter tells us that we should act as free men and not use our freedom as a covering for evil but use it as a bond slave to God. (1 Peter 2:16) This is an interesting concept.  Back in those days a bond slave was a man that owed another money and he would work as a slave for the master for a number of years until his debt was paid. Peter and Paul both made this reference numerous times in the books that they wrote. They said they were “bond slaves to Christ” meaning they felt they owed their lives to God for the debt that Christ paid on the cross for our sins. As such they routinely glorified and praised God in their lives. John says it a little differently in that if we know God is righteousness then everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him (1 John 2:29). This means that our actions should follow our words in glorifying God’s Holy name.

So to Wrap it up…..

1. When we pray to God are we lifting up His Holy name in praise and acknowledging His son’s sacrifice on the cross so that we might be able to be in conversation with God today?
2. Are our actions supporting the words that we speak to others and to God in our daily lives?
3. Said differently, are we living a life worth imitating for the glory of God and His kingdom?

For many years I lived a compartmental life. My language at work did not reflect my beliefs on Sunday until one day God put me face to face in worship with someone from work. I was humbled and convicted to change my language. I am much better today and recognize when my language is drifting then I am drifting.  I recently had a relapse at work but God who is so faithful placed James 1:19 on my heart that night and I have been focused on it ever since. Will I ever be perfect? No! but I wake up every morning with a renewed conviction to be the man God is calling me to be. I pray each of you will listen to that prompting in your life and respond to His call.