… a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.
Summary: Writing a blog about anything in the Bible is really a matter of listening to God as he points to treasures in his Word.
My wife reads this blog everyday, but we don’t always talk about it. One day a few weeks ago, I asked her what she thought of the posts on the Lord’s Prayer. Her answer was humbling! She said, “I can’t believe how you keep finding things to write about in that prayer!”
In truth, I can’t take credit for all the things I found to write. I hesitate to say that the Lord has been pointing all these things out to me because I don’t want to claim any special access to Jesus. I don’t have access that is any different than what everyone else has. However, I happen to believe that Jesus is waiting to talk with all of us and show us his treasures (Matthew 13:52) if only we are willing to listen. It has taken me a long time, but I am learning to listen, and I am constantly amazed at what our Lord has in store for me.
I have been astounded at what I have discovered in this simple little prayer. Before I started this study, it had always been a prayer I was “supposed” to pray. Now it is the prayer I want to pray! It contains everything! I feel like the entire Sermon on the Mount is contained in this prayer, along with the rest of the Bible. I know for many people, God’s Word seems inconsistent. I feel sorry for them! They are missing the point of the Bible. Standing in the middle of a forest, the trees seem daunting and confusing. Looking down at the forest from the mountaintop, we see the whole lay of the land, and everything makes sense.
Striving to see things from God’s perspective is striving for that “mountaintop experience” we all hunger for. All we have to do is follow the Great Commandments (Matthew 22:37-40), put God first, and then everything will begin to make sense.
In the same way, when we submit to our Lord’s instruction to “go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen” (Matthew 6:6), we open the door to allowing the Lord to show us his treasures.
My prayer for you is that you take what we have learned here together and put it into practice. Say the prayer in your own words, expanding on each thought as the Spirit leads. As you walk through the prayer in the Lord’s presence, listen for new insights that he has waiting for you. Read God’s Word every day and keep your eyes open for connections to the Lord’s Prayer.
“The Lord bless you
and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-16)
Application: Spend time with the Lord and the prayer he taught us every day.
Food for Thought: How does the Lord speak to you?
He can speak any way He wants – through the “still small voice of the Holy Spirit” as we pray or He prompts us, through other believers, etc., but the primary way He speaks to me (and I believe to us) is His word. It is His word! It is His word – a letter written to us. He is literally speaking! 2 Timothy 3: 16 – 17.
As you have done your excellent devotions on this blog, your starting point is always His revealed word. And that is wise my friend.
Thank you, brother!
Your comment that God can speak “any way He wants” reminds me of several passages. One is from Job where Elihu speaks to Job:
“For God does speak—now one way, now another—
though no one perceives it.
In a dream, in a vision of the night,
when deep sleep falls on people
as they slumber in their beds,
he may speak in their ears
and terrify them with warnings,
to turn them from wrongdoing
and keep them from pride,
Job 33: 14-17
And then there is Peter’s speech given on the day of Pentecost:
“‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.”
Acts 2: 17-18
Totally agree Rich!
01-28-2023, How does the Lord speak to you?
Anyway He chooses. There are no limitations to the power of God, no limitations to how He choses to speak to His people. However He will be speaking to our spirits which we must teach to listen. Our ability to accurately hear our Lord depends upon our ability to live in our spirits rather than our flesh.
John 16:13-15, But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
There used to be a Trapist Monastery West of Portland where a christian brother and I would on occasion go for a weekend. All the monks had taken a vow of silence so they could devote all their being to listening, fully experiencing their relationship with our Father God. Each year one monk would be selected to serve visitors. He would greet us, show us our quarters, serve us, prepare our meals, spend time talking with us if we desired, and we were welcome to stay as long as we desired. I don’t remember how many undisturbed, wooded acres of land they owned, but it was all open to us to walk and experience time with the Lord as we desired. Jim and I would go our own ways with our bibles, meet for meals and evening discussions, to bed early and up early the following morning so we could get out into, and experience the undisturbed presence of God again.
At some point during our return, the distracting influence of this world, buildings, business signs, noise all began to combine and the physical began to clash with the spiritual. For the first time I was able to see the value of living our lives separate from this world. Christ does not call us to become monks, but He does call us to live our lives in this world but not part of it, John 17:15-21.
Ron,
What an interesting illustration! The more I know about our Father the more I understand why we are not taken out of this world. We walk among the dark ‘distracting influence of this world’ and shine God’s Light. The closer our walk with our Lord, the more Light we are able to bring to this world. It is a wonderful experience!
YES! We are truly Blessed to be allowed to serve our Father!
Blessings,
Ron