Chapter 15 - The Hiddenness of Prayer
Bonhoeffer- 'True prayer does not depend either on the individual or the whole body of the faithful, but solely upon the knowledge that our heavenly Father knows our needs. That makes God the sole object of our prayers, and frees us from a false confidence in our own prayerful efforts.'
Mat 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Mat 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Mat 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
Mat 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Mat 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Mat 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
Mat 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Bonhoeffer- '"Our Father which art in heaven," The disciples call upon the heavenly Father as a corporate body, they call upon a Father who already knows his children's needs. The call of Jesus binds them into a brotherhood. In Jesus they have apprehended the loving-kindness of the Father. In the name of the Son of God they are privileged to call God Father. They are on earth, and their Father is in heaven. He looks down on them from above, and they lift up their eyes to him.
"Hallowed be thy name" God's name of Father, as it has been revealed to the disciples in Jesus Christ, shall be kept holy among them. In this name the whole content of the gospel is embraced."
"Thy kingdom come," In Jesus Christ his followers have witnessed the kingdom of God breaking in on earth. They have seen Satan crushed and the powers of the world, sin and death broken.
"Thy will be done, as in heaven so on earth," In fellowship with Jesus his followers have surrendered their own wills completely to God's, and so they pray that God's will may be done throughout the world. No creature on earth shall defy him. But the evil will is still alive even in the followers of Christ, it still seeks to cut them off from fellowship with him; and that is why they must also pray that the will of God may prevail more and more in their hearts every day and break down all defiance. In the end the whole world must bow before that will, worshipping and giving thanks in joy and tribulation. Heaven and earth shall be subject to God.'
'God's name, God's kingdom, God's will must be the primary object of Christian prayer. Of course it is not as if God needed our prayers, but they are the means by which the disciples become partakers in the heavenly treasure for which they pray. Furthermore, God uses their prayers to hasten the coming of the End.'
My thoughts--
'Hallowed by thy name'- Do you remember this…
Exo_20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
We live in a world where the name of GOD is anything but holy to so many. It rolls of the tongues of so many with flippantly disregard. They think absolutely NOTHING about using His Holy name in vain. And that's not just in using it in cursing, but using it at any time without the reverence it is due.
Holy is God's name.
The very name of God upon our lips is something so amazing we can't truly comprehend it. Satan has done his work well and has made the name of God our Heavenly Father to mean nothing special at all, and if it's a little special that's it, but to give it the incredible respect and awe it deserves is something that has been laid aside in the dust. We've let slide the name of God so we can be more FRIEND than son or daughter. Isn't it the same with our children today? Where is the respect for the parents? It's mostly disappeared. I'm not going to say totally, but mostly. We think very little of treating our parents with blatant disregard. Their words don't hold the importance they should. The RESPECT due to them isn't there, it just isn't. We'd rather get to a place where we are friends with our parents and as friends we lose a lot of that parental respect and in its place is this strange relationship where we can degrade our parents in many, many ways. We call them harmless, but they aren't. Just as the name of God is so lightly regarded, having lost the power, the respect for so many.
Our Savior prayed- HALLOWED BE THY NAME.
The commandment was given- THOU SHALT NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD THY GOD IN VAIN
Do we truly keep this commandment? Do we? We need to think about this seriously because God will NOT hold him guiltless that takes His name in vain.
*******
'Thy will be done.' Our Holy Heavenly Father's will must be done. NOT OUR WILL! Not in anything at all should OUR will be done, Only God's will!
Our wills are evil and Satan will tell us over and over that our will is best because we only want what's best, right? Our will, is it in harmony with God's? We are so incredibly far from being obedient children unto God that we have to know deep down, if no where else, that our will no matter how seemingly wonderful to us, isn't best. If we aren't submissive to God's will, if we insist on our own wills being done, we have no hope. We might THINK we only want what is best for ourselves, but the truth is, we have this evil ego that rises up. Moses fought with his ego, so many, in fact all but our SAVIOR had issues with their egos, and they fell often when they followed their own wills. David, Solomon, Abraham…. To name a few of God's chosen. They remained God's chosen because by God's grace they were able to recognize where they'd gone astray, where they'd allowed their own wills to take over, and they REPENTED, they sought FORGIVENESS for their backsliding, the once again sought God's will for their lives, not their own.
If these chosen men of God fought with their wills against God's, we know that we will face this as well and we MUST pray daily- GOD'S WILL BE DONE, THY WILL BE DONE!
*******
Bonhoeffer- 'God's name, God's kingdom, God's will must be the primary object of Christian prayer. Of course it is not as if God needed our prayers, but they are the means by which the disciples become partakers in the heavenly treasure for which they pray. Furthermore, God uses their prayers to hasten the coming of the End.'
They are the means by which the disciples become PARTAKERS IN THE HEAVENLY TREASURE.
Remember this--
Mat 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Mat 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Prayer truly IS us being PARTAKERS in the heavenly treasure.
Where is our heart- with our treasure. Where is our treasure- in heaven. Where are our prayers directed- to our FATHER who is in HEAVEN.
Heavenly treasure- prayer.
All by the GRACE of our LORD and SAVIOR may we truly pray unto the HOLY FATHER, our HEAVENLY FATHER, and may HIS WILL IN ALL THINGS BE DONE!
Help us LORD, save us from ourselves and the evil we are prone to!
KEEP us from evil!
Keep us safe in YOU!
Bonhoeffer- 'True prayer does not depend either on the individual or the whole body of the faithful, but solely upon the knowledge that our heavenly Father knows our needs. That makes God the sole object of our prayers, and frees us from a false confidence in our own prayerful efforts.'
Mat 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Mat 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Mat 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
Mat 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Mat 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Mat 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
Mat 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Bonhoeffer- '"Our Father which art in heaven," The disciples call upon the heavenly Father as a corporate body, they call upon a Father who already knows his children's needs. The call of Jesus binds them into a brotherhood. In Jesus they have apprehended the loving-kindness of the Father. In the name of the Son of God they are privileged to call God Father. They are on earth, and their Father is in heaven. He looks down on them from above, and they lift up their eyes to him.
"Hallowed be thy name" God's name of Father, as it has been revealed to the disciples in Jesus Christ, shall be kept holy among them. In this name the whole content of the gospel is embraced."
"Thy kingdom come," In Jesus Christ his followers have witnessed the kingdom of God breaking in on earth. They have seen Satan crushed and the powers of the world, sin and death broken.
"Thy will be done, as in heaven so on earth," In fellowship with Jesus his followers have surrendered their own wills completely to God's, and so they pray that God's will may be done throughout the world. No creature on earth shall defy him. But the evil will is still alive even in the followers of Christ, it still seeks to cut them off from fellowship with him; and that is why they must also pray that the will of God may prevail more and more in their hearts every day and break down all defiance. In the end the whole world must bow before that will, worshipping and giving thanks in joy and tribulation. Heaven and earth shall be subject to God.'
'God's name, God's kingdom, God's will must be the primary object of Christian prayer. Of course it is not as if God needed our prayers, but they are the means by which the disciples become partakers in the heavenly treasure for which they pray. Furthermore, God uses their prayers to hasten the coming of the End.'
My thoughts--
'Hallowed by thy name'- Do you remember this…
Exo_20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
We live in a world where the name of GOD is anything but holy to so many. It rolls of the tongues of so many with flippantly disregard. They think absolutely NOTHING about using His Holy name in vain. And that's not just in using it in cursing, but using it at any time without the reverence it is due.
Holy is God's name.
The very name of God upon our lips is something so amazing we can't truly comprehend it. Satan has done his work well and has made the name of God our Heavenly Father to mean nothing special at all, and if it's a little special that's it, but to give it the incredible respect and awe it deserves is something that has been laid aside in the dust. We've let slide the name of God so we can be more FRIEND than son or daughter. Isn't it the same with our children today? Where is the respect for the parents? It's mostly disappeared. I'm not going to say totally, but mostly. We think very little of treating our parents with blatant disregard. Their words don't hold the importance they should. The RESPECT due to them isn't there, it just isn't. We'd rather get to a place where we are friends with our parents and as friends we lose a lot of that parental respect and in its place is this strange relationship where we can degrade our parents in many, many ways. We call them harmless, but they aren't. Just as the name of God is so lightly regarded, having lost the power, the respect for so many.
Our Savior prayed- HALLOWED BE THY NAME.
The commandment was given- THOU SHALT NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD THY GOD IN VAIN
Do we truly keep this commandment? Do we? We need to think about this seriously because God will NOT hold him guiltless that takes His name in vain.
*******
'Thy will be done.' Our Holy Heavenly Father's will must be done. NOT OUR WILL! Not in anything at all should OUR will be done, Only God's will!
Our wills are evil and Satan will tell us over and over that our will is best because we only want what's best, right? Our will, is it in harmony with God's? We are so incredibly far from being obedient children unto God that we have to know deep down, if no where else, that our will no matter how seemingly wonderful to us, isn't best. If we aren't submissive to God's will, if we insist on our own wills being done, we have no hope. We might THINK we only want what is best for ourselves, but the truth is, we have this evil ego that rises up. Moses fought with his ego, so many, in fact all but our SAVIOR had issues with their egos, and they fell often when they followed their own wills. David, Solomon, Abraham…. To name a few of God's chosen. They remained God's chosen because by God's grace they were able to recognize where they'd gone astray, where they'd allowed their own wills to take over, and they REPENTED, they sought FORGIVENESS for their backsliding, the once again sought God's will for their lives, not their own.
If these chosen men of God fought with their wills against God's, we know that we will face this as well and we MUST pray daily- GOD'S WILL BE DONE, THY WILL BE DONE!
*******
Bonhoeffer- 'God's name, God's kingdom, God's will must be the primary object of Christian prayer. Of course it is not as if God needed our prayers, but they are the means by which the disciples become partakers in the heavenly treasure for which they pray. Furthermore, God uses their prayers to hasten the coming of the End.'
They are the means by which the disciples become PARTAKERS IN THE HEAVENLY TREASURE.
Remember this--
Mat 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Mat 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Prayer truly IS us being PARTAKERS in the heavenly treasure.
Where is our heart- with our treasure. Where is our treasure- in heaven. Where are our prayers directed- to our FATHER who is in HEAVEN.
Heavenly treasure- prayer.
All by the GRACE of our LORD and SAVIOR may we truly pray unto the HOLY FATHER, our HEAVENLY FATHER, and may HIS WILL IN ALL THINGS BE DONE!
Help us LORD, save us from ourselves and the evil we are prone to!
KEEP us from evil!
Keep us safe in YOU!
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