Father What s Up? By Nathan Callis I was always raised in a Christian home, saying the normal prayer Bless this food to our bodies. God please give me this or that, help me in this or that. I am sure you have a similar experience. I remember that meal after meal I would say the exact same prayer. Which is not a bad thing but after time it became the chore that must be done in order to eat. Something I had to say to God or my food might be poisoned and dangerous to eat. When I look back some of the prayers that took place in my family were actually kind of comical. My aunt would always pray, while preparing herself to eat an Oreo or some other kind of treat, God, I pray you would bless this cupcake and allow all the fat to just pass through my body. I am being serious. That was actually prayed. Maybe God did it, but I think it is doubtful. All this to say --- it s not usually what we pray but the attitude in which we pray. Really taking a small portion of our lives to intentionally talk with our Father. As we begin a new year I want our prayer lives to take a shift. From praying because we have a need to praying because we need it. For some of us, we find it difficult to pray. Either because we feel we don't have time or because we just don't know how to pray. So, I want to ease your mind a little. Prayer is simple. If we take time to think about it, prayer is simply talking to our heavenly father. Not just a time to ask for requests, but a time to chat. God loves it when you take the time to say What s Up? He just wants to spend time with you. This journal has been designed to help slow down our normal busy-ness and focus on what we need most; an intimate and personal relationship with our heavenly Father. For those of us who have a difficult time understanding exactly how to pray, Jesus laid out a guideline on how to pray. In Matthew 6:9-13 Jesus gives us this guideline, This, then, is how you should pray. I want to point out, this is a guideline, not a prayer that must become repetitious in our lives and soon lose the fervor God wants. Through the next five weeks we are going to dissect this prayer and look at the importance of each and every part. I have selected five students who have written a short devotional to help guide you through The Lord s Prayer. Following the devotion are questions to help you reflect on what you have just read. I would like to personally encourage you to take the time to intentionally spend time with your Father and write down the things that He speaks into your life in this journal. After spending time in the devotional each day, remember to ask God one simple thing - What s Up? Write down what He says!!
Fasting Distractions We are a society addicted to distraction. You see it everywhere you go, that is if you re not too distracted to notice. We have an incessant need to have frenetic activity going all the time. Distracted by television, busyness, long to-do lists, Pinterest, Facebook, texting, tweeting, gaming, news factoids. In any public place as you peruse the crowd, most every person is lost in some cell phone cyber world few doing anything of significance, most just distracted. When we do find a few moments to ourselves, instead of choosing quietness, peace, composure, restoring something of the soul, we choose distraction. Why? We re addicted. The problem with distraction addiction? It keeps us shallow. Never going deep within ourselves. Rarely going deep with God. What might happen if, over the next two weeks, we were to fast distractions? What might we discover of life, of God, of ourselves? What might we discover of other people who have been around us this whole time, we ve just been too distracted to even notice? What would fasting distractions mean for you? What would have to give up? What s the challenge in it? What would you have to embrace? What s the challenge there? Let s go for it! Let s not let distractions keep us from the secret place with our Abba, Daddy. You may way to add a more traditional fast to this as well --- fasting in some aspect of your eating habits. If the Holy Spirit leads you there, do it! But if the point of fasting is to give up our indulgences in order to pursue God, let s do it right. Let s fast that which competes with Him the most. Our endless distractions.
What you ll find in this journal The journal you hold in your hands is designed to take you on your own personal journey (a great play on words). It is divided into five sections representing each focus of the JESUS prayer. At the beginning of each section you ll find a devotional written by one of our very own youth. These are ones seasoned in that place of prayer. They go there often, finding God, His heart, His will. There are treasures awaiting you and me in what they ve written. After each devotional, there are several blank pages just for you. These are intended for you to record your own treasures. God is going to speak to you over the next few weeks encouragement to your heart, direction for your life, maybe growing you in various aspects of the JESUS prayers. His words will be your personal treasures, more valuable than gold, ones you ll want to hold onto. The quality of our journey will depend on the fervency of our pursuit. One of the greatest promises of God is this: When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I ll listen. When you come looking for me, you ll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I ll make sure you won t be disappointed. --- Jeremiah 29:12-14 The Message Let s pursue with all we are.
Matthew 6:9 Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. by Tyler Nelson Praying is one of the key foundations in our relationship with God, and it is important that we understand how to properly pray to the almighty God. We do this by studying how Jesus prayed in Matthew chapter 6 where Jesus teaches us how to pray. If you have ever attended a church service, prayer meeting, family dinner, or anything else where there is prayer pay close attention to the manner in which individuals address God. Invariably, the form of address will be something like this, "Our dear heavenly Father, "Father, "Father God," or some other form of reference to God as Father. What is the significance of this? It would seem that the instructions of our Lord in giving the model prayer, "The Lord's Prayer," is shown by our tendency to address God as Father. Since Jesus said, "When you pray, say, 'Our Father,'" that form of address has become the standard form of Christian prayer. Because this form of prayer is used so frequently, we often take for granted its astonishing significance. The German scholar Joachim Jeremias has argued that in almost every prayer that Jesus utters in the New Testament, He addresses God as Father. Jeremias notes that this represents a radical departure from Jewish custom and tradition. Though Jewish people were given a lengthy number of appropriate titles for God in personal prayer, significantly absent from the approved list was the title "Father." We do not have the natural right to call God "Father." That right is given to us only through God's gracious work of adoption. This is an extraordinary privilege, that those who are in Christ now have the right to address God in such a personal and intimate term as "Father." Therefore, we ought never to take for granted this unspeakable privilege bestowed upon us by God's grace. We see in the Lord's Prayer that Jesus instructs us that now when we pray, we are to refer to God as "Our Father." Again the amazing relationship is grounded in the unique ministry of Jesus by which, through adoption, He is our older brother and He gives to us those privileges that by nature belong only to Him.
Now, by adopting us, He says that we may regard God, not only as His Father, but as our Father. The opening address, "Our Father, who art in Heaven," is simply that, an address. From that address, Jesus instructs His disciples to offer certain petitions in prayer. The first of those petitions is that we pray that the name of God will be hallowed. This simply means to let His name be kept HOLY. When we fail to observe the third commandment, when we fail to honor God as God, and use His name as a curse word or careless manner, we fail to fulfill this first petition. Perhaps nothing is more common in our culture than the expression that comes from people's lips on many occasions, when they say simply, "Oh, my God." This careless reference to God indicates how far removed our culture is from fulfilling the petition of the Lord's Prayer. It should be a priority for the church and for every individual Christian to make sure that the way in which we speak of God is a way that communicates respect, awe, adoration, and reverence. How we use the name of God reveals how sacred His name truly is to each person individually. So when we start our prayers we need to not only call on God as our father but then we need to pray that the name God our Father is kept hallowed (holy) in our day to day lives. What does the Word Father mean to you? How can we keep God s name Hallowed? What does...may your name be kept holy. mean to you as an individual?
Matthew 6:10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. by Angellica McCraw This is the second verse in the Lord s Prayer and it is a good example to live by. Our God made this prayer so that when we pray it, we would say this and we would reflect what it says in our own lives. Our lives are not perfect, but we can strive as children of God to make them look like this. Thy Kingdom come. is the first stanza. To me this is interpreted as let God s kingdom come as it is in heaven, like the rest of the verse says. A verse that supports this is 1 Chronicles 16:31: Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; and let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns." It is saying that we should act in the way that expresses what we believe in and put that as a standard to live as. When we do actions for God such as dedicating time for Him, He praises this and wants us to do it more often. When it seems like we have no time for it, He still praises us because of His everlasting love. He shows us he loves us because He gave a wonderful book to read out of and gather wisdom to share with others. So this prayer is very important and can benefit all of us. Thy will be done in earth, As it is in heaven. is the second stanza and I take it as what is done or practiced in Heaven, should also be done on earth. When God sent His son down on earth, Jesus didn t always associate with the wealthy or better off people. He went to Martha s house to eat supper, and while He was there Mary, Martha s sister, sat at Jesus; feet and listened to his wisdom. Even though Martha was cooking for Him, Mary was taking in what he was explaining to her. When Martha said something about Mary not helping her, Jesus answer was, Martha, Martha. You are worried and troubled by many things, but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the best part; it will not be taken from her. (Found in Luke 10)
This translates to me as when we are sitting with our groups of friends and you see a girl or boy standing alone, you should go over and introduce yourself. I have and it gave me a best friend who is still one of the best friends I have. You just have to step out of your comfort zone and bring the will of God to earth with your actions. It seems like it will not make a difference, but to that one person it could mean the world. You have to think about what God s will and how He wants the earth to be. Consider the questions below. All of these have simple answers and can be answered by the Bible or God presenting an opportunity for anything to happen. I hope you will take this as not just something to read, but something that can make you grow closer to Our Father in Heaven. How do we make God s Will be done on earth? Where can we find what God wants us to do? How can we help people understand the importance of doing this?
Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread. by Tony Glass The Lord s Prayer is something that is significant to every Christian s heart. It is a prayer that many of us know yet many don t think about what it means to us. Take for example the sentence Give us this day our daily bread. What does this mean to you? When I hear the sentence Give us this day our daily bread, I think of how God is the provider of all our needs. This simple sentence can have a tremendous impact on our lives. To me this sentence means that we should give our day to God and in return our day will be blessed. Our days will be great and filled with many joys if we give it to God. This sentence is saying that God is our provider. That doesn t mean that we can just sit back and let everything roll in, but he is there for us. He doesn t turn away through our troubles. He sticks by our side and is there with a constant embrace. You may get doubts of whether or not God is still there when you re facing tough times or a rough spot, but he never ever leaves. Have faith that your days will be made great and do everything for the good of His name. God provides for all of our needs. It is written that He will never leave or forsake us. Many of us have trouble actually believing this through all the foundation shaking forces of this world. At times we are confused, lost, hurt, on fire, or passionate, but no matter how we feel we must stay strong in knowing that He is our provider. God knows what He is doing; His ways are always perfect even though they don t make sense sometimes. We as Christians need to stay strong in God and know that He will always provide for us. Keep the words of this prayer in your mind/heart as you go throughout your week. What does God do in your life? Do you believe God is always there providing for your needs (why or why not)? What does Give us this day our daily bread mean to you?
Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. by Cheyenne Paulson We have all heard the saying forgive and forget. But it is not always that easy. Forgiveness is the most powerful thing an individual can do. Our natural instinct is to block out those who have hurt us, so we know we won't get hurt again. Grace for others doesn't pour out when we've been wronged, it takes time and patience. Forgiveness is a choice we make through the motivation of our obedience to God. For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15 Having the will to forgive takes the faith given to you by the Lord. We must trust in God and believe He has the best intentions for us. Overcoming the wrong things someone did to us and forgiving takes a change of heart. Once the person is forgiven peace surrounds the situation and allows each person to move on. Getting to a place where moving on is possible takes a lot of time and patience and allowing the Lord to move in his perfect timing. being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 Understanding that people are far from perfect and they mess up will save friendships and relationships with people you care about. Throughout your life people are going to hurt you and not act as they should. It is our jobs as Christians to tell them how we feel, but to forgive them. How can you glorify God through temptations that you face? How can you turn personal temptations that you face into victory? How can you find joy in the trials and temptations that you face?
Matthew 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. by Aidan Corley I love this part of the Lord s prayer because it shows us how gracious God is by telling us that not only has he totally, completely, and entirely wiped away all of our sin, he also promises that he will be our good shepherd and lead us through every temptation. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says that No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. Jesus Christ is that way of escape! Jesus is always right beside us waiting to lead us out of temptation, he knows that we re not strong enough to do it on our own and will bring us to victory through Him. The cool thing about temptation is that every time we are tempted, there is an equal opportunity for victory. The thing about Jesus is that He doesn t like to sit on the sidelines, so when it says deliver us from evil in the lord s prayer, one way that Jesus does that is by going straight into the fire with us and emerging victorious over every temptation. That is why in James 1:2 we are told to count it all joy when we encounter trials and temptations, because He knows that every time we do we have the king of kings right next to us and he has promised victory. When we walk through our lives knowing this, it creates so many opportunities to glorify God. Because God is the one that delivers us from every trial and temptation, every victory we have through Him is simply another chance to give all glory to Him! So next time you are confronted by a temptation, keep in mind that every temptation holds a great opportunity for victory and glory in Jesus Christ! As we forgive others Christ forgives us, that is why he died on the cross for our sins. He knows we are only human and we make mistakes. It is not our place or responsibility to hold judgments over other people's wrongs. It is okay to feel hurt, but you also have to move on. Allow forgiveness to settle in and peace will come too.
Luke 6:37 says Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Where is your heart when someone does something wrong? Do you believe God is giving you the will to move on? How much of your trust do you put in God when forgiving someone?