LISTENING TO THE HEART OF THE MASTER: part 7

July 15, 2007

FATHER

What has the Master been saying?
 Jesus begins his discussion with his “devoted ones”/disciples with the question of blessing.
 He asks us to be missional.
 He boldly declares the salty mission.
 He claims to be the fulfillment of that mission.
 He calls us to mission in our relationships with each other.
 Now, he begins to really teach…

Matthew 6
THE MESSAGE
"The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this: Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are. Set the world right; Do what's best— as above, so below. Keep us alive with three square meals. Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. You're in charge! You can do anything you want! You're ablaze in beauty! Yes. Yes. Yes. In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can't get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God's part."

NEW LIVING
“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

How do we talk to the Father?
 Get to the point!
 Tell Him how important He and His work are even though He already knows.
 Ask for only what you really, really need.
 Tell Him you’ll do your part.

A fun excercise to do this week: Take the 6 parts of the model prayer from Matthew 6:9-13 and rewrite this simple prayer in your own words/to fit your personality. Here are the parts:
1. Father
2. His Majesty
3. Kingdom
4. Provision
5. Forgiveness
6. Protection