One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. Luke 11:1 NIV
..Jesus was praying...
...praying...
...Jesus was praying...
When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray..." Luke 11:1 NIV
Jesus was praying. Obviously, He was audible, as He prayed because His student followers wanted to pray like Jesus and, asked that He teach them how.
What did Jesus's prayers sound like? What made His prayers so compelling to those that heard Him? What did He say? Ask? Be thankful for? Was He reverent? Was there an intimacy between He and God that had not been heard before? Was there love and thankfulness? Joy? Sorrow? Tears? What was His posture; standing? Kneeling? Prostrate? Arms raised towards Heaven? Head bowed? Eyes opened or closed? Was there a feeling that God is listening? Has listened? Will answer? At the conclusions of His prayers, did Jesus move forward knowing His prayers were heard, valued and would be answered? Maybe He didn't ask for anything. Maybe He simply spoke. Had a conversation.
Whatever constituted Jesus's prayers, He spoke in such a way that His prayers were uttered differently than normal. Different than other people had uttered; different than the religious leaders who led prayer. So different, that people around Him who heard Jesus praying wanted to pray like He did. They witnessed the impact of His prayers. The sick and crippled healed. Demon possessed people freed. The lame walked. The mute spoke. The blind saw. Dead raised. Multitudes of people fed. Hearts changed. Lives changed, for the good. There was never a curse. Never a punishment. Never retribution or inflicted vengeance. He removed barriers between people and God.
And the people around Jesus wanted to pray like He did. They wanted to be as close to God as He displayed. As He lived. Although they couldn't comprehend what Jesus displayed, it seemed as though He touched God in the process of prayer and that God, touched Him back. Whatever it was, "it" was different and people wanted "it".
"Father, I thank You that You have heard me. I knew that You always hear me, but I said this (aloud) for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that You sent me." John 11:41-42 NIV
"Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing His work." John 14:10 NIV
And this is what His disciples asked; to be close to God in such an intimate way that prayers mattered. That they were intimate with God. That they could communicate with God, and hear God respond, as frightening as that sounded.
And what was Jesus's answer to the "it" they wanted? You need the Holy Spirit in you.
The remainder of what we read in Luke 11, is Jesus explaining that answer to that request - teach us to pray - and His answer - you need the Holy Spirit.
There isn't a formula to follow for prayer or a rote process. First you say this, then this, then stand this way, close your eyes, bow your head... Or acknowledge God, thank Him, then position your prayers this way. Jesus's striking difference with His prayers compared to those before Him who led prayer, is presence with God. God with Jesus. Jesus with God. God hears Jesus. Jesus hears God.
How can God be with us? How can Jesus be One with God? How can we be one with God?
And Jesus answers almost as a matter of fact, as if everyone should know this answer.
To pray in such a way as to be one with God, you need the promised Holy Spirit. The gift of the Holy Spirit. The good things of God. God's good stuff. You've heard of this, right?
After the unnamed student follower of Jesus, asks the question, "Lord; teach us to pray," Jesus shares the explanation deemed "the Lord's prayer" as if this is how we should pray. Instead, perhaps we should consider Jesus is saying something that should cause us to reflect, and realize what we are missing in this opportunity to be one with God.
Father,
hallowed be Your name,
Your kingdom come.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
for we forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.
-Luke 11:2-4 (NIV)
For someone who claims to be the Son of God, the Son of Man and the Messiah from God, this is an odd prayer and, would it make you want to "pray like Jesus"? (Not really.)
Perhaps, try focusing on the words Jesus said and ask yourself, "why?".
After spending some time contemplating Jesus's words then reading Luke 11 over and over for several months, it seemed that placing myself in the shoes, eyes and ears of one of Jesus's disciples present that day, would help me understand what Jesus was saying.
Let's start with Father. Seems normal; right? Yet, no one outside of Jesus and John the Baptist referred to God as Father (John 3:35). In fact, the Jewish people called God by many names but, never Father. And the main name given to God was/is Yahweh of which they spelled it YHWH because Jews rarely said God's name believing His name was too sacred to be said aloud. When Jews wrote the name of God, they intentionally eliminated the vowels to ensure people didn't read and say His name - Yahweh - aloud. Jewish people have a strong belief that God's name should be revered completely, not taken in vain, and not said in a casual way. In many ways, that is an admirable belief because over the years, we have taken reverence away from God's name making it so casual and using His name to associate things not of Him.
And yet here is "this charismatic, itinerant, wanna-be prophet," calling YHWH by the name Father. Abba. Daddy.
This was shocking! Jesus was associating Himself as knowing God so intimately, that He called Him Daddy. How dare he! Who does he think he is?! God is not Father! He has no individual children! He has a favored people group, we Jews but, Father! He is.... YHWH!
And yet, Father... why?
Outside of the fact that Jesus is the begotten Son of God and, part-and-parcel with the Triune God, Jesus tells us to refer to YHWH as Father, Abba, Daddy. We are invited to know God in such an intimate way that He becomes Father to us. Not just Lord. Almighty God. Omniscient. Healer. Creator of everything. But, Daddy.
This is a term of endearment. A term of love. This is the beginning of Love God (with all your being and ability). It's also a term recognizing from whom you came and from whom you belong. Think of the visuals you consider when you refer to someone in a familial way. Everything that comes to mind in the image of a good Dad. This is no longer (or just) Almighty God, someone who will fight for Israel His people, freeing His people from Roman occupation and leading His people to a promised land. This is Daddy who will raise you, watch over you; care, nurture, protect, provide for, discipline you, teach and lead, launch you into life, among other things a good Dad does for his children. Most of all, He will love you for you. Who you are now and who you will become. God as Father... God is Dad.
Hallowed be Your name...
For we who are western Christians, this ascription of God should cause us to stop in our tracks. "Your name is Holy. Your name is honored." Do we honor God and consider Him, everything He is, and His name to be revered as holy? He is complete, without flaw, worthy of full devotion. It's rather amazing that the first two statements that Jesus gives describing God reflects the image of the Alpha and the Omega. The first and last. From one definition to the other at 180° apart. From Daddy to YHWH and everything in between. Arms wide open, to hug His kids.
Your kingdom come...
Jesus spent so much time during his life and, will throughout Luke 11 conveying what constitutes God's kingdom, what it looks like, what are the expectations of His kingdom, that it had come and it was near, as in nearby you. Not far away in heaven. Not some distant future. Not a political rule. Present. Now. This is the very reflective statement, "Does God rule your life?" Is His presence shaping your decisions, your intentions, your thoughts and desires? Is it possible to have this type of impact within and upon your life to allow God to rule over your being and for that rule to cause you to Love God completely while being thankful and appreciative of His ruling?
Yes. With the presence of His Holy Spirit living within you.
Give us each day our daily bread.
Jesus calls Himself the bread of life and, relates Himself to the second piece of bread during the Passover meal.
"Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed His seal of approval." John 6:27
"I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from Heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from Heaven. For the bread of God is He who has come down from Heaven and gives life to the world." John 6:32-33
"I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry, and he who believes will never be thirsty." John 6:35
The most powerful statement Jesus gave connecting the Passover bread to whom He is as the bread of life, was given at the final Passover meal and sadly, our Bibles do not have the Hebrew blessing traditionally given at the Passover meal associated with that second piece of bread and relating it directly to Him. My friend Pastor Max Wilkins connected the two, during a Maundy Thursday message over 10 years ago, and that provided so much clarity and impact. Jesus said the following prayer as He broke that bread,
"And He took the bread, gave thanks... "Blessed are You, oh Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth the bread of life from the earth." ...broke it, and gave it to them saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."" Luke 22:19
When Jesus was asked, "Teach us to pray," and one of His recommendations is to ask for God to give us the bread of life daily, we should understand that meaning, then reflect to understand who we consider Jesus to be. This harkens-back to the Israelites journeying through the desert with God and Moses, where God provided daily "bread from Heaven" to sustain His people so, they could live within His presence. So, He could camp among them which is what God desires.
We should consider who is Jesus to us. For without believing in who Jesus is and said He is and, who God said Jesus is, that God sent Jesus and Jesus speaks on behalf of God, then we are not accepting the bread of eternal life. And without the bread of eternal life, we cannot receive the gift of the presence of God through His Holy Spirit.
This is, receive the Bread of Life that sustains us (the cup of redemption - Jesus's blood restores us to God), and then God gifts us His Spirit so we can live in the presence of God... starting now and not some day in the future.
The next statements that Jesus provides seems to be associated with, "Do I live like God?" This is, "Do I reflect God the Father of me?" Do I "forgive people who have sinned against me"? Do I, "rely on God to keep myself from straying away from God and towards something that pleases me only?"
Forgive us our sins, for we forgive everyone who sins against us.
Really? We forgive people for the ills they have thrust upon us, all the time, therefor God should forgive our sins we have thrust upon Him? Hardly. This statement when read makes it seem like we are asking God to recognize our benevolence and therefor act as graciously as we do. Yet, the translation is off and this statement really should read, "God; forgive me of my sinning against You, at the same level that I forgive others who sin against me." Do to me as I do to others. This is frightening, actually. If you really contemplate that request, your prayer would be shaped as, "Father; help me to forgive others who have hurt me, like You forgive me for hurting You." The prayer should shape us to reflect God, not the other way around. We should become aligned with God, His love for His created children, and choose to forgive offenses committed upon us, as He does the same for you and me. This is "love others as you love yourself." Reflect God your Father outwardly.
One of our Anthem Church pastors (Jon Birkmire) quoted C.S. Lewis during a message and, the quote perfectly describes what prayer ultimately is.
"Prayer isn't about changing God. It's about (God) changing me."
-C.S. Lewis
By forgiving others, God is freeing us from a prison of mental anguish that will be a barrier between us and God, and us and others. Nelson Mandela once said, "As I walked out the (prison) door toward my freedom, I knew that if I did not leave all the anger, hatred, and bitterness behind, that I would still be in prison." This is really what Jesus is conveying. You've been hurt by someone. Don't allow that person or that hurt to continue to control your life; to continue to impact your thoughts and actions. Choose to forgive them and be free from that mental pain; realize that person is a feeble human being incapable of doing good all the time.
For all of us, we know how difficult forgiveness truly is. Through God living within us by His Spirit, we can overcome that grip on our lives. However, it's not once and for all because emotions have a memory. Forgiving needs to happen consistently and, is a daily choice. This means, "I choose not to hold your offense against you. Instead, I choose to move forward in life with you, from this point forward. How I treat you will not be clouded by your offense on me."
Likewise, God doesn't lead people astray or into tempting circumstances. We do that to ourselves or, others do that to us, for their own reasons. Avoiding tempting things is very difficult and post-action, when your sanity returns and many times regret sets in, you can reflect and realize that action was based of a strong human desire to be ruler of your own life. "I am king of my life. I make the rules for me to follow. I don't need anyone ruling over me and my desires, thoughts and intentions. I want... I want... I want..." This desire is the basis of sin itself. This is life without God; life separated from God. The punishment of sin is to be separated from God forever. And God, defined by His ability to love without reciprocation, and His love for mankind, didn't want to lose us eternally. We don't comprehend what "eternal separation from God" really means; He does and He has taken measures to ensure that outcome doesn't happen.
This is what Jesus solved with His life. Reconnecting and restoring that relationship between mankind and God the Father, which also gives us the ability to be restored as mankind with mankind. Love God; love others. Jesus, in agreement with God, accomplishes this for us.
To return to, "Lord; teach us to pray" and considering the statements Jesus gives as His response, this should cause us to reflect on the condition of our hearts. Do we believe in God, and in whom He says He is? That is the basis of everything; belief in God versus our desire to rule over ourselves. Jesus's word are about the condition of our thoughts and hearts towards God.
Next, Jesus seems to pivot to something completely unrelated when He follows His prayer explanation by telling some parables. However, Jesus never tells stories that do not relate to a given explanation. So why does He tell these parables and how do they relate to "Lord; teach us to pray."?
The first parable immediately follows Jesus's statement on prayer and is found in Luke 11:5-9. I always thought this parable to be strangely odd and unsure why Jesus tells the story immediately following His "Lord's prayer." It was almost as if, the prayer answer was completed, the chapter should have ended and, the next lesson begin and starts a new chapter. However, now it appears to be relating and, a further explanation of "Lord; teach us to pray."
The parable is of two men who are likely friends and neighbors. It's midnight. One friend is asleep at home - which is what most people do at midnight - and one is entertaining a friend who traveled far to visit this other friend - which is also what people do if they stay up late. Consider that the sleeping friend has probably been sleeping for several hours and, when awoken by his neighborly friend, would be out of sorts, drowsy and a bit put out. "Why in the heck are you waking me up at THIS hour? You know I'm sleeping! And so is my family! Go home, you lush!" (A cleaned up version of what I would say.) However, the neighborly friend continues to knock on the door because, he and his visiting friend are hungry for what he assumes the sleeping friend has in his house and, the neighborly friend is caught unprepared. He knocks and continues to knock until his persistence has become boldness and his sleeping friend gives him what he asks just to send him home, so the sleeping friend and his family can return to sleep.
Jesus's answer is, even though you’re asking someone familiar for something, that person will answer you because of your persistent boldness and not out of friendship.
Again... odd. Our brains can understand what Jesus is saying but, why? What does this mean and how does it relate to "teach us to pray" and "you need the Holy Spirit"?
This story concludes with statements and thought prevoking questions Jesus makes to underline the point of the friend's boldness. Because the neighborly friend likely knocked several times, and continued to knock, to rouse his neighbor from bed and provide him with bread for he and his journeying friend. Jesus says, "...so I say to you,
and He continues with...
The point made is, "If you who are mortal know how to give your children good things when asked, how much more will the immortal and perfect Father provide His children His best stuff when asked?".
And there "it" is... the Holy Spirit mentioned by Jesus. But, when you jump back to the beginning of Luke and reread the chapter through this point, there was no question posed concerning the Holy Spirit and, this is the first time Jesus mentions the existence of the Holy Spirit, as told by Luke. This begs additional questions from the reader. Did the people of that time know about the existence of the Holy Spirit? Why would Jesus answer a question about prayer with ask for the Holy Spirit and God will give you Him?
Keep in mind what our Bible translations miss is the way Jesus said those points about requesting the Holy Spirit. He said, ask and continue to ask. Seek and continue to seek. Knock and continue to knock. Just like the neighborly friend did in Jesus's story.
However, this is not stating that God is un-listening and we must continue to ask, seek and knock to gain His attention. Jesus gives a parable with a human reaction to a request for a need and, contrasts that with a truth about God Himself. The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray and, Jesus says ask for the source of prayer; the source of being one with God.
This story and following points seem to relate to, "Give us our daily bread." Not just one time but, daily to meet our needs of that day. As if, "God; You know what my day entails and what I need in order to remain one with You so, provide me what I need to live within Your kingdom. To live representing You to the world."
It's recognizing God, who He is, our relationship to and dependence upon Him for life with God; for life as God wants for us; for life representing God to others. This is also the fulfillment of God being both Father to us and, revered as Holy deserving our ultimate respect and honor. Without the Holy Spirit gifted to us, we cannot be God's children and, we cannot live in such a way as to forgive others there sins, while remaining under God's authority over our lives.
In all honesty, this is what the disciples asked for. They saw Jesus represent God and, knowing Him so well that He heard from God. Jesus lived in such a way as to love all people and, removed the barriers between them and God. He likely prayed before His actions and, the disciples noticed that correlation. Which is probably why they asked Jesus to teach them how to pray like He does. How to be one with God, know God so they could represent Him and, have a life that matters. A life with God.
And Jesus says, it's not just learning how to pray. Ask for the source of that life with God... The Holy Spirit.
With the source of a life with God, then you can be in relationship with God - and in our present case - a life with God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and be one with God where you can speak with Him, He will listen and, He speaks with you and you hear Him, you (we) will be shaped by God to reflect His image. For me, it means that I am realizing my status as daughter with my prayers and life's decisions being shaped by God, His thoughts, His desires. Not always or exponentially but, in a way that I am aware of His constant presence, even when He seems so distance; even when I am so distant. It is living a life within His kingdom.
And what I must do now is to reflect God as Father and represent Him wherever I go by my actions and words. This is difficult for me because I still react like a cornered snake so, I need to cause myself to pause and remember whom I am, who I belong to and, who I am reflecting. Because I don't want to be like the people with whom Jesus speaks following this "teach us to pray" lesson. Where people are faced with Jesus representing Father and Almighty God, and people accuse Jesus of being a representative of the prince of demons, and someone who doesn't follow the traditions of man to prove belonging to God. Where people witness Jesus's life and His actions and yet, out of a strong unwillingness to believe in the truths of God, they continue to demand that Jesus prove who He is.
Immediately following His lesson of "teach us to pray" and "ask for the source of life with God", Jesus releases a man from being mute, the man speaks and, people say this action was accomplished because Jesus is working for the prince of demons, He is able to release people from what appeared to be demonic possession. After all, being ill in any way, prevented a person from attending worship at the temple to ask God for forgiveness of sins and, experience being present with God; being part of God's chosen people. It was thought that only a demon who is against God, would cause a person to be ill. And likely that person or someone within his family sinned against God and that illness was punishment from God. By His actions and reflecting God's love for all of His created humanity, Jesus heals people of their infirmities, allowing those people to be able to worship God, to recognize the true God, to approach Him, to appreciate Him, to love Him. Jesus removes the barriers between people and God as Father, which is the ultimate desire of God so, God can be one with us.
And when people are shocked by this outcome and, witness Jesus not following the longstanding traditions of approaching God or worse, not recognizing the "holiness" of those who practiced the religion of the day. Jesus was accused of not following God properly or even worse, representing the enemy of God.
And Jesus replies with... Think! Think about what you're saying! Think about the truths of God and the lives of our ancestors, what they learned and witnessed. You are making incorrect conclusions and allowing those incorrect conclusions to shape your life with God. You don't need to live this way in fact, you don't want to live this way as the outcome is not the result you hoped for in life.
Instead... ask for the source of life with God - the Holy Spirit - of which God will not deny as Father to His children. Then live life with God, in His kingdom now. A life with God being present now. A life being one with God.
A couple of things I heard that impacted me as I was writing this piece.
"I Know" by Big Daddy Weave
I listened to a message by Dr. Stephen Davey, Wisdom for the Heart on April 29, 2020 while walking that morning. The message was broadcast December 3,2019 and is about Oswald Chambers and Luke 11: 1-13.
For all of us, we know how difficult forgiveness truly is. Through God living within us by His Spirit, we can overcome that grip on our lives. However, it's not once and for all because emotions have a memory. Forgiving needs to happen consistently and, is a daily choice. This means, "I choose not to hold your offense against you. Instead, I choose to move forward in life with you, from this point forward. How I treat you will not be clouded by your offense on me."
Likewise, God doesn't lead people astray or into tempting circumstances. We do that to ourselves or, others do that to us, for their own reasons. Avoiding tempting things is very difficult and post-action, when your sanity returns and many times regret sets in, you can reflect and realize that action was based of a strong human desire to be ruler of your own life. "I am king of my life. I make the rules for me to follow. I don't need anyone ruling over me and my desires, thoughts and intentions. I want... I want... I want..." This desire is the basis of sin itself. This is life without God; life separated from God. The punishment of sin is to be separated from God forever. And God, defined by His ability to love without reciprocation, and His love for mankind, didn't want to lose us eternally. We don't comprehend what "eternal separation from God" really means; He does and He has taken measures to ensure that outcome doesn't happen.
This is what Jesus solved with His life. Reconnecting and restoring that relationship between mankind and God the Father, which also gives us the ability to be restored as mankind with mankind. Love God; love others. Jesus, in agreement with God, accomplishes this for us.
To return to, "Lord; teach us to pray" and considering the statements Jesus gives as His response, this should cause us to reflect on the condition of our hearts. Do we believe in God, and in whom He says He is? That is the basis of everything; belief in God versus our desire to rule over ourselves. Jesus's word are about the condition of our thoughts and hearts towards God.
Next, Jesus seems to pivot to something completely unrelated when He follows His prayer explanation by telling some parables. However, Jesus never tells stories that do not relate to a given explanation. So why does He tell these parables and how do they relate to "Lord; teach us to pray."?
The first parable immediately follows Jesus's statement on prayer and is found in Luke 11:5-9. I always thought this parable to be strangely odd and unsure why Jesus tells the story immediately following His "Lord's prayer." It was almost as if, the prayer answer was completed, the chapter should have ended and, the next lesson begin and starts a new chapter. However, now it appears to be relating and, a further explanation of "Lord; teach us to pray."
The parable is of two men who are likely friends and neighbors. It's midnight. One friend is asleep at home - which is what most people do at midnight - and one is entertaining a friend who traveled far to visit this other friend - which is also what people do if they stay up late. Consider that the sleeping friend has probably been sleeping for several hours and, when awoken by his neighborly friend, would be out of sorts, drowsy and a bit put out. "Why in the heck are you waking me up at THIS hour? You know I'm sleeping! And so is my family! Go home, you lush!" (A cleaned up version of what I would say.) However, the neighborly friend continues to knock on the door because, he and his visiting friend are hungry for what he assumes the sleeping friend has in his house and, the neighborly friend is caught unprepared. He knocks and continues to knock until his persistence has become boldness and his sleeping friend gives him what he asks just to send him home, so the sleeping friend and his family can return to sleep.
Jesus's answer is, even though you’re asking someone familiar for something, that person will answer you because of your persistent boldness and not out of friendship.
Again... odd. Our brains can understand what Jesus is saying but, why? What does this mean and how does it relate to "teach us to pray" and "you need the Holy Spirit"?
This story concludes with statements and thought prevoking questions Jesus makes to underline the point of the friend's boldness. Because the neighborly friend likely knocked several times, and continued to knock, to rouse his neighbor from bed and provide him with bread for he and his journeying friend. Jesus says, "...so I say to you,
Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
Knock and the door will be opened for you.
For everyone who asks receives,
and he who seeks, finds;
and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." -Luke 11:9-10 NIV
and He continues with...
"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead. Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" -Luke 11:11-13 NIV
The point made is, "If you who are mortal know how to give your children good things when asked, how much more will the immortal and perfect Father provide His children His best stuff when asked?".
And there "it" is... the Holy Spirit mentioned by Jesus. But, when you jump back to the beginning of Luke and reread the chapter through this point, there was no question posed concerning the Holy Spirit and, this is the first time Jesus mentions the existence of the Holy Spirit, as told by Luke. This begs additional questions from the reader. Did the people of that time know about the existence of the Holy Spirit? Why would Jesus answer a question about prayer with ask for the Holy Spirit and God will give you Him?
Keep in mind what our Bible translations miss is the way Jesus said those points about requesting the Holy Spirit. He said, ask and continue to ask. Seek and continue to seek. Knock and continue to knock. Just like the neighborly friend did in Jesus's story.
However, this is not stating that God is un-listening and we must continue to ask, seek and knock to gain His attention. Jesus gives a parable with a human reaction to a request for a need and, contrasts that with a truth about God Himself. The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray and, Jesus says ask for the source of prayer; the source of being one with God.
This story and following points seem to relate to, "Give us our daily bread." Not just one time but, daily to meet our needs of that day. As if, "God; You know what my day entails and what I need in order to remain one with You so, provide me what I need to live within Your kingdom. To live representing You to the world."
It's recognizing God, who He is, our relationship to and dependence upon Him for life with God; for life as God wants for us; for life representing God to others. This is also the fulfillment of God being both Father to us and, revered as Holy deserving our ultimate respect and honor. Without the Holy Spirit gifted to us, we cannot be God's children and, we cannot live in such a way as to forgive others there sins, while remaining under God's authority over our lives.
In all honesty, this is what the disciples asked for. They saw Jesus represent God and, knowing Him so well that He heard from God. Jesus lived in such a way as to love all people and, removed the barriers between them and God. He likely prayed before His actions and, the disciples noticed that correlation. Which is probably why they asked Jesus to teach them how to pray like He does. How to be one with God, know God so they could represent Him and, have a life that matters. A life with God.
And Jesus says, it's not just learning how to pray. Ask for the source of that life with God... The Holy Spirit.
With the source of a life with God, then you can be in relationship with God - and in our present case - a life with God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and be one with God where you can speak with Him, He will listen and, He speaks with you and you hear Him, you (we) will be shaped by God to reflect His image. For me, it means that I am realizing my status as daughter with my prayers and life's decisions being shaped by God, His thoughts, His desires. Not always or exponentially but, in a way that I am aware of His constant presence, even when He seems so distance; even when I am so distant. It is living a life within His kingdom.
And what I must do now is to reflect God as Father and represent Him wherever I go by my actions and words. This is difficult for me because I still react like a cornered snake so, I need to cause myself to pause and remember whom I am, who I belong to and, who I am reflecting. Because I don't want to be like the people with whom Jesus speaks following this "teach us to pray" lesson. Where people are faced with Jesus representing Father and Almighty God, and people accuse Jesus of being a representative of the prince of demons, and someone who doesn't follow the traditions of man to prove belonging to God. Where people witness Jesus's life and His actions and yet, out of a strong unwillingness to believe in the truths of God, they continue to demand that Jesus prove who He is.
Immediately following His lesson of "teach us to pray" and "ask for the source of life with God", Jesus releases a man from being mute, the man speaks and, people say this action was accomplished because Jesus is working for the prince of demons, He is able to release people from what appeared to be demonic possession. After all, being ill in any way, prevented a person from attending worship at the temple to ask God for forgiveness of sins and, experience being present with God; being part of God's chosen people. It was thought that only a demon who is against God, would cause a person to be ill. And likely that person or someone within his family sinned against God and that illness was punishment from God. By His actions and reflecting God's love for all of His created humanity, Jesus heals people of their infirmities, allowing those people to be able to worship God, to recognize the true God, to approach Him, to appreciate Him, to love Him. Jesus removes the barriers between people and God as Father, which is the ultimate desire of God so, God can be one with us.
And when people are shocked by this outcome and, witness Jesus not following the longstanding traditions of approaching God or worse, not recognizing the "holiness" of those who practiced the religion of the day. Jesus was accused of not following God properly or even worse, representing the enemy of God.
And Jesus replies with... Think! Think about what you're saying! Think about the truths of God and the lives of our ancestors, what they learned and witnessed. You are making incorrect conclusions and allowing those incorrect conclusions to shape your life with God. You don't need to live this way in fact, you don't want to live this way as the outcome is not the result you hoped for in life.
Instead... ask for the source of life with God - the Holy Spirit - of which God will not deny as Father to His children. Then live life with God, in His kingdom now. A life with God being present now. A life being one with God.
++++++++++++++++
A couple of things I heard that impacted me as I was writing this piece.
"I Know" by Big Daddy Weave
I listened to a message by Dr. Stephen Davey, Wisdom for the Heart on April 29, 2020 while walking that morning. The message was broadcast December 3,2019 and is about Oswald Chambers and Luke 11: 1-13.
