“This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”
The Glory
I spoke earlier of how we often miss the word “our” when saying the Lord prayer (read post here), perhaps not in word but in thought. The second and perhaps even more important thing we miss is “in heaven.”
Heaven. When we are praying heaven we probably have a quick picture of some foggy white clouds and God up there somewhere with his kingdom.
Read Revelation 4. Maybe even Revelation 5.
Heaven is THE place of God’s rulership. We’re talking 24 elders, lamps, thrones, crowns, lightning, peals of thunder, living creatures and bowing in awe and worship every time God is given honor and glory. There is holiness, righteousness, power, glory and awe. Crowns laid at the feet around the throne because of His Majesty.
The earth is not even his throne. It’s his footstool.
God in glorious majesty… “in heaven.”
And somehow in the daily troubles of man, the seeming demise and free falling death spiral of culture and values and bad news on the tv, we forget that God alone is on the throne. The throne! I’m here to tell you…
God is Not Stressed Out
He is God and He is Glorious. He is able. He is in control. He knows what He is doing. And in all that terrible, awful glorious beauty, he allows us to call Him….Father.
Not just anyone can call another “Father.” There has to be biological connection or legal belonging. It is an official title. Not something someone claims.
Yet His children call Him Father.
Our Father.
In heaven.
Affecting Our Prayers
If we indeed captured a glimpse of God’s glory as we begin to pray, I do indeed think it would affect how we would pray. Sometimes we approach prayer seeing the monstrosity of our problems. But they are pathetic and puny in light of God’s glory. And while yes, He cares about even those problems, may we never forget to live and pray as ones who live under the umbrella of his transcendence.