How We Pray - A little something different since it is Christmas

The question of how to pray is very important to creating a strong relationship with God. There are many myths about prayer that leave a great portion of today’s Christians with much less power than God intends for us to have. A strong relationship with anyone requires good communication, and the same can be said for our walk with God. One common myth about prayer is that praying is about asking God for what we desire. One scripture commonly used to back this idea up is found in the seventh chapter of Matthew, where Jesus, speaking to the multitude, stated that if you “ask, it shall be given to you.” So, it is that simple, just tell God what you want, and he will send it to you. That is not exactly what Jesus was saying, but many take this scripture out of context, and then they wonder why the new car they asked for has not arrived. If the scriptures surrounding these words from Jesus are analyzed, the true message becomes clear. In the eleventh verse, we can see that Jesus clarifies his statement by telling the multitude that the “Father, which is in heaven, (will) give good things to them that ask of him.” What are good things? When the entire message to the multitude is read, it becomes clear that good things are those things which can be used to glorify God, and to strengthen his kingdom. God is more than willing to provide for his people when they ask, but in return, we should work for the Father to bring him the glory. Asking for material wealth to glorify man is a selfish prayer, and that is not what God is looking for. Ok, so how are we supposed to pray? One good way to be successful in all aspects of life is to look at others who are successful, and learn from them. If you are poor, do not look for answers from other poor people, look to the successful, and learn from them. If you are depressed, do not ask other depressed people how to live happily, talk to happy people for guidance. It seems simple, and in effect it is, but too many people do not follow this common sense approach to a better life. When looking for guidance on prayer, who better to learn from than the one who’s prayers were always answered, Jesus. The New Testament is filled with instruction on prayer for anyone who takes the time to study the life, words, instruction, and even the actual prayers of Jesus. In the same message to the multitude from which many people cherry pick the “ask and it shall be given” message, Christ gives a vast amount of instruction on prayer.
In the sixth chapter of Matthew, Jesus instructs that we are not to “be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men.” He goes on to say that we should “enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” Is Jesus instructing us to pray only when no other person is around? This is a scripture often used out of context by those who do not want to go to church, and insist that they are better served by praying alone at home. It is true that private prayer is needed, but corporate prayer and worship is modeled throughout the bible, and the most powerful appearances of God occur when many are gathered, praying and worshiping corporately. The message being conveyed by Jesus is that prayer is for the glorification of the Father, not for the glorification of man. Eloquent words in the public square are often uttered to impress man, but the Father hears the prayers of the humble that seek only to glorify him. Reading on, we see more instruction from Jesus regarding prayer. Jesus instructs that you should “use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” This again speaks to those who wish to gain acclaim with their beautifully rehearsed prayers. One look at the messenger God chose to lead his people from the bondage of Egypt shows how much credence he gives to how eloquently a man speaks. God is much more concerned with what is spoken from our hearts than how it is spoken. Jesus goes on to instruct that we should “Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” This clearly touches on the concept of wasting our breath by asking God for what we think we need. It is vain repetition to tell God, who knows all, that we are in need of something, or that we want something.
It seems that Jesus has given much teaching to the multitude about how not to pray, but he does not stop there. As a demonstration that he is in fact a good shepherd, he goes on to instruct them on how to pray. The Lord’s prayer, as it has come to be known, is a wonderful example of how we are to pray, but many have turned it into vain repetition because they simply speak the words with no real understanding of what they are saying. To understand how we are to pray, it is best to look at the prayer one phrase at a time. He begins by addressing God as “Our Father, which art in heaven.” This is not just an arbitrary phrase that Jesus thought sounded impressive, it is an address to who the prayer is intended for. This simple phrase demonstrates that the emphasis of the prayer is God, not man. The phrase is also the beginning of a conversation, and Jesus makes this clear by addressing God, the figure he is communicating with. The next line is vitally important to understanding the purpose of prayer, and it is simply missed by the majority of Christians. Jesus says “Hallowed be thy name.” To understand this line, we must define the term “hallowed”. The term is defined as follows: to render sacred, to consecrate, to confess as holy, or to give reverence to. Therefore, Jesus begins his prayer by addressing God, and by confessing that his name is to be revered as holy. This is a model for how all prayers should begin; by giving praise to our father God, not by asking for material wealth and blessing when he already knows what we need, and in fact, as joint heirs with Christ, we were blessed before the foundation of the world. Evidence of this blessing can also be found in Matthew: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Matthew 25:34) From these two simple lines, it is clear that the focus of prayer is the praise and worship of God, not the needs of man. As Jesus continues to pray, he states, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, in Earth, as it is in heaven.” As with the previous phrases, Jesus has placed the emphasis on God, and on his will, not the will of man. In another of Jesus’ prayers, he continues this pattern when he prays, “not what I will, but what thou wilt.” This statement again places the true purpose of prayer where it needs to be, on the will of our Father God. Not only does Jesus pray that God’s will be done on Earth, he also prays that God’s kingdom be set up on the Earth, making Earth like heaven. This is lost on millions of Christians that believe God wants to take his people off of the Earth, when in reality, he wishes to bring heaven to Earth so that he can dwell among his people. So, what have we learned after the first few statements of The Lord’s Prayer?

1. Prayer is for the edification of God, not man
2. Prayer is to be God centered, not man centered
3. The first purpose of prayer is to praise our Father God, not to ask for blessings that we already have
4. Prayer should focus on making the will of God a reality on Earth
5. It is the will of God that Earth be like Heaven

It is clear from only a few lines that the majority of people have completely missed the boat on prayer, but what else does Jesus pray? Continuing, Jesus next statement is, “Give us this day, our daily bread.” Is this an appeal to God for physical sustinence? The answer is a resounding no, for God has already promised to fulfill our physical needs as he does the bird’s of the air if we place him first. What is Jesus asking God to give us in his line of the prayer.?
Bread is a symbol of Chist, and of the salvation he represents for all of mankind. It is also symbolic of the word of God that we should daily feed upon to become more like Christ. In essence, Jesus is asking for his daily word from God, his instruction, and his salvation, not a physical meal. After this request, Jesus goes on to pray, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” At first glance, it appears Jesus is asking God to forgive all of his debts, but the meaning is much more powerful when the sentence is completed. Jesus is asking for the judgement of God as a measure of his worth. That is, Jesus is asking the Father to give him the same mercy he shows his fellow man. Is this something you could ask God? Do you want God to treat you the way you treat those who owe you a debt? This ties into the surrounding teachings by Christ to the multitude, and in context, it is a powerful statement. Like much of the Lord’s Prayer, most Christians have no idea what they are praying when they uter these words, but the old adage definitely applies that you should be careful what you wish for. The next line of the prayer, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” seems to be straight forward, and in essence it is, but when looked at closely, it again places the emphasis on God. The line asks God, the only one who can , to give us divine guidance and protection. This is a request for covering, or intercession. It is also a foreshadowing of what Christ is doing now, after his assention: “It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” The prayer is then finished by Jesus in a manner similar to how it began, with praise to the Father. Jesus prays, “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.” In this line, Jesus is confessing that the Kingdom is God’s, he is giving glory to God, and he is announcing that God is all powerful. Sound familiar? It is simply more praise and reverence to the Father God. After studying the entire prayer, we can add to our list of what Jesus teaches us about prayer:

1. Prayer is for the edification of God, not man
2. Prayer is to be God centered, not man centered
3. The first purpose of prayer is to praise our Father God, not to ask for blessings that we already have
4. Prayer should focus on making the will of God a reality on Earth
5. It is the will of God that Earth be like Heaven
6. We are to pray for the divine guidance of God through his word
7. We are to pray for our salvation through Christ
8. We should ask our just God to show us the mercy that we show our fellow man (scary)
9. We should pray for not only guidance, but protection through the covering of Jesus (intercession)
10. Finally, we should again praise God, giving him the power as the all powerful Father that he is, and we should confess that his Kingdom is above all other

As you can see, the majority of the body of Christ needs prayer lessons. Many have relegated God to a spiritual Santa Claus, and in so doing, they have missed the whole point. Prayer is not to be man centered or selfish, it is intended to be God-centered, and the purpose is to give God praise for all of the blessings he has already bestowed upon us, not to ask for more.

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No room for Moderates in '08

Although the next presidential election is still two years away, the subject already monopolizes many political conversations. With Barak Obama gaining steam, Hillary steaming, and a battle shaping up between Rudy and McCain, it appears that the next two years will be, if nothing else, interesting. With these four wannabe moderates leading the way, one might assume that the theme of the 2008 election season will be moderation, but I for one see it differently. Much could happen to change my mind between now and November of ’08, but as of today, I believe that there will be no room for moderates in the race to the Whitehouse. In fact, the two men I think will represent their respective parties have not even announced they are running. On the side of the Democrats, I see a man that is far from moderate gathering steam and support. This man is a familiar face, and he is the anti-Bush, which will appeal strongly to the Democratic Party which has a leadership that seems to be sliding farther left by the minute. In my opinion, Al Gore will represent the Democrats in November of 2008. I know, I know, Obama mania has taken root in the Northeast, the Midwest, and even the far out West coast, but when the time comes to put their money where their mouth is, the Democrats will choose Gore. Why? Other than his experience, which Obama lacks, Gore has begun leading the crusade on all things environmental. He has also cheered loudly for the cut and run crowd, and his sound bites are priceless. Remember this one…”He betrayed his country, he played on our fears…”? This Goreism brings up the major reason I believe Gore will be the Democratic candidate come ’08, he is the anti-Bush. As the left becomes even more and more opposed to everything the current administration does, Gore will become a stronger and stronger candidate. On the other side of the aisle, I see a true dark-horse emerging from the conservative right. When it comes down to it, the majority of the mainstream Republican Party votes conservative, especially on social issues. This is the main reason I do not see McCain, or the socially liberal Giuliani getting the nod. The man I truly believe will win the Republican nomination is Rick Santorum. Right now this prediction seems far fetched, but give it some time. While McCain and Rudy split each other’s vote in half, the ultra-conservative Santorum will find his niche among the conservative base. This will leave a general election with polar opposites gunning for the presidency. Who will win? That will be determined primarily by turnout. It will truly be a Conservative vs. Liberal election, and we will see once and for all where our country really lies.

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Why Wal-Mart?

The newest “evil” being attacked by the left may be a surprise to many Americans. There is a full fledged attack on the Wal-Mart corporation that has actually gained endorsement from politicians such as Al Gore, John Edwards, and even the prodigal son of Democrats, Barak Obama. Upon hearing that this attack was being waged, I found myself a little bewildered. It just was not clear to me what the Left could possibly have against Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart provides millions of consumers with affordable goods; and they provide millions of employees, many of which would otherwise be unemployed, with jobs. So, I decided to go to the source. The group leading this charge against Wal-Mart has a website titled Wake-Up Wal-Mart. In an attempt to find out what the big problem with Wal-Mart is, I went to the web site and did a little digging. It did not take me long to find enlightenment. In fact, here is a list of the ills of Wal-Mart in the eyes of its detractors:

Wal-Mart has a responsibility to all Americans to set the standard for customers, workers and communities, and to help build a better America.
The truth is that Wal-Mart has let America down by lowering wages, forcing good paying American jobs overseas, and cutting costs with total disregard for the values that have made this nation great
In Wal-Mart's America, workers are paid poverty level wages even when they work full-time; In our America, workers are paid a living wage with proper health and retirement benefits.
In Wal-Mart's America, wealthy companies shift their health care costs onto tax payers like you and your families; In our America, corporations live up to their responsibility and provide their employees with adequate and affordable health care coverage.
In Wal-Mart's America, suppliers are forced to make their goods cheaper even if it means shipping U.S. jobs overseas; In our America, we value U.S. jobs and companies that buy and sell "Made in America."
After reading this list, a few blog post by those against Wal-Mart, and a list of groups endorsing the web site, it became abundantly clear why the Left has become anti Wal-Mart. Let’s take a look at what the list is really saying, without the Wal-Mart slant:
1. America has the responsibility to take care of workers and communities.
2. America has let us down by not insuring higher wages regardless of the cost to business.
3. It is the responsibility of the Government to make sure all people are paid high wages and granted healthcare coverage at no expense.
This is a much shorter list, but I think you get the idea. What is wrong with Wal-Mart? In a nutshell, it celebrates capitalism and personal responsibility. To the Left, this is the unforgivable sin. The argument is simply that Wal-Mart should run in a more socialistic manner. More evidence to the fact can be seen in some of the complaints of Wal-Mart employees who want change. One such comment stated that Wal-Mart will fire you if you get injured at home and can not go to work. Another stated that Wal-Mart no longer accepts doctor’s excuses for absences. In other words, if you do not go to work, you do not get paid, and you may be fired. In the world of the socialists, see France, there is no reason that a worker should have to be responsible to keep their job. It is all becoming clearer. The list of those endorsing the web site also brings clarity to the matter. The largest supporters all happen to be unions. Never would have guessed. So, is it really Wal-Mart that is under attack, or is it what Wal-Mart represents, the American way of life.


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