Page 9 - January 2021 - Truth & Tidings

kingdom is no more present today in the is reminding us that even amidst the
absence of the King than it was when He abundance many of us possess, we are
was here. We are part of His kingdom ultimately dependent upon God. Let
(Col 1:13), and already experience it as us give thanks to God for our food –
a spiritual reality (Rom 14:17), but its and mean it. The crops growing in the
ultimate fulfillment awaits His coming field, the job that enables you to buy
back to the earth in power. Subsequent to groceries, the health that enables you to
Matthew 6, Scripture gives the additional enjoy it all – all of these are gifts from
revelation of the Lord’s initial return to the God. Independence from God is worldly
air for the Rapture of the Church, but the pride (cf. 1Jn 2:16); prayer is a spiritual
kingdom is ours to enjoy as well. While expression of dependence.
we can readily see how suffering saints of
the Tribulation era will utter this phrase Forgiveness
with particular intensity, we should also In this context, “debts” refers to sins,
eagerly anticipate that righteous reign of whether wrong things we have done, or
the Lord Jesus. right things we have failed to do. Verses
Submission 14-15 help us to see what is at stake:
“Your will be done” acknowledges not our possession of salvation (judicial
that prayer is not intended to convince forgiveness), but the enjoyment of our
God to change His mind – we are the relationship with the Father (paternal
ones to be changed. It takes time, but forgiveness). Similar to Matthew 5:23-
often two fruits of prayer are our honest 24, the Lord is teaching the importance
acknowledgement of what we really of right relationships with our brothers
want in a given circumstance, and a and sisters if we expect to have a right
humble acquiescence that our Father relationship with God (cf. 1Jn 4:20).
knows best. “Prayer is not a convenient Remember, it is difficult to be angry at
device for imposing our will upon God, and unforgiving toward someone if you
or for bending his will to ours, but the bring them regularly before your Father
prescribed way of subordinating our will in prayer.
to his …. Every true prayer is a variation Deliverance
on the theme ‘Your will be done.’” 3
The Supplications in the Prayer While the closing clauses of the prayer
As it is a mistake to put our needs ahead (v13) present some interpretive challenges,
of His honour, so it is also a mistake to the main thrust is clear: we need the
Lord’s grace to experience victory over
think He isn’t interested in our needs. We
are a weak and needy people, and our sin. It is a mercy when opportunity and
Father is able and willing to supply what desire do not coincide. “Preserve me, O
we need. God” (Psa 16:1). If we were spiritually
stronger, would we pray less? No. We
Dependence would recognize our weakness and our
“Daily bread” may seem superfluous need to pray more. The Lord Jesus was
to many readers today, but the Lord the perfectly dependent man. If He was a
³ John Stott, The Letters of John (Grand Rapids, man of prayer, how much more we need to
MI: Eerdmans, 1988), 188. learn from the pattern He has left us.

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