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The Lord’s Prayer

Filed under Prayer, Worship by Jerry Nelson on February 6, 2012 at 10:07 pm {no comments}

The Lord’s Prayer

Enduring Elements of Public Worship (part 2)

In Luke 11:2 Jesus’ disciples said to him, “Teach us to pray.” Jesus’ response was what we call “The Lord’s Prayer.” While there are many other prayers in the Bible from which we can learn much about prayer, none other is explicitly a model for our prayer. Both because it came in response to the specific request to “teach” us to pray and also because it is a relatively comprehensive prayer, we do well to model our own prayers on it.

A couple of weeks ago I prefaced an article about the Apostles’ Creed with this reminder: Thomas Aquinas said we must know:

What to believe (The Apostles’ Creed)

What to pray for (The Lord’s Prayer)

How to live (The Ten Commandments)

These are the core issues of life and they are answered in the Creed (What to believe), the Prayer (What to pray for) and the Commandments (How to live). Peter Kreeft in Knowing the Truth of God’s Love 1988 p44-47 We do people (including our children) a great service by incorporating these three elements in worship frequently that they know them from memory and can recall them in many other life-situations.

Today I wish to address the issue of The Lord’s Prayer. The Protestant churches of the Reformation found the Lord’s Prayer to be essential teaching, including it in the Westminster and Heidelberg Catechisms and Luther’s Catechism. For centuries the church has prayed the Lord’s Prayer when gathered together. Teaching and praying this prayer together in our corporate worship services gives Christians a ready reminder of the God-ordained core subjects of our prayers. Michael Brown has written a helpful article on the reason for often including the Lord’s Prayer in our public worship. You will find it at: http://www.christurc.org/articles/why_pray_lords_prayer.pdf

In our private prayers also we would do well to take the time to pray often as our Lord taught us. Meditate on each petition and put the prayer in your own words. Come to the Father; he is ready and able to respond. My own example follows:

“Our Father who art in heaven”

You are not just my Father, but “Our” Father, and not just the transcendent, sovereign, creator Deity but our ever-present, intimate “Father” who truly exists and is the sustainer and lover of our souls. To you we pray because on you we are dependent.

“Hallowed be your name”

Make your name holy, give your name the highest place and honor, and make your name known and experienced by everyone. Be God, in all your glory, power and sufficiency, so we may be your children.

“Your kingdom come”

Father, make your kingdom come. We need you to act. Revive your people, save us from outselves. Bring in the full authority, power and presence of your kingdom rule and let it begin with me! Father, break down my “kingdoms”, show me how bankrupt they are, and let me see my desperate need for you to act.

“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”

Father, do what you have planned and promised. Work your gracious will in such ways that we will be saved and that history will move to the end that you have in mind — a total transformation of this world. Do it God! Do it! And make me open and responsive to your will in my life today.

“Give us this day our daily bread”

Father, meet our physical needs today. We are dependent on you in every detail of life, and content with and grateful for what you provide.

“And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us”

We ask your forgiveness of us even as we ask you to enable us to forgive those who have sinned against us. We know that only our openness to forgive others opens our own hearts to receive your forgiveness. Help us, Father.

“And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil”

Father, keep us today from succumbing to subtle but evil temptations that wage war on our souls and Father, keep the evil one from overpowering us today.

“For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen”

You are the One who is worthy (it’s your kingdom), and able (it’s your power) to do what we have requested, and to you alone (not us) belongs the praise (glory) forever. To you we pray because on you we are dependent.

Public Prayer in Public Worship

Filed under Prayer, Worship by Jerry Nelson on January 16, 2012 at 5:26 pm {no comments}

It was over 20 years ago that Gordon MacDonald changed my understanding and practice on the subject of public prayer in worship (“The Cleansing Power of Public Prayer” in Leadership, Winter Quarter, 1987). Since then I have read a number of books and articles on the subject (see suggested books below) and am more convinced than ever that prayer should have a significant role in our public worship services. In a previous article, I wrote about the lack of the public reading of Scripture in many evangelical churches, likewise I have discovered there is a lack of public prayer. Prayers when offered are but a few sentences (or less) and seem either obligatory or as mere segues in the order of service. In too many churches, thoughtful, pastorally-significant, biblically-based prayers are infrequent.

In a well-intentioned attempt to create greater intimacy and genuineness in public prayer many pastors/worship leaders have reduced public prayer to inviting all people to pray their own private prayers at the same time (usually silently). It is as if the intention is to create a private devotional experience in a corporate setting. Obviously, private prayer is very important in the life of the Christian but that is (or ought to be) a different subject than the corporate prayer in public worship about which I am here writing. Certainly Christianity is very personal but it is not private. The Bible has much more to say about our life together as the people of God than it does about our private experiences. Even the prayer the Lord taught his disciples is corporate (note the plural pronouns and context).

While intentionality should be exercised in prayers of invocation, confession, thanksgiving and benedictions I am here speaking mostly to what was once called the “pastoral prayer” – that usually longer, substantively-inclusive prayer offered in the main body of the worship experience. For that “pastoral prayer,” I am now an advocate for carefully crafted prayers that accomplish several important objectives:

Lead the people into the presence of the living God in a respectful and thought-filled way. The pastor’s words and demeanor should communicate that we are on holy ground.
Express our corporate gratitude and plead our corporate cause. The pastor should speak on behalf of his people and himself.
Teach the people how to pray. Our private prayers can tend to be spontaneous, self-serving and short. The public worship service is an excellent time to demonstrate prayers that are thoughtful, centered on God and his kingdom and long enough to be obviously substantive (but short enough and eloquent enough to hold one’s attention). The pastor can model the appropriate full range of prayer – adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication (though not necessarily in every prayer).

You will notice I presuppose the pastor leads such prayer. I clearly believe that such prayer can be effectively led by women as well as men and by non-elders as well as elders (pastors). But as a pastor I am jealous for that weekly opportunity to “pastor,” in this unique way, the people God has given to me as his under shepherd.

Leading such intentional prayers require that we give greater than usual attention to preparing both our hearts and our words. I found that it took upwards of an hour to carefully determine what should be prayed for in a particular prayer and how it should be worded so that my words became the people’s words; they were following me into the presence of God.

For help in how to lead in public prayer I suggest the following works some of which are instructional and others illustrative:

Leading in Prayer Hughes Oliphant Old

The Pastor’s Public Ministry Terry Johnson

Mother Kirk Douglas Wilson

A Method for Prayer Matthew Henry

A Guide to Prayer Isaac Watt

Valley of Vision Puritan prayers edited by Arthur Bennett

Praying for the Salvation of your Children

Filed under Children, Prayer, Salvation by Jerry Nelson on April 6, 2011 at 5:06 pm {2 comments}

“Praying for the Salvation of Your Children”

From “Characteristics of Faith” May 27th, 1860 by C. H. SPURGEON
(1834-1892) http://www.biblebb.com/files/spurgeon/0317.htm

Edited by Dr. Jerry Nelson www.soundliving.org

This is a strong indictment of those who care more about their children’s happiness than their children’s holiness:

“Now, have you ever thought my dear Christian brethren and sisters, about blessing your household? Do I hear someone objecting by saying, “I keep my religion to myself?” Do not be very anxious about its ever being stolen, then; you need not put it under lock and key; you don’t have enough religion to tempt the devil himself to come and take it from you. A man who can keep his godliness to himself has so little of it, I am afraid it will be no credit to himself, and no blessing to other people.

But have you met a father who seems to have no real interest in the spiritual welfare of his own children? He wants to see his sons prosper financially and he would like to see his daughters marry comfortably; but as to their being converted, it does not seem to trouble his heads. It is true the father attends worship and fellowships with other Christians; and he hopes his children may turn out well. But he never seems to have made it a matter of the anxiety of his soul that they shall be saved or not. “Out” with such a religion as that! Cast it on the dunghill; hurl it to the dogs. It is not the religion of God. He that cares not for his own household is worse than the heathen.

Praying the Promise of God Regarding Your Children: Never be content, dear parents, till all your children are saved. Lay the promise before your God. The promise is unto you and unto your children. The Greek word does not refer to infants, but to children, grand-children, and any descendants you may have, whether grown up or not. Do not cease to plead, till not only your children but your great grand-children, if you have such, are saved. I stand here today a proof that God is not untrue to his promise. I can cast my eye back through four or five generations, and see that God has been pleased to hear the prayers of our grandfather’s grandfather, who used to supplicate with God that his children might live before him to the last generation, and God has never deserted the house, but has been pleased to bring first one and then another to fear and love his name. So be it with you: and in asking this you are not asking more than God is bound to give you. He cannot refuse unless he turns back from his promise. He cannot refuse to give you both your own and your children’s souls as an answer to the prayer of your faith.

“Ah,” says one, “but you do not know what children mine are.” No, my dear friend, but I know that if you are a Christian, they are children that God has promised to bless.

“O but they are such unruly ones, they break my heart.” Then pray God to break their hearts, and they will not break your hearts any more.

“But they will bring my grey hairs with sorrow to the grave.” Pray God then that he may bring their eyes with sorrow to prayer, and to supplication, and to the cross, and then they will not bring you to the grave.

“But,” you say, “my children have such hard hearts.” Look at your own. You think they cannot be saved: look at yourselves, he that saved you can save them.

Go to him in prayer, and say, “Lord, I will not let you go except you bless me;” and if your child is at the point of death, and, as you think, at the point of damnation on account of sin, still plead like the nobleman, “’Lord, come down lest my child perish (John 4:49), and save me for your mercy’s sake (Psalm 109:26).’ And oh, God that dwells in the highest heavens never refuse your people. Be it far from us to dream that you would ever forget your promise. We put our hand upon your Word most solemnly and pledge you to your covenant. You said your mercy is unto the children’s children of them that fear you and follow your commandments (Psalm 103:17). You said this promise is unto us and unto our children (Acts 2:39); Lord, you will not turn back from your own covenant; we challenge your word by holy faith this morning—”Do as you have said.”