For Christian Sisters

Our Father

19 December 2017 AnneT Blog, The Lord's Prayer An ordered list of links for each blog series is on the Archive page. (0)

Third in The Lord's Prayer Series, "The best prayer to pray in times of stress"

Father. The word may comfort or it may offend. If a person had none, then relating to God as one is hard, and yet very special since he is the only Father they will ever know.

God states he is the Father of the fatherless. (Ps 68:5) He who made the heart understands its deep need of a father, and promises to be our Father: When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up. (Ps 27:10)

For those who call him Father, he will not tolerate greater loyalty to another: "For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes [shall be] they of his own household." (Mat 10:35-36)

Nonetheless, he commands respect for the father: Honor your father and your mother; Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. (Eph 6:1)

But how can a son respect an alcoholic father? How can a daughter honor a mother who deserted her? God understands. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. (Isa 49:15)

Parents disappoint but God, never. We can ask Him how to honor our parents; He will provide answers to deep mysteries that set us in a maze of doubts, and shepherd us to the end.

A more difficult challenge: "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me." (Mat 10:37-38) We must have much, much greater love, respect, adoration and obedience for our heavenly Father than for any earthly one. If we know Christ, it wil not be hard.

Christ said to Thomas: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him" — Philip then said to him, "Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us." Jesus replied, "Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou [then], Shew us the Father? Believe me that I [am] in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake." (John 14:6-10)

The disciples had times of great stress, and stress causes us to forget what we know to be true. We lose our bearings. North? Where is it? East? Which way? Christ? Where is he? Who is he? Know this: Christ was and is "the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." (Isa 9:6b)

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Consider the "Our"

12 December 2017 AnneT Blog, The Lord's Prayer An ordered list of links for each blog series is on the Archive page. (0)

Second in The Lord's Prayer Series, "The best prayer for times of stress"

Stopping to think: it was the only begotten son — the only divine child of the Father, who invited the ones he came to save to pray with him, "Our Father."

Only Jesus Christ was with God in the beginning (John 1:1), the one who made all things (John 1:3); who was the true Light of men (John 1:9); who gave men power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name (John 1:12). Those of us who have received him are now born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:13). And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. (John 1:16)

Reflecting further about this marvelous grace, John said, Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God… (I John 3:1a)

If you are tempted to feel you are alone, stop and consider: Jesus is your older brother. That is enough to calm any anxiety in your heart. A good older brother is a great comfort. Yes, Jesus loves you.

We should never see ourselves as unconnected, without a family, or without a purpose. You have a sister in North Korea who is starving in a prison camp; a brother in Egypt under a threat of death because he will not renounce his faith; a mother in Sweden who wants to take care of her family without government intervention; a brother in Mexico who will die today for his stand against gangs. Let us pray for our family!

The first word of the Lord's prayer reminds us we are not alone, and we can be sure that as we pray, we are heard on behalf of our family members, near and far. They are remembering us, too.

Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. (Mat 12:48b-50)

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Desperation Discoveries

06 December 2017 AnneT Blog, The Lord's Prayer An ordered list of links for each blog series is on the Archive page. (0)

First in The Lord's Prayer Series, "The best prayer for times of stress"

What is the best prayer to pray when you are discouraged and overwhelmed?

Psalm 102?…

[[A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD.]] Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee. (vs 1, KJV)
Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily. For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth. My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread. By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin. I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert. I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top. (vss 2-7, NIV)

Yes, at times echoing the desperate pleas of the Psalmist exactly expresses our feelings and assures us we are not hopeless; others have felt the same, even others who were greatly loved by God and whose faith must have been much stronger than ours.

Or, what about praying the words of a saint who came to Christ after many battles with the flesh, whose faith was secured four centuries after Pentecost — when the Helper was sent to us? Augustine left us this prayer:

Blessed are all thy Saints, O God and King, who have travelled over the tempestuous sea of this mortal life, and have made the harbor of peace and felicity. Watch over us who are still in our dangerous voyage; and remember such as lie exposed to the rough storms of trouble and temptations. Frail is our vessel, and the ocean is wide; but as in thy mercy thou has set our course, so steer the vessel of our life toward the everlasting shore of peace, and bring us at length to the quiet haven of our heart's desire, where thou, O our God, are blessed, and livest and reignest for ever and ever.

That one is good. But he seems to have forgotten how DESPERATE one can feel.

This prayer of a man nearer to our generation is a gem. It was written down by Dietrich Bonhoeffer while awaiting execution in a Nazi prison: (from The Oxford Book of Prayer, Oxford U. Press, 1985)

O God, early in the morning I cry to you.
Help me to pray.
And to concentrate my thoughts on you:
I cannot do this alone.
In me there is darkness,
But with you there is light;
I am lonely, but you do not leave me;
I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;
I am restless, but with you there is peace.
In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;
I do not understand your ways,
But you know the way for me…

Restore me to liberty,
And enable me so to live now
That I may answer before you and before me.
Lord, whatever this day may bring,
Your name be praised.

Sometimes, a very short prayer is helpful: "Lord, save me!" Peter cried as he sank in the waters and felt the boisterous wind. (Mat 14:30)

All heartfelt prayer helps in times of stress, but perhaps the best one is The Lord's Prayer.

Perhaps we would not at first think to pray The Lord's Prayer when anxious and despairing. Yet it points us in right directions to steady ourselves; it encourages discipline while reminding of treasures in heaven and it draws us to ponder eternal mysteries — mysteries that may frighten us away from stress to soberness of spirit!

Here begins a series of posts on that very helpful prayer.

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