Your Father knows before you ask Him
In Matthew 6:7-8 Jesus basically says do not use many words when you pray (like the pagans) because your Father already knows what you need before you pray: many words do not increase your chances of having your requests answered.
We are then given verses 9-13 as an example of how to pray, the so called "Lord's Prayer".
One must assume that this prayer is not only an example of how to pray but also offers a contrast against how the "pagans" pray. So what is different? Presumably from v 7-8 the pagan's prayers are long and are focused on the fulfillment of needs. In contrast, the Lord's Prayer is short and contains only one request for needs, our daily bread, and it is only for today's needs, not tomorrow's.
The first three focusses of the Lord's Prayer are that the name of God be hallowed (honoured), that his kingdom come, and that his will be done. So what does this mean and how do we pray this? I mean aside from simply repeating the words, which I believe is meaningless if we do not understand their meaning. (If we cannot expand on it, if we cannot express it in our own 21st century words, then we cannot explain or understand it and the words might as well be spoken in another language, an incantation as foolish as those spoken by magicians casting spells.)
I'll start with your kingdom come since this one somehow seems the most clear to me. After all, kingdom is a form of government and we are surrounded by all kinds of government in daily life. Federal, provincial and city government. Corporate government. Church and family government. Government of NGOs, schools and sports leagues. Does your kingdom come simply mean that the government of heaven is influencing the government of earth? That the old order of the jungle (nature red in tooth and claw) or tribalism is giving way to something more Godly, more heavenly, more humane or, we might be more likely to say, more civilized? And what has this got to do with me since I am not a government leader, really just a cog in the machine with seemingly little to no influence on how decisions get made.
And yet Jesus wants us to pray for his Kingdom before we pray for our own needs. After all, he already knows our needs...
We are then given verses 9-13 as an example of how to pray, the so called "Lord's Prayer".
One must assume that this prayer is not only an example of how to pray but also offers a contrast against how the "pagans" pray. So what is different? Presumably from v 7-8 the pagan's prayers are long and are focused on the fulfillment of needs. In contrast, the Lord's Prayer is short and contains only one request for needs, our daily bread, and it is only for today's needs, not tomorrow's.
The first three focusses of the Lord's Prayer are that the name of God be hallowed (honoured), that his kingdom come, and that his will be done. So what does this mean and how do we pray this? I mean aside from simply repeating the words, which I believe is meaningless if we do not understand their meaning. (If we cannot expand on it, if we cannot express it in our own 21st century words, then we cannot explain or understand it and the words might as well be spoken in another language, an incantation as foolish as those spoken by magicians casting spells.)
I'll start with your kingdom come since this one somehow seems the most clear to me. After all, kingdom is a form of government and we are surrounded by all kinds of government in daily life. Federal, provincial and city government. Corporate government. Church and family government. Government of NGOs, schools and sports leagues. Does your kingdom come simply mean that the government of heaven is influencing the government of earth? That the old order of the jungle (nature red in tooth and claw) or tribalism is giving way to something more Godly, more heavenly, more humane or, we might be more likely to say, more civilized? And what has this got to do with me since I am not a government leader, really just a cog in the machine with seemingly little to no influence on how decisions get made.
And yet Jesus wants us to pray for his Kingdom before we pray for our own needs. After all, he already knows our needs...
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