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The vast majority of prayers are misguided and meaningless. They
generally ask for things/developments that are premature to
understanding the gospel and truth, things/developments that are not
authorized, developments not under God's control, or things/developments
that would be counterproductive, or things/developments that God cannot
do without violating the eternal principles and ethics.
The Lord's Prayer
07/04/2018
The "Lord's Prayer" is found in both Matthew and Luke. Although they are
somewhat different in the order of the sentiments, the one in Matthew
incorporates all of what is in Luke. Here is the one in Matthew 6:9-13:
Therefore you would pray like this:
Our Father in the heavens,
may your authority be honored,
may your kingship come,
may your will be accomplished
also on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Provide for us today our daily sustenance*.
And dismiss our obligations
as we also dismiss those obligations to us.
And do not let us come into temptation,
but rescue us from the evil.
The kingship, the power, and the glory for the ages are because of you!
So be it.
Commentary: The content and its limitation, and even the format of
this prayer, has significant implications and ramifications. One major
implication, along with the fact that they are not honored, is that the
vast majority of prayers are misguided and meaningless. They generally
ask for things/developments that are premature to understanding the
gospel and truth, things/developments that are not authorized,
developments not under God's control, or things/developments that would
be counterproductive, or things/developments that God cannot do without
violating the eternal principles and ethics. This prayer has none of
that! Another implication is that this prayer is for those that already
have prayed for the inauguration in themselves of the God spirit and
have found and understood the truth.
Three Desire Sentiments
The prayer begins with three desire sentiment statements before the
four valid requests are introduced. The person that understands the
truth will appreciate the validity of these major things and that for
them these things ARE AUTHORIZED.
First Valid Request
The provision of daily sustenance is
of course foundational and its need is unequivocal. This aspect CANNOT
go unfulfilled!
Second Valid Request
The progression of growth in the true seeker of truth, those that
recognize the demonstration of God, is that first the seeker apprehends
the truth, then understands it more fully, sees the beauty, elegance and
compelling motivation of it, and finally settles into it, really
believes it. When this progression is well under way, then can the
candidate begin to naturally dismiss the transgressions/obligations of others.
Third Valid Request
The third request can be translated as "And do not bring us into
being tested." Temptations to doubt or for being distracted or
sidetracked are always there, as well as temptations of being unethical
or profligate, but these lose their allure in the light of what is being
imminently offered. What is of more moment is the aspect of being tested
to an agonizing degree to just lose it, and we don't want to face that,
nor should we.
Final Valid Request
Finally, in the light of our victimhood, our being enmeshed in the
"human condition", the deliverance from the evil is the essence, the
bottom line of the good news. We all want and ultimately deserve to live in
a perfect universe where we enjoy the entire package of the Kingship of the
Heavens..
When the paradigm of the gospel and the picture of truth is realized,
this prayer can be seen as simply and elegantly covering the basics of
what we all want and need from the creator of the universe.
* This word is usually translated as "bread", but often means the
necessities of life maintenance, and obviously means the latter here in
this passage.
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