Blessed To Be A Blessing: Pray Like Jesus, Part 1

We’ve looked at a few ways God would have us be a blessing. First, we are to bless our world by surprising them with grace. That is, when we look for ways to express grace, either through our actions or our words we will be a blessing to our world. Second, we are to be a blessing by loving people without limits. We are to love anyone in need – regardless of race, politics, social status, personal interests, age, appearance, and even religious belief. We are to let mercy lead us and not be led by comfort, convenience, safety or security. And when we let mercy lead us to love without limits we will be a blessing.  And you have to admit, if we live as a people who pour out grace and mercy to those around us, our lives will make a difference. People will not just be blessed, they will actually experience a new kind of life… a life that would create a hunger and thirst in them to find out why we are so different.

But here’s the deal. We need help to live this way. We don’t usually fill out our day planners with activities that are meant to pour out grace and mercy to those around us. If you’re like me, we’ve grown accustomed to putting together our to do lists in life around our own lives. We plan our recreation, exercise, dinners and vacations all around what we want to accomplish. And then there are the necessary evils: work if you’re still working, doctor’s appointments, shopping, house cleaning, phone calls and trips to deal with family matters. It gets so that life can become so filled up with our things, that we don’t have the time to be about the things God.  In fact, we want to be a blessing in our world; we want to be more intentional about imparting grace to our neighbors; and we want to be more like Jesus and let mercy lead us. But it’s not that easy. We need help. And if that’s where you find yourself this morning, then you are in good company. Because Jesus needed God’s help too!

Our text today is Matthew 6:9-10, where we see how Jesus got help to do what God called Him to do, and how we can get help too. For it’s in Matthew 6 where we get to learn how to pray like Jesus. You see one of the most overlooked aspects of Jesus’ life was his total dependence on the Father. Jesus often slipped away early in the morning to find a solitary place to pray. Jesus regularly spent time with His Father in prayer. And if Jesus spent time with the Father for guidance and direction to live his life, then whatever he can teach us about prayer is worth learning.

The first thing I would say as we come to this very famous prayer is that Jesus teaches us HOW to pray not what to say! For if we look at this prayer in context, Jesus has been teaching about how not to pray. He just taught against making a show of prayer, and about repeating a formula for prayer. So as we come to his teaching about how to pray he’s already warned us against meaningless repetition of words in prayer. So this prayer is not a set of words for us to repeat. Now in saying this, there’s nothing wrong with learning this prayer and reciting it. But what Jesus is trying to help us grasp here is there is a way to align our hearts with the heart of God, there is a way Jesus met with the Father so that he could find confidence, strength and direction to live the life God was calling Him to live. So as we come to this prayer, Jesus teaches the way to pray, not just the words to say. So what’s the first way to pray like Jesus? It’s to…

Pray with confidence:  ‘Our Father in heaven’ The first way we are to pray like Jesus is to remind ourselves of our relationship with our Father God.  To pray like Jesus then means that we get to come to God as a person – our Father in heaven. The Bible tells us in Matthew 7:11, that our earthly father knows how to give us good gifts. But Jesus says, “how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him.” We have a Father who gives. In John 8:28, Jesus said,    “I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.” We have a Father who teaches. In John 11:41, Jesus prayer to the Father before the raising of Lazarus saying, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me.” We have a Father who hears.

What a difference this can make when we pray. We come to a person: One who gives, One who teaches, One who hears. This is the God of Eden who walked in the garden with Adam. This is the God who chose us before the foundation of the world. This is the God who adopted us and made us His own. We are His children. His ear is attuned to our cry. He delights in giving us good gifts. He wants to answer our questions.

This is why Jesus calls us to have a childlike faith. A child doesn’t think twice about coming to his father. A child just comes near and knows his Father will be there for him.  We get to come to God as our Father. We get to come as His child. The Almighty Creator of heaven and earth who exists in unapproachable light, has made himself approachable to our call. We have his ear! What a privilege, what a comfort to know that He wants us to come near.

This is why Jesus got up early everyday to pray. It wasn’t because he practiced some super religious discipline in prayer. He did it so He could draw near to the One who never stopped loving Him, to the One who was always there for Him.  That’s the first way to pray like Jesus, now the second

Pray with reverence: ‘Hallowed Be Your name’ What does it mean to hallow God’s name? It simply means to give reverence to God for who He is; to treat His name as Holy. God’s name is an expression of His identity. His name tells who He is. Maybe that’s one reason the Bible reveals so many different names for God. Each name expresses a different aspect of the uniqueness as God:

Elohim – The Mighty Creator (Genesis 1:1)

Adonai – Master or Lord (Genesis 15)

El Shaddai – God Almighty (Genesis 17)

El Elyon – God Most High (Genesis 14)

Yahweh – Self Existing One (Exodus 3:14-15)

Yahweh Jireh – the Lord our Provider (Genesis 22)

Yahweh Nissi – the Lord our Banner (Exodus 17:8-16)

Yahweh Rohi – the Lord our Shepherd (Psalm 23)

Yahweh Rophe – the God who Heals (Exodus 15:22-26)

This is our Father’s name. There is no one like our God. He is utterly above us in wisdom, grace, mercy and power. His thoughts are above our thoughts. His ways are above our ways. He alone is holy, righteous and good. This is what we are praying for when we hallow His name, that He might be known in all His glory.

It is vital that we learn to pray with this kind of reverence. For when we remind ourselves of His greatness, the evils of our world become so much smaller. When we remind ourselves of His power, the burdens that we carry become so much lighter. And when we remind ourselves that He is the ruler of heaven and earth, worries and fears leave us and His presence and peace sustain us.  And the more we hallow His name, something else begins to take place in us – the more we will want others to know the glory of His name. That’s how Jesus prayed and it impacted everything he said and did.   He lived to bring glory to the name of His Father. And if we can learn to pray like Jesus, it will change how we live too. God will be our strength, our hope, our life, and we will want others to know how Great He is. Hallowed be Your Name. That’s how Jesus prayed.

Pray with purpose: ‘Your Kingdom come’ Now this is a powerful request. For when Jesus arrived on the scene, he ushered in the presence of God’s kingdom… So this then is a revolutionary request. It’s a request to overthrow the powers of this world and replace them with the reign of Christ. This is why men like A. W. Tozer wrote: “The Christian is a Holy Rebel loose in the world with access to the throne of God. Satan never knows what direction the danger will come.”

“Your Kingdom Come” This is the request of a Jesus follower! For when we pray this way we are saying that our allegiance lies in another realm and that we serve a king who bows to no one. When we as God to usher in His Kingdom we are expressing a holy discontent with the present, an unwillingness to leave things as they are. E. Stanley Jones understood this. He wrote: “For in prayer you align yourself to the purposes and power of God, and He is able to do through you that He couldn’t otherwise do.”

This prayer is our rebel cry against the status quo. “Your kingdom come!” You see, the whole Bible points to the day when God would begin to restore His kingdom on earth. That day is today, with the people of God who have access to the throne of grace. “Your kingdom come!” is the prayer that asks God to help us be a blessing. “Your kingdom come!” is the prayer that changes lives. “Your kingdom come!” is the prayer that brings new life. This is why Jesus prayed this way. And if this was Jesus’ rebel cry, then it must be ours. Finally, Jesus want us to…

Pray with passion ‘Your will be done’   This is perhaps the most dangerous part of this prayer. Because this is the part of the pray that will change everything about us, if we choose to pray this way. For if we so dare to pray for God’s will to be done, we align our hearts to the strongest desires of God’s heart. That’s what Jesus came to do. Jesus came to do the Father’s will. That’s why Jesus never did anything without spending time alone with His Father.

So what’s God’s desire for all mankind? 2 Peter 3:9 says this, “He does not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” This verse summarizes best what Jesus came to do. He came to seek and to save the lost. And if we are truly want what God wants, if we truly ask “your will be done” then this is what God wants. He wants every person we lock eyes with to know His great love for them. He wants them to turn away from their empty way of life and turn to Him, the one who gave them life.

However, this is also the toughest part of this prayer for all of us. For if we are honest with ourselves, to ask God that His will be done, means that our will is done. It means that we want what He wants more than what we want. And let’s face it. We are willful people. We want what we want. We want life to revolve around us.  We’d rather create the life we want and ask God to bless it, rather than seek the life God wants for us, and trust Him to deliver it. So, yes. Jesus saves this way of prayer for the last. Why? Because it’s the way of surrender. It’s the way of dying to ourselves. It’s the way of faith.

This is the toughest aspect of praying like Jesus, no doubt. Jesus prayed this way and where did it lead Him? It led Him to the cross. But if you are serious about becoming more like Jesus, if you want to make a difference with your life… then praying like Jesus, praying for God’s will to be done… this is the prayer that invites God to not just work around you, but in you and through you. So yes, this is a dangerous prayer, because it is a prayer that God wants to answer.

So shall we begin to pray this way?  If you want God to help you truly be a blessing to those around us, to see His kingdom come to fruition, to see God change lives, to see your friends come to faith… If you want to see God do miracles in this place, then maybe it’s time we learned to pray like Jesus.  So here’s what I’m going to suggest we do. Each day in May, before your feet hit the floor, try praying this prayer:

“Our Father in heaven” Thank you for loving me and for always hearing me.

“Hallowed be Your name” Make Your name great in my life and in our world.

“Your Kingdom come” May You rule in my heart and open my neighbors heart.

“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” Not my will but Your will be done.

This is our rebel cry.

This is inviting God to change our world.

This is how we can pray like Jesus.