12 And the LORD said to Moses, 13 “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you ... 16 Therefore, the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. 17 It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’” (Exodus 31: 12-13, 16-17 ESV)
As a society, we are inundated with endless to-do lists, expectations that push us to achieve more and greater levels of success (often as defined by our social circles), fear of failure, interpersonal struggles, conflicts, professional pressures, personal or internal critiques, concerns, etc.
I'm sure you get the idea. Perhaps you're caught in the struggle right now, wondering why vacations are needed to recuperate from the vacation.
Or maybe you're one of the people we need to seek out for advice on how to get free from the shackles that keep us tethered to our personal, professional, and societal expectations.
It is not uncommon for us, even devout Christ followers, to be ensnared by these pressures. It's an insidious infection that penetrates our beings at birth. Parents compare how quickly their children progress through stages of development, and then academic growth, followed up by their graduations, college choices and progress, and eventually careers and successes. Employers have been known to set colleagues into situations where they are in competition with one another. Individuals fight to keep up with their friends and families who seem to be navigating life experiences at a quicker pace.
It isn't only our striving to keep up with societal demands that keep our blood pressures elevated and bodies rest-deprived. Many battle through guilt that comes from failed attempts at freedom, broken relationships, seeking acceptance and love but somehow always feeling just shy of the goal. Our minds are burdened with lack, wishing for the day when we finally live the abundant life Jesus promised in Scripture (John 10:10).
While none of these things are inherently wrong, there is a deception and a trap that we as humans tend to fall into: there's no rest for the weary. And we push through the exhaustion to accomplish the next task to please our unrelenting, unforgiving taskmaster.
But if this is true, then we must ask whether the Bible, more specifically--Jesus's words--bears any truth.
"Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-29 ESV).
With these words, Jesus has invited us to a place where striving can cease and we lay our burdens at His feet. His peace and rest are there, waiting to fill us with strength and wholeness. His is the rest that refreshes our souls and breathes new life into our lungs.
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I am tempted to equate Jesus with the Sabbath, as He provides everything the Sabbath rest was created for. While He doesn't claim to be the Sabbath, He tells us He is Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8, Mark 2:28, Luke 6:5).
Recently, I was reminded of the importance of taking time away, as Jesus did often, and reconnecting with the Lord in a private time of prayer and refreshing. He will strengthen us to complete every day. But He has created a Sabbath rest for us to enjoy and to allow our bodies, minds, and yes our souls, to rest and refresh from the day-to-day. Just be sure to remember that Jesus desires to meet us there in the quiet place.
Jesus is our place of rest. True rest. We don't have to walk this life with all its burdens alone. He is safe. We can be honest with Him. In fact, I believe He wants our honesty instead of our stiff upper lip, grin-and-bear-it declarations that we are "blessed and highly favored" in answer to anyone asking "How are you?"
Of course, we are all blessed and highly favored. But when we are fighting a battle and becoming weary and weak, it's important to ask for help. The other day, as I sat in my little office, I whispered to the Lord, "I can't do this alone. I need You." And a day or two later, I sat in a prayer meeting when two of the Lord's daughters came beside me, saying, "You don't have to walk alone." They had no idea I was in need of an Aaron and Hur--they have no idea the battle/s I've been fighting (Exodus 17:10-13).
That's body ministry.
We need one another as the body of Christ, not for comparison and weighing ourselves in the balance, coming up short; but to build one another up and walk along-side providing a shoulder to lean on in times of need.
When we do this, we will find our community of Christ-followers grow and become irresistible to others looking in.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
We have spent the past several weeks studying the Lord's Prayer and its implications for our lives. He will not share His glory with another.
I don't know about you, but I have been finding myself challenged in my walk with Christ. I love Him. And I never want to do anything that would put up walls between us.
Challenge, or difficulty, creates a space of discomfort. If you're like me, discomfort is not something we hope to experience. But Paul instructs, "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer" (Romans 12:12 ESV).
What does this have to do with the Lord's Prayer? More specifically, the final line, "For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen" (Matthew 6:13b)?
From the beginning of this study, we learned that Jesus instructed his disciples to go into the "secret place" or their "closet" and pray where they would not be seen, where no one knew of their contribution to the spiritual realm. Jesus was not impressed by those who performed good deeds to be seen. "They have received their reward," he said (Matthew 6:2, 5).
It's easy to act Christ-like when performing before an audience. But integrity isn't proven in the public square. It's how a person is when no one is looking that reveals their true character. The Cambridge Dictionary defines integrity as "the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles" (Cambridge Dictionary, Integrity n.d.).
When we endeavor to go deeper with the Lord's Prayer, living out each request made, it is imperative we are committed to laying down our own ideals, opinions, and agendas in order that we might surrender wholly to our Father, God, and King.
And this is ultimately what is required in order to fulfill Jesus' instructions to us, to be unlike the hypocrites. Throughout Scripture, we are commanded to come out and be separate from them. Not only did Jesus speak out about those seeking to be seen when doing "righteous acts" to be seen by men, He put a finger on those praying on the street corners, using many, and often repetitious words, thinking they would be heard for their vast vocabulary (Matthew 6: 5-6).
So is praying this iconic prayer vain repetition?
Only if you say it out of duty rather than devotion and a heart to live it out.
When we seek to live for Christ, live out the Lord's prayer by making it personal, knowing that when I pray "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven," (Matthew 6:10-11), He will answer my prayer. It is His will that His kingdom fill my heart and that I grow and change to become more like Him every day. In order to become more like Him, I will need to take up my cross DAILY and follow Him (Matthew 16:24). The cross is the place where my flesh with its desires for self dies. It's the place of discomfort and change.
It's where growth will begin.
King Solomon was known as the wisest of all kings. He had great wealth and honor around the world. Dignitaries from all over came to see his wealth. But he didn't come by this on his own. As a young king, he asked of the LORD to grant him wisdom. And the LORD poured out upon him more than he could've imagined. At the end of his life, he'd amassed so much, including more than 700 wives, many of whom enticed him away from his devotion to the LORD. Once he'd spent his life on folly, we can see through his writings in Ecclesiastes that he realized his error. He closes this book with "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
Even Solomon in all his splendor realized his source was God alone.
When studying to gain depth to the last line of the Lord's Prayer, I found one commentator who stated there isn't much study on this part. He reasoned that this lack was likely do to the inconsistency of its appearance across translations of Scripture. Many scholars don't believe it was part of the original.
Personally speaking, to close the prayer with this doxology seals it up. It begins with adoration and ends with adoration. And the Lord is woven throughout the prayer.
Yes, the middle parts are requests for provision and safety, but one might argue as stated in previous lessons that Jesus is the one who provides these things. Jesus is the bread of life. Jesus is our strong tower. Jesus is our rest. He is our healer, redeemer, and soon coming King. And when he comes:
"After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,"
and then
"Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure--"
... for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints (Revelation 19:1, 6-8).
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And the glory of Jesus will be revealed:
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.
From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords" (Revelation 19: 11-16).
Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He conquered death and hell.
I cannot claim even a sliver of His great power; although, through Him I can walk in His power and authority. Without Him I can do no good thing.
So, attribution of glory and power goes to the One who alone deserves it.
And we shouldn't find it strange when, endeavoring to wrap ourselves in His glory, we become aware of the oppression around us, threatening to weigh us down in anxiety and stress. Instead, we can settle into His cloak of righteousness and rest while He wields His sword against our enemy, the devil.
As mentioned at the beginning, I've been challenged in my journey with Christ these past few weeks. I firmly believe that the teacher always has the opportunity to learn (through experience) the lessons they are sharing. (It lends to credibility.)
During a personal and professional storm, I found myself holding to frustration and anger towards people, forgetting that "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12), But once the Lord reminded me, I took up my armor once again, remembering that it is He who is my shield of faith, helmet of salvation, sword of the Spirit, belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, and my shoes that keep me ready to carry the gospel of peace wherever I go (Ephesians 6: 12-20).
Whether the storm continues to rage for any of us, we are invited to rest in the presence and power of Jesus. And through it all, He will be glorified, magnified, and seen by all who see how He leads us through the roughest waters.
And as we look upon His glory, we will be changed to be more like Him.
