Day 4: The Model Prayer

‘Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…’ (Matthew 6:9)

 The Lord’s Prayer is prayed around the globe in virtually every language. Back to my home town, I used to pray it in my own Iban language ‘Apai kami di serga, kudus meh nama nuan…’ I was young, I understand my need to ask for forgiveness, but I had no idea what most of the prayer meant.

The Lord’s Prayer is not a mantra or fixes formula to pray to God. Rather this prayer is a pattern for all Christian praying. Jesus is teaching that prayer will be acceptable when and only when, the attitudes, thoughts and desires expressed fit the pattern. J.I. Packer author of I want to be a Christian further explain that every prayer of ours should be a praying of the Lord’s Prayer in some shape or form.

He outlines that the Lord’s Prayer requires reference to a spectrum on 7 distinct activities:

1.     Approaching God in adoration and trust,

2.     Acknowledging His work and His worth, in praise and worship,

3.     Admitting sin and seeking pardon,

4.     Asking the needs be met, for ourselves and others,

5.     Arguing with God for blessing, as wresting Jacob did in Genesis 32,

6.     Accepting from God one’s own situation as He has shaped it,

7.     And Adhering to God in faithfulness through thick and thin.

‘’Our Father in heaven…’’ Andrew Murray explains that ‘to appreciate this word of adoration correctly, remember that none of the saints in Scripture ever ventured to address God as his Father.’ Therefore, I’m convincing that prayer to God as Father is for Christian only. (You might want to read my previous note on ‘’Knowing God as a Father’’ click title to read.)

‘’…hallowed be your name.’’ Adam Clarke comments (I simply it) ‘We hallow God’s name, 1st with our lips, 2nd in our thoughts, 3rd in our lives, 4th in our families and 5th in a particular calling or business."

‘’Your kingdom come...’’ The Father is a King Who has a Kingdom. ‘’..Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’’ Faith has accepted the Father’s love; obedience accepts the Father’s will. ‘’Give us this day our daily bread,’’ This mean that we are to pray for all need for material things, all need for spiritual renewing and restoring, and all need for guidance and help.

‘’…and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.’’ God will forgive us the same way as we forgive others. (You might want to read my previous note on ‘They are asking you now, 'Can you forgive me?' click title to read.) Such forgiveness is impossible without a forgiving spirit toward others. ‘’And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’’ Always ask the protection from all sin and the power of the evil one.

Whenever Reverend Peter Young came to give a talk in local church, camps or conferences, he almost always remind us that the Lord’s Prayer is about: Thy name, Thy Kingdom, Thy will; then give us, forgive us, lead us, deliver us. “Us’’ not ‘’My’’. That’s why the Lord’s Prayer is beneficial, particularly when we use it in a gathered congregation to unite our prayers.

When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we must do so from the heart, not mechanically. Jesus’ disciples asked Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray.’ So gives us the model for us to pray. Readers, we are made to pray, therefore we must learn to pray.

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Start with What You Have

Every time after finished reading some inspiring books, I used to think that ‘hey, I want to write something that will inspire others too!’ Initially I was fired up, flame above my head and my enthusiasm level reached it full signal. Then few hours later, after having a hot refreshing coffee, TV breaks and cool shower - my fire down, no more flame and enthusiasm level drastically decrease below empty signal.

I let hesitation and procrastination keep me from doing anything about it. Maybe some of you have the same internal dialog that goes like this: ‘If only I had this… if only this were different… if only I had more money, idea, resource, then I could do what I want to do.’ I hesitate because I always questioned myself, ‘Am I able to motivate or inspire or encourage others to live their life to the fullest? Am I qualified to say those words to them? Would my average readers who have a much better educational backgrounds will ever consider to read articles from a much lower education and village-born guy whom they didn’t know?...’

Toxic! Toxic! Toxic! This is a toxic thinking! Procrastination is the symptom, hesitation is toxic, and fear is the problem. Never let what you don’t have keep you from doing what you can do with what you have. You may have no voice to sing, but you have hands to play instruments. 2 years ago, a friend came to me after Church, ‘Chard, I don’t know how to lead worship in the Church, I don’t know how to do Bible Study for Sunday school… I’m useless.’ he said. I replied, ‘Man, you can be the best usher in this Church tho.’ Yes he does! Almost every Sunday morning whenever I came to visits his church, I saw his white teeth and heavy handshake welcoming congregation. And more, now he playing guitar for worship service in his church. (I heard that he’s leading Bible Study every week too.)

We don’t need more strength, ability or great opportunity, what we need is to use what we have. I don’t have impressive master degree or PhD, but what I have is a passion to add value to others. I don’t have a great mind to utter brilliant thoughts, but I have books and people to refer to and I get my ultimate inspiration from the One who creates my brain. Start with what you have, not what you don’t have.

John L. Mason writes, ‘Don’t waste time in doubts and fears about what you don’t have; spend yourself in the task before you, knowing that the right performance of this hour’s duties will be the best preparation for the years that follow it.’ He then quotes, “Grow where you are planted. Begin to weave, and God will give the thread.” (German Proverbs)

Remember: THINK BIG don’t focus on what you don’t have, START SMALL start with what you have, and GO DEEP for what you have is a gifts from God. Use it mightily for His Kingdom.

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Day 3: Alone with God

‘But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.’ (Matthew 6:6)

‘But when you pray...’ this verse suggests that God expecting us to pray. John Piper in his audio podcast Desiring God said, “God doesn’t say ‘if you pray’ but ‘when you pray’. He clearly wants us to pray and always expecting us to pray.” Dear readers of Motivate for Life, pray! Pray! Pray!

God sees everything we do, and He will reward our prayer done in secret. As Jesus’ followers we are not to make a show of our prayer like the hypocrites does. On previous verse, Jesus said, ‘And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men.’ Original word for hypocrites is hupokrites, which mean an actor under an assumed character (stage player). Have you seen someone dressed religiously pray in public places? Or group prayer in your local television channels? And you know that they acting doing it? That’s hypocrites!

‘…go into your room’, Jesus said. Room here refers to ‘storeroom’. My NIV Bible Study comments ‘… it is because; it had a door that could be shut.’ This does not mean that He’s condemning public prayer. But by praying in the private our motives is clear from pride and hypocrisy. During our Student Camp at Cameron Highland, my friend Enoch has a habit that he can freely pray during his shower. He closed the door, took his shower and prays.

J. Oswald Sanders in My Utmost for His Highest writes,

“Prayer is the effort of will. After we have entered our secret place and have shut the door, the most difficult thing to do is to pray; we cannot get our minds into working order, and the first thing that conflicts are wandering thoughts. The great battle in private prayer is the overcoming of mental wool-gathering. We have to discipline our minds and concentrate on willful prayer”

Pray in secret. Shut the door and pray. His promise is this, “Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.’ Our goal in prayer is to have an intimate relationship with Him. Never pray just for the sake of receiving His reward but seeking the One who give it. My Father sees, my Father hears, my Father knows. Take time to be alone with Him.

Day 2: The True Worshipper

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:23-24)

‘Where and when is the right time to worship God?’ that was my question when I was a new Christian. I thought that the only place I can worship God is in the Church and only on Sunday morning. The words ‘But the hour is coming, and is now here’ is simply means – not here or there only, but at all times and in all places. This is the privilege that the Lord had offer to us. Even 7-Eleven though there are many did not really open exactly 24 hours and as far as I know, there don’t have any store in the midst of Borneo jungle! D.A. Carson comments, ‘The prophets’ spoke of a time when worship would no longer be focused on a single, central sanctuary, when the earth would be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.’ This is the time!

Who are the true worshippers? “The true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.” These are the worshippers who know the Father. They are those who truly and sincerely worship God, and they do it with the heart, and not merely in form. ‘…for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.’ It is amazing that the Father is the one who initiate the whole process for us to worship Him. He is seeking you and me. It’s not the matter of - did He really seeking me but it’s a matter of how do I respond to Him.

Oh this is how lovely our God is! I imagine that my earthly father went looking for me ‘Richard! Richard! Come!’ While he knew that I was hiding somewhere under my bed, it’s up to me to come out of it and hug him. True love doesn’t force. So it is for us to worship Him, it’s a volunteering work.

‘…must worship in spirit and truth’. In spirit because ‘God is spirit…’ it means that God is invisible, divine as opposed to human beings ‘unless He chooses to reveal Himself’ as D.A. Carson puts it. Just like He initiate to seek us, God had also made possible for us to know Him through Jesus Christ. Andrew Murray writes ‘The worship in spirit is the worship of the Father in the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of Sonship.’ In truth because Jesus is full of grace and truth. He said regarding Himself, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ (John 14:6)

To be a true worshipper we must worship Him in spirit and truth. We are carnal and cannot bring God the worship He seeks. Therefore, Jesus has given us the Spirit and enabling us to worship Him at all times and in all places!
Come, join me in this journey of prayer.

Soren a Dreamer!

It was Sunday night, a Sabbath day for me and my housemates to rest and take time for leisure moments. We decided (actually I just chipped in without permission) to watch an animated fantasy movie Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole. It was an excited movie about a band of owls who dare to believe that the legendary group of owls the Guardians of Ga’Hoole is still exist and only they can save them from the evil scheme of the Pure Ones, the evil owls clan.

Soren is a fledging Barn Owl. He is also a dreamer. He believes what his father; Noctus said about a story or rather myth passing from one generation to another. I love this scene when they first learning how to fly, Soren somehow doing much better than his older brother, Kludd. ‘If you don’t mind, Kludd,’ he said, ‘I can tell you how I do it.’ ‘Alright, tell me how you do it~’. “I just imagine and dream that I’m in war with the Guardians of Ga’Hoole… flying with all my strength…’ Soren is a dreamer. By the end of the movie, his dream finally comes true. He lives what he dreams to become.

Walt Disney said, ‘All your dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.’ Don’t limit yourself, dream big dreams. Soren starts and finishes with a dream. This is not sleep and dream I’m talking about, this is wake up and dream. Wake up; declare war on compromise and procrastination. Consider your purpose and get out of mere existence mode. Enjoy your life. Pursue excellent rather than perfection. Wake up and dream!

Pat Mesiti tells us How to Find Your Dream:

• Know who you are: be yourself

• Work on your inner qualities

• If you don’t have a dream, find a need and fill it

• Identify your strengths

• Speak your dream into existence

• Develop other people

• Have fun

• Choose faith, not fear

• Keep your dream alive and GO FOR IT!

Remember, THINK BIG be a dreamer like Soren, START SMALL learn to ‘fly’ by imagining your dream comes alive, GO DEEP make your dream significant for the betterment of others.

Related Link, click on the title:
Week 23: Determination - I have a Dream!



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For better or worst?

People been hustling and swaging to love and be loved. I bet 90% of the congregation skipped the part when the preacher talks about ‘’surrender everything to God, He will do the rest, you better get rest’’. 

The action of putting God first in everything we do is just not the biggest quote ever to be accepted by anyone who is in love or broken-hearted. I was, been there and done that. I’ve been going through unstable relationship within 13 years, YES LONG JOURNEY INDEED BUT IT STILL GOING TO BE LONG ENOUGH because I am not married yet. The point is: I am a different person, as for now I am making a decision to be ‘’on the hook’’. 

Why I use ‘hook’ as the idiom?

Hook here refers to having a permanent ‘standard’ to move on after years of disappointment. My standard is God’s direction. I have downloaded my ‘GPS’ app from God-get as He installed it in my smart-life. Wanna try ? :P

Why do I emphasize too much on God’s direction?

Let us see Abraham’s life because he was the most faithful prophet whose listen to God’s direction very well (Hebrew chapter 11). One of the parts we are going to discussed is about his 2 sons: (Click picture to enlarge)

It got to my sense God was unjust between Isaac and Ishmael. As I did the comparison, there is nothing much different. Both of them were in difficulties, loved by Abraham and choose to be the covenants with many children. However, Ishmael was born in usual way compared to Isaac was born because of God’s promise to Sarah and Abraham. 

How does Abraham story apply on relationship matter?

Although without God’s direction, each of us will still going out for dates and have fun holding hand with our partner. I can write down the list of our ideal’s partner the whole night or enter and escape different relationships to gain experienced until I decide who to marry or even serving the church for God’s mercy to fix my relationship problem but I never feeling captivated by the love I was created or defined to soothe myself. 

God’s choice was based on His call not on anything we had done (Romans 9: 10-16). While I was out of God-GPS, I never been as happy and as free as I am now. I was emotional disturbed while searching for instant comforts but it happens to be just INSTANT comforts indeed. I surrender my future unto God, I do not even want to imagine the ideal guy whom I will married too, I am enjoying the day I am still a single lady (single here refers to not married yet status). 

I had wasted my time worrying too much about spouse or couple relationship issue but now I have decided to be ‘on the hook’, it bring out the priority to be back to the basic which is more time to spend with my families, friend and myself. They are in the circle of relationship line too. Therefore, there is no reason to neglect families and friends when we have blessed with a partner.

Remember this: For better or worst, before I say ‘I do’ to my bride, I would sign-in God’s direction application to be installed in my heart for easy access to hear His voice.

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Priscilla Andrew is from Miri, Sarawak. She's a daddy girl, so we might assume that she's quite a tough young lady. She loves to quote, ''Look at the world with your heart not with your head'' Writing on Being a Woman doesn't mean she's there already, this is a long term process. But along the way; she's learning and that's when this note come into written words.

Day 1: The Only Teacher

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray…’ (Luke 11:1)

His disciples were with Him all this while and had seen Him pray. He is the Master in the art of prayer. Albert Barnes’s Notes on the Bible in my E-Sword writes, ‘Luke has taken notice of our Saviour’s praying often. Thus, at his baptism; in the wilderness; before the appointment of the apostles, he continued all night in prayer; he was alone praying; his transfiguration also took place when he went up to pray.’ No wonder his disciple asked him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray.’

When I was in school, I’m very poor with the subject of History. I just don’t get it why I should study about someone whom I didn’t know and why border to remember dates at all? (Do you still remember when was the date for Parameswara founded the Malacca Sultanate?) It was different for Beatrice, she loves to study History. She can ever remember names, places and dates. One day I came to her and said, ‘Beatrice, teach me how to study History.’ She taught me very well and I got a better result on my exam compared to my previous year.

I knew that I shouldn’t ask Sammy to teach me. He was also quiet slow and History was our worst subject. I must ask the right person. Just like Jesus’ disciples, they asked the right question, ‘Lord, teach us to pray’ to the right person: Jesus. Andrew Murray writes, ‘We can most joyfully say, “Who teaches like Him?” Jesus never taught His disciples how to preach, only how to pray.’

Having realized that my prayer life is weak and I knew that faith without prayer is useless – I surrender. I couldn’t develop this wonderful yet quite difficult discipline without His help. The true method of praying can be learned only by our being properly taught. Indeed, we cannot pray acceptably at all unless God shall teach us how to pray.

Teach me to Pray 

by Henri Nouwen

Every day I see again that only you

can teach me to pray,

Only you can set my heart at rest.

Only you can let me dwell in your presence.

No book, no concept or theory will

ever bring me close to you

unless you yourself are the One

who lets them become the doors to you.

But Lord, let me at least remain

open to your initiative.

Let me wait patiently and 

attentively for the hour when you will come

and break through the walls I have erected.

Create new doors.

Teach me, O Lord, to pray.

Come, join me in the School of Prayer and asked Jesus, the Son of God to teach us how to pray. ‘Lord, teach us to pray.’