And He Has Given Us His Spirit
This is the final week of breaking down the Lord’s Prayer. This was the prayer that Jesus taught us. Each week we’ve gone through it line by line, learning more about it.
- Our Father who art in Heaven; We can call Him Father – He wants a relationship with us that is more like an amazing earthly father.
- Hallowed be thy name; His name isn’t Howard – Hallowed means holy, set apart, worthy, consecrated, revered. We should respect God and remember who He is.
- Your kingdom come, Your will be done; Let go and let God – We think we know so much: but compared to God, we know so little.
- Give us this day our daily bread; Just enough – We don’t need more than that. It’s easy to get caught up in the worldly thinking of more, more, more. Trust God and don’t worry.
- Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; Forgiveness isn’t easy – We need to just let it go. Holding on to wrongs only hurt the ones holding on to them.
- Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil; Temptation is a real thing – We need to be aware of this and realize God will help us with it and give us the way out if we’ll ask.
This week’s focus is;
Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
God is the King. He is the creator of everything, including each of us. He also wants to have a personal relationship with us. Like a parent, He wants what’s best for us. It’s up to us whether to accept that relationship or not.
The Lord’s Prayer is a foundational prayer that most people have heard, and many know by heart. When we find ourselves in dire situations, prayer is often the response we turn to. A good example of this is Todd Beamer and the people on Flight 93 when it was hijacked on September 11, 2001.
Several passengers made calls to loved ones. Beamer was one of those. He tried to call his wife through a phone located on the back of a plane seat, but was routed to a customer-service representative, who passed him on to a GTE airphone supervisor, Lisa Jefferson.
According to accounts of phone conversations, Beamer, other passengers and flight crew decided to act. They formed a plan to take the plane back from the hijackers. Ultimately they decided to storm the cockpit and take over the plane.
Beamer told Jefferson that the group was planning to “jump on” the hijackers and fly the plane into the ground before the hijackers’ plan to fly into Washington D.C. could be followed through.
Beamer recited the Lord’s Prayer and the 23rd Psalm with Jefferson, prompting others to join in.
The last words heard by Lisa Jefferson was Beamer’s muffled voice clearly answering, “Are you ready? Okay. Let’s roll.” In an address to the joint session of Congress, President Bush praised the courage of the passengers of United Flight 93, invoking Beamer’s last words.
“Some of our greatest moments have been acts of courage for which no one could have been prepared. But we have our marching orders. My fellow Americans, let’s roll!”
He would use them again in the 2002 State of the Union address: “For too long our culture has said, ‘If it feels good, do it.’ Now America is embracing a new ethic and a new creed: ‘Let’s roll.'”
This past weekend was also Memorial Day, and I think these words are fitting as we remember and celebrate those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for others.
Jesus also made this sacrifice.
This past Sunday was Pentecost. This commemorates the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles. Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:2-4)
God is our King and our Father, and we need to be willing to do our part, whatever that is. We need to praise Him as King. In Psalm 145:1-13, David gives us a good example of how we can do this.
God is both our Father and our King. With the Fire of God, we can do the work that we’ve been called to do.
Let’s Roll!