Reflections on God: Doxology

We come, now, to the last part of the Lord's Prayer.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. Matthew 6:13

This last bit of the Lord's Prayer isn't a petition. It's a doxology. And what's that? A doxology is an expression of praise to God. If you think about it, the Psalms are filled with doxologies. The last of the canonical Psalms is pure doxology. But doxology is not just an Old Testament thing. Here's one example from the New Testament.

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20–21

And as you can see in this example, a doxology usually speaks of some particular aspect of God that is being praised. In this case, it is how He powerfully answers prayer.

I think that you will agree that a doxology is a fitting way to end the Lord's Prayer.

But there are depths here, depths that need to be explored if we are going to understand and appreciate what doxologies are about. So, a few questions.
 

Reflections on God: Deliver Us From Evil

We return to consider more aspects of who our God is and what He’s up to. This time we’ll use this petition of the Lord’s Prayer: ‘Deliver us from evil’. Let’s see what Jesus has to teach us from this.

It’s an obvious fact that there is evil all around us. Even just a quick look, especially these days, will confirm that. And there are plenty of places in the Scriptures that will also confirm that. Here are just a couple.

[Jesus] gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, Galatians 1:4

[Make] the most of your time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:16

Our world is filled with evil. That, of course, isn’t the whole story, but it is an important part of it.

Reflections on God: Lead Us Not Into Temptation

I’m here, again, to take a look at some Scripture to see what it has to say about the nature of the God whom we worship. I do this because grasping more and more fully what God is actually like is the basis of being able to worship Him better and better, and thus to serve Him wholeheartedly. And all of this will result in a changed life that will be used by the Spirit to change the world.

Continuing the pattern of that last few weeks, I’m going to use one of the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer. Today, it’s: ‘Lead us not into temptation’.

The first question to ask about this Scripture seems obvious to me. Does God actually do this kind of thing? Does He actually lead His children into temptation? Well, He must. If He didn’t, why would Jesus have us pray like this?

Reflections on God: Forgive Us Our Debts

Time for the next look at God. And to do that we’re going to use the next petition of the Lord’s Prayer: Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. (Matthew 6.12)

Let’s start with a quote that someone famous is supposed to have said on his deathbed: ‘God will forgive me. It’s his job.’ Now, if it were just this person who thinks in this way, who would care? But, sadly, there are many who agree with him. They may never actually say what he said, but it is an assumption that they have about life. It’s God’s job to forgive - which, of course, He will always do. And what is even sadder is that many of these people are Christians. Again, they may not say anything like this out loud, but it is an attitude of their hearts, an assumption about life. And that is so very dangerous.

Reflections on God: Daily Bread

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been using the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer to guide our reflections on who God is. Today, we’re going to take a look at the next petition, ‘Give us this day our daily bread’. What does this have to say about God? Well, there is an important assumption in this petition that will answer that question. The assumption is that our Father provides all that we need.

Now, that will sound appropriately spiritual sounding to many, but it would be fair for someone to ask me how I got that from a prayer about bread. I have an answer for that question. In literature, you can refer to the whole of something by mentioning only a part of that something. This is not something that I have created. It’s something from the smart people. They even have coined a fancy grammatical label for it: synecdoche, ‘a figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole or the whole for a part’.

Reflections of God: Thy Will Be Done

So, what does this petition from the Lord’s Prayer, ‘Thy will be done’, have to teach us about what our God is like? To answer that, we’ll have to first clarify something. What is this ‘will of God’? There actually are a few ways that this phrase is used in the Bible. I think that you can see that it’s important to be clear on the way that it is used in this petition.

Sometimes ‘the will of God’ is about what God has decided to do.

all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?’ Daniel 4:35

In this passage, God has decided what is going to happen and that’s the end of that because it’s His will.

But then, there are other times when ‘the will of God’ has to do with something different.

Reflections on God: His Kingdom

We’re back to take a look at God. Once again, we’re going to use something from the Lord’s Prayer to guide us: ‘Thy kingdom come’.

So, what’s this about? God is a king who rules over creation. This is a common enough theme of the Scriptures. Here’s just one sample:

The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! Psalm 97.1

However, you may have noticed that not everyone is all that glad when it comes to God’s rule. There is a rebellion against the King. It is a rebellion that started back in the Garden of Eden. Obviously, that’s not good, and something needs to be done about it.

Reflections on God: Hallowed Be Thy Name

We are going to take another look at the Lord's Prayer so that we can reflect a bit on God. This time we're going to consider the first petition of the prayer: Hallowed be Thy name.

The word 'hallow' is not complicated. Explaining it won't take much. But it's important to be very clear about the word 'name'. So, I'm going to spend a little time on that one.

In our culture, for the most part, a person's name is simply a label that you can use to refer to that person. But in the Bible, a name had greater significance. A name was a description of some aspect of the person named.

Let me start with some familiar examples of this. God changed Abram's name to Abraham. He did that when He promised him that he would be a father of a multitude, which is what Abraham means.

Jesus changed Simon's name to Peter, a rock, and He did that when He told Simon,

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18

 And then, there is, of course, Jesus own name. In Hebrew, it means 'the LORD is salvation'.

And all of this explains that verse in the beginning of Genesis.

Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. Genesis 2:19

Adam wasn't handing out labels. He was identifying some aspect of the animal by the name that he gave it.

Now, we're ready to introduce the notion of God's name. Remember this is more than a label. It is a description of some aspect of God. However, no one names God. He names Himself. So, in the Bible, God's name is His own revelation of some aspect of who He is.

Here are just a few examples:

The Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 1.4)
The Almighty (Genesis 49.25)
The Most High (Psalm 7.17)
Redeemer (Job 19.25)

It's important to note that while God reveals aspects of who He is by formal names, like those in my list, He also does that by using imagery. So, He describes Himself as a shepherd (Psalm 23.1), a husband (Isaiah 54.5) and an eagle (Exodus 19.4)

And then, there are times when He uses concepts. Here's one example.

Him to whom we must give an account (Hebrews 4.13)

All of these, and lots more, are included in 'God's Name', a description of some aspect of God.

Now, for the other word, 'hallowed'. The word here can also be translated 'make holy', 'make sacred' or 'consecrate'. This is about setting something apart as special because of what it is and treating it appropriately.

Now, in light of all of this, what does Jesus call us to pray for in this petition? He wants us to pray that God's name would be set apart as special because of what it is.

What exactly does that mean? How do we consecrate or make special God's name? Be careful. It's about more than how we respond to a label like 'God Almighty' or 'Jesus'. It's about how we respond to Him as He has revealed Himself to us. We respond to Him as the special person that He is.

So, consider a few of the names that I've mentioned.

How are you to respond to God as 'the Holy One'? One appropriate response would be to be serious about the work of killing off your sins, as the Apostle calls for in, for example, Colossians 3.5-6, and when you fail at that, to offer to Him an honest acknowledgement of your sin (aka: 'confession').

How are you to respond to God as your 'shepherd'? It would make sense for you to rest in His care, trusting Him to provide for your needs and to protect you from whatever comes down the pike.

And how are you to respond to God as 'Him to whom we must give an account'? Personally, I think that this is obvious. Work at preparing now for the day when your life will be evaluated. (See, for example, 2 Corinthians 5.10.)

So, here's the point. Your life is about understanding God's name (how He has revealed Himself) and working hard to hallow that name (responding wisely to what He has revealed). This is true for you not because you are a Christian. This is true for you simply because you are someone created by God. And that means that it's true for everybody.

It only makes sense, then, to pray for more of the grace that Jesus provides. I would suggest that you pray for the desire as well as the ability to get to know Him better, that is, to understand more of how He has revealed Himself, and also to pray for the desire as well as the ability to respond appropriately to what He shows you.

Reflections on God: 'Our Father (the One who likes me)'

We are going to take another look at the first line of the Lord's Prayer to come to understand our God a bit better. Last time we spent time on the phrase, 'who art in heaven'. Today, it's going to be what comes before that, 'Our Father'.

So, what does it mean that God is our Father? There's much here, but I think what most Christians consider first is that God loves us. That is an aspect of the Gospel that we've all heard many, many times. It is something that we all need to reminded of quite often.

However, what I'm hearing lately is that there is a growing number of Christians who, without doubting the Father's love, wonder if He actually likes them. One reason that some wonder about this is that they have re-defined what love is. Evidently, 'to love' does not include 'to like'.

Well, it's obvious that we need to take a look at this thing called love and consider what it means that the Father loves us.

Consider a husband who wants to love his wife. She has a list of things that she would like done around the house - once known as the 'honey-do' list. He really doesn't want to do that, but he knows that he needs to love his wife. So, he starts in on that list. It is, he tells himself, something that he is supposed to do if he is going to love his wife as Christ loved the Church.

What have I just described? Is it love in action? Is that what is actually motivating this husband? Or is he motivated merely by a sense of duty, a sense of what he is supposed to do?

And what if we ask, 'Does that husband actually like his wife?' Though he is busy doing her good ('loving' her) by working on that list, you actually don't know if he likes her. Maybe he does, and maybe he doesn't.

Now, back to the Father's love. Is the Father's love for you something He does merely out of a sense of duty? Does it basically boil down to His obligation to work at keeping those promises He's made, just as the husband feels obligated to work at completing that list? If that's the case, then it makes sense to ask, 'Does the Father like me?', even though you know that He does many good things for you, that He 'loves' you.

The definition of love that is just about doing good to others is missing something, something very important. It's missing the emotional element of affection.

There are some passages of Scripture that have meant a great deal to me as I have worked at understanding the Father's love for me. Here's one.

Cast all your cares on him, because he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7

Ah, there it is, the missing emotional element. 'He cares about you.' His love is by no means some mere sense of duty. He cares about me. He cares deeply about me. And that's why I know that whatever is troubling me, He is ready to  step right in and handle it. And He will do that because He cares. I have found great comfort in knowing this aspect of my Father's love for me. He cares.

And because He cares, other things follow. Here's another favorite verse.

What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? Romans 8:31

God is for me. The whole world might stand against me, even completely and violently stand against me, but I know that my Father is for me. I find that to be such a very powerful encouragement, something that keeps me going. He is for me. Amazing! This is another aspect of the love that the Father has for me.

So, the Father cares about me and He is so very for me. Is that it? Absolutely not!

The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17

Now, let's go back and read that again and please notice the verbs.

He will rejoice over you with gladness. (He's happy about me.)

He will quiet you by his love. (He is tender toward me.)

He will exult over you with loud singing. (He is excited about me.)

I think that you can see why I don't wonder if the Father likes me. And that is something that you, my Christian brother or sister, shouldn't wonder about either.

The Father is not some obligated husband dutifully checking things off the most recent honey-do list. His love for you is more than a sense of duty, so much more. And that means that He likes you. He's emotional about you. He is eager to see you thrive. Remember these things when you offer up that prayer to Him.

          'Our Father, (the One who really likes me)'…

Reflections on God: Who Art In Heaven

Jesus explained, in His prayer, what lies at the heart of the eternal life that He blesses His people with.

This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God… John 17:3

The point of the Gospel is to know God. But getting to know Him is not something that is completed in one quick and easy step. It is a process that starts now and will continue into eternity. So, on Fridays, I'd like to write about God in the hope of helping you to grow in your understanding of who He is and thus being able to grow in your enjoyment of eternal life.

Let's start by taking a look at the first line of the Lord's Prayer.

Our Father who art in heaven.

There is much to be gained by meditating on the name that Jesus invites us to use in this prayer, Father. And I'll get to that in a future installment. But what I'd like to do today is take a look at what is so easily passed by. I want to take a look at the phrase, 'who art in heaven'.

Why is this phrase here? (That's always a good question to ask when meditating on some Scripture.) Why, in this prayer, are we to refer to God as the one who is in heaven? It's clear that Jesus had a reason for including it, and it wasn't just to identify where God lives. Actually, it's about what's going on in heaven.

Consider John's experience when he was given a sneak peek into heaven.

After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. Revelation 4:1–2

It is important to note that God is not referred to by any name - Father, Lord, King or anything else. He simply is, 'one seated on the throne'. Why did John write it down in that way? He could have written it differently. What's that phrase about?

John then tells us more of what he saw.

And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Revelation 4:3

John, here, is describing the beauty of God.

And then, there's this.

From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder… Revelation 4:5

So, what's this all about? Well, put yourself into the situation. You are standing before the One who rules all creation. He is clothed in precious gems and framed by a stunning rainbow. And as you stand there, astounded by what you are seeing, lightning flashes from His throne, along with the shattering sounds of thunder.

What is this place?

It's heaven. Or, at least, it's John's first glance of heaven. And it explains why Jesus teaches us to pray, 'who art in heaven'. That simple and easily passed over phrase is about the majesty of God. The beauty of God's majesty draws us to Him. But the explosive flashes of that majesty make us afraid to get too close.

It is this majesty of God that needs to be rediscovered in our day.

It is as we grow in our sense of the majesty of God, this God to whom we are invited to pray, that we will then participate more fully in some of the other things that John saw in his vision of heaven.

And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Revelation 4:8-11

What was John witnessing? It was thoughtful, heartfelt, soul-stirring worship. And worship like this is the only reasonable response to the striking majesty of God. And this thoughtful, heartfelt, soul-stirring worship is something that we are to join in with. But that won't happen unless there is an inner sense of the majesty of God. It is as that sense grows that thoughtful, heartfelt and soul-stirring worship will also grow.

I think that we have some work to do. And that work starts, as such work always does, with prayer. We are to pray that God, by His grace, would cause us to grow in our sense of His majesty. We don't pray for that just so that we can experience the feelings that John did. We ask for that so that we can do better at worshiping the God who sits on the throne.