In response to the disciples’ request, “Lord, teach us to pray,” Jesus gave them what is now familiarly known as “The Lord’s Prayer.” In this model prayer we are given a guide to what we may pray for.
An important part of this brief outline of prayer is the proper method of approach to God – “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.” (Luke 11:1, 2) In the Scriptures, Adam is styled a “son of God.” (Luke 3:23,38) But when he sinned he lost his sonship, being alienated from God and sentenced to death. Adams children, the entire human race, are likewise aliens and strangers to God, so they cannot properly address him as “our Father which art in heaven” This is a privilege which belongs exclusively to those who have repented of their sins, accepted Jesus as their personal Savior, and devoted their lives to God in full consecration to do his will. Such are represented as having received God’s Spirit of sonship, and thus have become his children.
As the children of God, these will desire above all else to honor the name of their Father. So by word and by action their attitude will always be, “Hallowed be thy name” To properly hallow our Heavenly Father’s name implies that when we approach him in prayer we will do so in the manner outlined for us in the Scriptures by Jesus. He explained that our prayers should be offered in his name. (John 15:16)
There is a reason for this. As members of the justly condemned race, we have no standing at the divine throne of grace except through Jesus, our Advocate. But in his name, and through the merit of the shed blood, we are privileged to go “boldly” to the throne of grace to seek forgiveness, and all the other blessings which our loving Heavenly Father has promised to give. (Hebrews 4:16) If we properly hallow his name we will never presume to approach him except through Jesus.
When we follow the example of The Lord’s Prayer, our requests will not be so much on our own behalf as they will be for the blessing of others. This is indicated in the opening petition: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10) The answer to this request will be an answer to much for which people have prayed throughout the centuries. That answer will satisfy the legitimate desires of all people. It will mean peace, and health, and everlasting life for all who conform themselves to the righteous laws of the Lord’s kingdom.
The blessings which the human race craves, and for which millions pray, were all anticipated by God and provided for through the kingdom which he has promised by all his prophets. In these promises we find many details of the blessings which it will guarantee to the people, including the restoration of those who have died. No, God has not been unmindful of the suffering of the people, nor has he turned a deaf ear to their cries for help; and his answer to their prayers, when in his due time it comes, will be far beyond anything that they have ever dared to hope.
Take the case of a mother who prays for the safety of her boy on the battlefield. She loves that boy, and nothing could mean more to her than his safe return to the family home. But he does not return, and her first thought may be that God doesn’t care, that he has no pity. How differently she would feel if she could believe that God has provided a homecoming far more satisfactory than ever entered her mind when she prayed!
How little does a mother sometimes know of the hardship and suffering her boy may be saved by falling asleep in death. After all, both the mother and the boy are members of a dying race, and the difference between dying on the battlefield and dying a few years later of old age is only a momentary one when compared with the endless stretch of eternity. It is from this standpoint that we must learn to view the subject of prayer and the manner in which God answers our petitions.
The very fact that we pray to God is acknowledgement of our belief that his wisdom and power and love far exceed our own. Yet we often forget this, and feel that he has not honored our prayers because he has not answered them as we would have, through the exercise of our own puny abilities. The length of our condemned life is very short. We judge accomplishments by whether or not they reach maturity within this short time of which we have knowledge. But we should not judge God’s works from this standpoint.
The Scriptures speak of God as being “from everlasting to everlasting” (Psalms 41:13, 90:2) He is under no necessity to complete any particular phase of his plan within our short lifetime, not even if it has to do with our individual requests. If we prayed to God today for some special blessings which would be in keeping with his will, and the answer did not come until tomorrow, or even the day after tomorrow, we would not lose faith in him, but would rejoice when the answer did come. Well, God has his “tomorrows” also. His days are not measured by hours, for they are ages, and in his “tomorrow” age, the thousand-year period of Christ’s kingdom, all those blessings which the world has legitimately craved, and for which millions have voiced requests to God, will be abundantly showered upon humanity. In recognition of this, the people will then respond: “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him … we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation” (Isaiah 25:9)