Dr. Jordan Peterson: God is not your handmaiden!
The Lord’s Model Prayer | Matthew 6:5-14
When you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, enter your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. But when you pray, do not use vain repetitions, as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their much speaking. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what things you have need of before you ask Him.
Therefore pray in this manner:
Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
[Father – Strong’s G3962: a Father of Christians, as those who through Christ have been exalted to a specially close and intimate relationship with God, and who no longer dread him as a stern judge of sinners, but revere him as their reconciled and loving Father]
[hallowed be – Strong’s G37: ἁγιάζω, hagiazō, to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow, to separate from profane things and dedicate to God, consecrate things to God]
Your kingdom come;
[kingdom – Strong’s G932: βασιλεία, basileía, of the royal power and dignity conferred on Christians in the Messiah’s kingdom]
Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
[will – Strong’s G2307: θέλημα thélēma, what one wishes or has determined shall be done]
Give us this day our daily bread.
[bread – Strong’s G740: ἄρτος ártos, food of any kind]
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
[debts – Strong’s G3783: that which is owed; that which is justly or legally due, a debt; metaphor for offense, sin]
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
[temptation – Strong’s G3986: the trial of man’s fidelity, integrity, virtue, constancy]
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
For if you forgive men for their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
[forgive – Strong’s G863: ἀφίημι, aphiēmi, to let go, let alone, let be, to disregard]
Note: Matthew 6:14 compares with 1 John 4:8,”Anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.“
Prayer: the order of business
To pray is to worship God and to accede to His authority. Our prayers will not work when we dictate to God what we want Him to do. God is not our errand boy.
Seek forgiveness AFTER you have forgiven others who have offended you, stolen from you, lied about you, or slandered you. Re-read Matthew 6:14, “For if you forgive men for their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.“
Application-Specific Prayer
We say “Hallowed be your name.” What is His name? One biblical resource counts 32 names for God. You will find the Lord’s compound names written as Yahweh and Jehovah
The list below is on page 15 of Pastor Larry Lea’s book titled, Could You Not Tarry One Hour? is available from Amazon.com.
Healing
Physical ailments, emotional disorders, and emotional distress all need healing.
When praying for healing, magnify Yahweh-Rophe, the Lord who heals. Exodus 15:22-26; Jeremiah 30:17; Isaiah 61:1
Case No. 1
Chapter 9 of the Gospel of John tells the story of another man who was blind from birth. Jesus’ disciples followed a Jewish custom. Infirmaries must be due to someone’s sin. They asked Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned. But it happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.“
Jesus healed the blind man to show his authority over human life.
Case No. 2
In Mark 8:27-29, Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do men say that I am?” They answered, “John the Baptist, but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered Him, “You are the Christ.”
In this instance, Jesus healed a man who had been blind from birth. This miracle confirmed his identity as the Messiah to his disciples.
Case No. 3
Mark 8:22-25, relates a story about Jesus healing a blind man. What blinded the man? Was he born blind? Was his blindness congenital? Was he blinded by chemicals? You don’t know and I don’t know, but the omniscient Son of God knew the cause. Jesus does not need our diagnoses. He knew the cause of this man’s blindness before he was born!
Why did Jesus heal this blind man? He did so because the blind man’s friends brought him to Jesus.
We need only bring people before Jesus who need healing. Jesus neither requires nor desires our precise diagnoses. He is fully cognizant of the person’s medical and physical dilemmas without your spelling them out.
Praying for Sinners and the Lost
When praying for your own sin, the sins of others, and the lost, call on Yahweh-Tsidkenu, the Lord our righteousness. Jeremiah 23:5-6, Jeremiah 33:16-18
I suggest you ask God to reveal Himself to the person or persons for whom you are praying. Is this practical?
- Ask the Apostle Paul. Acts 26:12-23
- Ask the Apostle Peter. Matthew 16:13-20
- Ask Moses. Exodus 3:1-22
- Check with Jacob. Genesis 32:22-31
- Isaiah also has a story. Isaiah 6:1-13
- John the Baptizer had a ring-side seat. Mark 1:1-11
- Mary the mother of Jesus has her own story. Luke 1:26-38
- Claudia Procula, Pilate’s wife, had a unique experience. Matthew 27:19
- Why are Muslims suddenly becoming believers in Jesus?
- My story? In August 1974, I had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ late on a Sunday evening. He healed me of hypertension. My high blood pressure blocked my employment. On a Sunday night, I read my wife’s bible. I prayed conversationally. My blood pressure dropped from 196/96 to 120/70 overnight. My story is not unique.
- While I physically upheld a lame man in El Salvador, the man was instantly healed. He pushed his wheelchair out of the soccer stadium.
Honoring and magnifying God’s names is important. Yahweh-Tsidkenu, the Lord our righteousness, reminds us we are not healers. Yahweh-Rophe, the Lord our healer, will also remind us of this. Only our sovereign God gets all the credit.
Summary
By no means will you ever supernaturally heal anyone. Likewise, you will never save anyone.
Why is knowing the names of God important? I will let the Bible speak for itself. The below list is not comprehensive. It serves to reinforce the power of the model prayer and the names of God for effectual prayers.
- Philippians 2:9-11
- John 14:13-14
- Acts 4:12
- John 16:23-24
- John 14:14
- Mark 16:17-18
- Acts 2:38
- Acts 3:1-16
John White
Rockwall, Texas
John N. White 