The Reality of Transcendent Prayer

Jesus’ Transcendent Prayer

Matthew 6:9-13 records Jesus’ response to the disciples’ request (Luke 11:1) to teach them to pray.  He taught them to plead with God to empower them to transcend.

Verse 9 Hallelu YHWH Ab: Eternal Father, Your Name is worthy to be praised. You are perfectly holy and perfectly loving, a perfect Father, who never approves of sin and yet always loves Your children. We cannot reconcile these except through the cross of Christ (which was yet future when Jesus taught). 

Verses 10 & 13 speak of overcoming the world, the flesh, and Satan (1 John 2:14-16) and thus package the realities of daily life (vs 11-12).

Verse 10 While we may eagerly anticipate Jesus’ second coming, His kingdom is established here and now in our daily life when we do His will. There seems to be ambiguity in the passive voice as to who is to do His will ... but as C. S. Lewis wrote, “I fully agree that ‘Thy will be done’ should principally be taken in the sense ‘God’s will has blank well got to be done even if I have to go and do it myself.’” (Letter to Valerie Pitt, May 17, 1956) The world is thus transcended with our participation in building His kingdom, before His parousia.

Verse 11 Throughout human history, probably most of mankind had to rely on God’s provision to avoid starvation. Practice of daily faith and relationship with Him thereby brings daily experience of His supernatural intervention. Talk to the homeless. That is their reality. To those of us with enough physical provision, He said “I am the bread of life.” (John 6:48-51) Manna in the wilderness, the bread of the Passover, the Lord’s supper all picture for us this spiritual reality. Our spiritual life depends on daily partaking of Him as bread for our spirit. Without His daily spiritual provision our spirit will starve to death.

Verse 12 This simple principle is terrifying in implication, transforming in application. If we do not forgive others, He will not forgive us. Eternal judgment awaits our sin unless....  But when we follow His example (Luke 23:34), we experience not only His forgiveness, but the amazing redemption of our relationships with others. He supernaturally works to bring conviction, repentance, and redemption to those who annoy us, even to those we deem evil beyond hope of salvation. 

Verse 13 The flesh is weak, and Satan seeks to destroy us. God does not tempt - that is the devil’s tool (Genesis 3:1-5). To be led away from the vicinity of temptation is to be in the proximity of the Lord. Jesus overcame both sin and evil on the cross; we need to receive His provision. He tells us to ask for it. 

And all these petitions bring us into His eternal kingdom right now: His power manifest in our life; His glory revealed; a foretaste of eternity with Him. So be it!