Everything we struggle with in life originates in our view of God.
In this pause before proceeding with the next four of Jesus’ seven petitions, I’d like to share a holy rehearsal of what it means to be a child of Our Father.
The Rawness of Love
Can you remember the last time you connected Jesus’ life to yours? As in, when you recognized (lightbulb or slow dawning) your experience was His?
Scripture tells us Jesus learned obedience – just as we do – by the things He suffered. The things He suffered, related in this very prayer model, all fell within His pattern of the sevenfold Spirit of God. Our things do too.
The rawness of love for us steadily beckoned Jesus to His lifeline of prayerful communion with His Father. He knew that first bringing our things into right perspective to Our Father, would find those things that pertain to us coming to their right resolution; at times through His miraculous power. He rewards faith.1
Bringing Our Things into Right Perspective
I love how the Pattern of Seven holds its consistency throughout the Word of God. It would not be the Word of Truth if it did not. God’s Truth is consistent for He cannot deny Himself.2 The more we are consistent, the less we are in denial about ourselves and others. And the key point of this article, about Our Father.
In Pattern of Seven: The Armor of God – “In addition to all this, …”, I told of Holy Spirit revealing to me a pattern within the pattern of seven. The same significance of Exhorter standing midway between the first three portions preceding and the following three was illumined in light of this model of Jesus’ prayer.
“In addition to all this, …” correlates the first three pieces of God’s armor as freely given gifts to the first three portions of our human spirit. Paul exhorted the next four essential pieces of armor are there for us to ‘take’ for protective defense and overcoming victory through Christ Jesus, starting with Exhorter’s shield of faith.
By the way, did you know when David prayed that the Lord protect him, he was asking Him to hide him in the shadow and shelter of His wings? 3 Hebrew has a beauty to understanding the Lord’s ways that English misses. Have you like others, recognized in not-by-sight faith there are times you were protected unaware?
Jesus’ Prayer Model of Right Perspective with Our Father
One morning in preparation of writing this article, I re-read Matthew 6 (in which this prayer model is found) to the end of the chapter, all 34 verses. It was verse 33 that captured my attention with a tie to the Armor of God:
“But make His Kingdom and righteousness your chief aim, and then all these things shall be given you, in addition.” (Weymouth)
What struck me as I again saw a pattern within the pattern of seven, is that God has a righteous order of perspective. He Who has so loved that He so freely gave, expressed in the Armor of God article above, is purely passionate that our desire be toward Him first, so that we can then faithfully expect a release from His Throne for all that we and others have need. To that end, not once has He ever said love others first and Him maybe.
All seven petitions Jesus prayed and taught cover the range of human need and sorrow and distress. The next four cover our daily provision, our sin and indebtedness, the trials we face, and all oppression from the evil one. I still bless Holy Spirit for opening Brother’s Ed understanding that, in his words, “Every matter requiring the attention of heaven fits into one of the slots provided in this guide to praying.” The ‘pattern of seven’ of life.
Exhorter’s Significance in the First Petition of Personal Need
The Word of God should surprise us believers! I wish it didn’t, but its surprise factor is a far cry and opposite Spirit from the daily deluge of independent reasoning absent of God’s heart and Christ’s mind. Because it is alive and relevant, on point and judicious, its truth rings like bells of freedom for those with ears to hear what the Spirit is saying. Holy Spirit doesn’t blow smoke or pull the wool over anyone’s eyes. He reveals, to heal.
The latter part of Matthew 6 reveals our predisposition to worry and over-anxiousness. As Jesus was teaching His disciples, He constantly spoke to the things of life that can rob us of knowing Our Father – if we let them. In return, He carefully listened to what His disciples were saying. Mostly, they did not get it until they did.
“Give us this day our daily bread” is the fourth petition, which aligns with Exhorter in the community of the human spirit. Exhorter is full of words with plenty to say – either of chief complaint or with chief aim (Mt. 6:33)
Some of the strongest survivors are Exhorters. I began this article with the statement, Everything we struggle with in life originates in our view of God. Exhorter portion, your supporting pillar stands or cripples right here.
Our Father Knows How We View Him
Our Father is listening for our right perspective of Him. He knows how we view Him and why. Do we, friends?
Where do you struggle? Identify the areas, then take the time to trace it right back to these key elements:
How you see God / What you think about God / What you believe about God / What you decided about God.
You’ll find your answer there: for those things requiring the attention of heaven – and a Living answer to your seeking.
If you are tired of struggling; if you truly desire productive change that has Our Father’s prints all over it, I will not stop testifying, by His grace, that the rawer the prayers and simpler the language, the more He leans in.
Every Mercy muscle contained in His Being strains forward to the resultant end that you will find Him there.
Jehovah-Shammah ~ “The Lord is There.”
~ Nancy
1 James 1:12 – Happy is the person who can hold up under the trials of life. At the right time, he’ll know God’s sweet approval and will be crowned with life. As God has promised, the crown awaits all who love Him. (The Voice)
2 II Timothy 2:13
3 David’s psalms are full of prayers for protection; beyond his bodily safety, David believed in and knew he was loved by God. His petitions, whether raw and pleading or soft and releasing, included his reliance on his heavenly Father in times of trouble. Comfort, safety, shelter, and motion as he walked on with God. Like Jesus moving in accordance with His Father’s movements, the Lord’s beloveds come under the shadow of His wings as He the Name 4 moves in His Kingdom, by His will.
4 John 17:11-12 – in Jesus’ High Priestly prayer
Add’l reading: Holy Regard for Your Name, Father; Father, Let Your Kingdom Come; Father, Let Your Will Come into Being
Click here for a printable PDF of this article: Redemptive Gifts Pattern of Seven – Bringing Our Things into Right Perspective
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