The Phil Files

That’s where we live. On a tiny green, beige, and blue planet in the middle of a solar which is part of a galaxy which is part of the unimaginable expanse of the universe. Yet we are the visited planet. We are the place that God not only made, but also chose to take on our world’s flesh and walk among us in human form. So today, as I pray the Lord’s prayer, I will drink deeply from the phrase, “on earth as it is in heaven.”

And as I think about God wearing our skin and living among us in Jesus (see my companion Heartlight.org post), I will hear the call of Jesus to know my purpose: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21 tniv). For there was a time when God’s Kingdom had come to earth and we seek God’s will being done on our little green, beige, and blue planet just as it was done in heaven. That was when Jesus walked among us and could say, “If I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Luke 11:20). And now, just as surely as I pray this prayer, we — the people of God — must also hear the His voice call us to be the presence of Jesus, the Body of Christ, the touchable reality of the Kingdom of God, to the people around us.

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.

For yours is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.”

So, as the Body of Christ, who am I touching?

Are these the same kind of people Jesus’ touched?

What do I need to do to touch these same people?

O Lord, help me see the opportunities each day.

Any sense of the holy is very hard today. We recognize mystery. We love to be overwhelmed with sensation and often mistakenly tag this as awesome. Jesus, however, challenges me — and you, as well — to see God as holy: something other than we can have or be without the LORD God. He teaches us to pray that God would protect His name and His holiness.

As I’ve pondered this theme, “hallowed by your name,” I’ve found some things that call me back to this principle. I hope the following video will do just that and then invite you to join me in saying the Lord’s prayer, with an emphasis on the Father’s holiness:

(You can find this video by clicking here.)

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.

For yours is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.”

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Ah, that’s the rub, isn’t it. Wanting the will of God to come into our lives. Waiting for the will of God to be seen in our relationships. Hoping for the Kingdom of God to be real in our families.

It’s the rub because waiting is not a passive, couch potato plop on the sofa killing time till God does something otherworldly to shake us out of the doldrums. No, it’s the “submitting to one another out of reverence to Christ” in our daily our relationships (Ephesians 5:21). It’s the recognition that God’s Kingdom coming into our lives and our families is about my willingness to seek God’s will in my life and live it out in service to others — that ol’ “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength … love your neighbor as yourself” thing!

Here’s a powerful music video presentation of this idea from Worship House Media using scenes from the movie Fireproof. I hope you watch it, then pray the Lord’s Prayer with me — and let’s help each other live it in our real worlds:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”

It is very late on Friday night and I received a call from the hospital. A father called about his grown daughter (with two kids near the teenage years) who is having emergency surgery as I write this. We prayed over the phone, but I can’t get his concern off of my heart.

I share his concern because I care about him and his daughter, who has battled Crohn’s disease for much of her adult life. We are brothers and sisters in Christ — so when we pray, it is “our” shared concern and so we pray to “our Father” as fathers who care about their kids.

I share his concern because I am a father, too. My kids are always on my heart, but they are especially on my heart right now as they face interesting challenges and great opportunities. So as a father, I pray for our family’s shared concerns and joys by beginning “our Father.”

I pray “our Father” because Jesus emphasized the importance of community and that we are children of God. The Only True and Living God, the Holy and Righteous One, God Almighty, invites us to come and call Him “abba Father” as we pray and the Spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words (Romans 8).

So why not join me tonight, as I pray the Lord’s Prayer, remembering my friend and his daughter, feeling a burden for a close couple friend who wrestle with their grief as they miss their son, loving my own children wanting what is best for them, and knowing that some of you who read this carry burdens that only the Heavenly Father can help you carry.

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”

Let’s help each other remember that we are not alone, and by praying “our Father” we remind ourselves of God’s constant and abiding presence (Romans 8:32-39) and our shared family of faith.

“Our Father” please hear our hearts, restore our spirits, and fire our imaginations as we seek to honor You.

For or yours is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.’”

While I have said the Lord’s Prayer each day this week, I’ve not taken time to reflect on it out of the crucible of a busy, blessed, and frustrating week.

I was truly blessed and challenged by Catalyst One Day event on Monday, but was immediately thrown way behind on my weekly and worn out by the long day coming right after Sunday. Through this crazy week, which involved speaking on legalism on Wednesday night and jury duty mess today and several picky things not working as they should — ah, the darkside “blessings” of technology — I have felt a nagging hunger to come back to these words Jesus told me to pray. The prayer I need, however, is not a quick run through the following words, but a passionate experience of the words I’m praying!

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.

For or yours is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.’”

I know “daily bread” in this prayer is talking about our daily food needed for survival. However, I have hungered to spend unhurried time in the presence of God, to be fed by His word, and to be nurtured by the Holy Spirit all week. While I’m all for condensing key thoughts to Twitter-sized bursts, my heart needs more.

In Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness, the Lord confronted the evil one with words that remind me that as necessary and vital “daily bread” is to me, I have a deeper hunger for a more sustaining bread:

It is written: “People do not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

Studying to prepare messages for other people, time in the Word to fulfill a reading plan, and quiet time to begin or end the day are all vital. Even more important is recognizing my need for heaven’s “daily bread”:

Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:32-35).

While I need to know the words of God from Scripture, I must not forget that my spirit craves and my soul needs this “Bread of Heaven.” My heart yearns for Jesus even when I don’t recognize it. And in those weeks where schedules are crazy, expectations are high, demands are pressing, and many small things go wrong? Ah, in these kinds of weeks I need to know and experience Jesus more.

O God, please feed me with this “daily bread” today.

Sometimes we don’t need to add words to the example of someone who just keeps walking in the face of trials and challenges and opportunities. The following is a video that is well worth your next 13 minutes. Then pray the Lord’s prayer with the emphasis that’s added. I don’t think you will remain unmoved!

It’s not hard to soar on eagle’s wings when things are going well. It’s not hard to run without growing weary when the crowd pulls for you and life goes your way. But it is often heroic when you just keep walking when life has dealt you unfair challenges, unwanted difficulties, or unexpected hardships. So just keep walking and just keep asking for God to give you what you need to make it through today!

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.

For or yours is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.’”