| The Golden Gate of Prayer |
Chapter 4 |
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It is scarcely likely, therefore, that if we were preparing a form of prayer we would have anything in it about hollowing God’s name. We should probably ring a number of changes on “Give us this day our daily bread,” amplifying the petition and adding to it requests for a number of other things besides daily bread. But we would not likely rise above the level of earthly things. Almost certainly we would not rise to anything so sublime as a prayer for the hallowing of God’s name.
We would better learn well, however, the lesson taught us by our Lord when he set this petition is the place of highest honor, bidding us begin with it. Really we cannot advance to any petition that comes after it until we have offered this one. It is dishonoring to God, when we go into his presence, to begin to clamor for poor paltry things for ourself, with no thought or aspiration or pleading for the glorifying of God’s name. We pray not as we ought, acceptably to our Father, unless we plead first of all that God himself may be honored.
It is related that a French boy rode up to Napoleon, during one of his battles, and told him that the victory was won. “But you are wounded, my boy,” said Napoleon. “Killed, sire,” said the lad, dropping down dead. The boy thought only of the honor of his general, giving no attention whatever to his own condition. Our Lord, in putting this petition first in the form of prayer he gave to his disciples, teaches us that we should come before God in the same self-forgetful spirit, not telling him of our own sufferings and needs first of all, but pleading for his glory and honor.
Of course we need bread. Our bodies have their hungers, and God is not indifferent to our physical needs. A little later in the prayer we have a petition for bread. But before we come to this, we have three other petitions — for the hallowing of God’s name, the coming of his kingdom, the doing of his will. All these great objects are to be put before any request for ourself, even for bread, or for the forgiveness of our sins.
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