Matthew 6:8-11, 16-11

And turn, if you will, to Matthew chapter 6, Matthew chapter 6, verses 5 to 13. Matthew 6, which is on page 811 in your church.

Matthew 6 · chapter mention Matthew 6:5–13

!

So, we are in a series where we're looking at one of the different practices that we do Sunday by Sunday, when we get together in gathered worship.

Why do we do what we do?

And thinking that these practices, they're not something that just we do each Sunday, but they are things that God is doing to us as we gather to worship.

That as we pray, as we sing, as we hear God's word proclaimed, as we confess our sin, as we eat of the bread and drink of the wine, these practices become habits which shape us.

They shape what we love in life, what it is we value, and what it is we desire.

And it is really important, isn't it, what you love in life, because actually what you love in life determines how you view reality.

How you view life in general.

What you love shows what you hold to be the good life, and the life that you want, that we are pursuing and striving for.

And so we thought of, what does it mean to be called to worship by God?

We thought about confession of sin and assurance, things we've already done.

We will be thinking about the reading of scripture and preaching.

We thought about singing last week.

And today we come to what we've done numerous times already this morning in our service.

We've done it at least twice.

We're going to think about prayer.

Prayer in gathered worship.

In his book on gathered worship, Jamie Smith occasionally raises the question of what an imaginary visitor from another world, from another planet, would make of our practices on earth.

Something secular, something religious.

And he mentions these imaginary Martian visitors.

As he considers we come to corporate worship and what we do.

Here's what he says.

We should perhaps try to appreciate how strange corporate worship might look to Martian anthropologists.

For here is a group of what seem to be otherwise relatively normal people engaged in a conversation with someone who seems to be absent.

And this isn't like just listening to half a conversation on a mobile phone, where we can from experience postulate that there is another human being holding up the other end of the conversation.

Rather than the practice of prayer to particularly cynical Martians, it seems more like the scruffy bearded guy on the underground platform who's carrying on an animated conversation with himself.

It seems like that.

That we are not a person who's carrying on a person who's carrying on a person who's carrying on a person.

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For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues

And then tweet about it

And other street corners

So they may be seen by others

Truly I say to you they've received their reward

But when you pray

Go into your room, shut the door, pray to your Father in heaven

Who is in secret

And your Father who sees in secret will reward you

And when you pray do not heap up empty phrases

As the Gentiles do

For they think that they will be heard

By their many words

Do not be like them

For your Father knows what you need before you ask him

Pray like this

Our Father in heaven

Whenever you or I approach someone

We make assumptions about them

We make assumptions about them as we go up to them

About what kind of conversation we can have with them

How are we going to interact with this person

So after the service you will go up to somebody

Hopefully you will have a conversation

And you will make an assumption

About the kind of conversation that you have

Let's say you've just moved to Ealing

And you go to the farmer's market in West Ealing

On a Sunday morning

It's a good place to visit

I want to say to you

That's quite a friendly place

That farmer's market

You could stop someone at that farmer's market

And ask them for directions

For Southall or to Ealing Broadway

Or to Hanwell

They will be okay with that

That won't freak them out

If you ask them for directions

At that farmer's market

They can handle that kind of interaction

There's a basis for that interaction

I don't know what it is

But is it basic humanity?

But it's a pretty slim basis

Isn't it?

To have an exchange

You don't know them

But you assume you can have this interaction

And you really can't go much beyond

Can you ask them for directions?

Or the time?

Or something similar like that

You can't go up to a stranger

In Eden Broadway

And excuse me

And say

Listen my rucksack has got a hole in it

Do you mind if I take yours?

You can't do that

Or if it's checking it down with rain

You say

Do you mind if I just take your umbrella

And see you later?

You can't do that

Can you?

With a stranger

You don't have that basis

For that kind of interaction

You know you can't do that

Because the foundation of relationship

Does not exist

If you want to have a deeper relationship

With this person

You need to build it

Don't you?

It takes time

So as Jesus is introducing

The subject of prayer

He is showing really

That there are two basic ways

That you can go to God

And they are similar

To the two main ways

That we deal with each other

Recognising that there are differences too

So the two options

You and I have

Is that you can basically

Have a business relationship

With someone

Or you can have a family relationship

With someone

In a business relationship

The bottom line is

You are saying

I have something for you

I've got something for you

In a family relationship

The bottom line is

I am someone to you

I'm someone to you

In the business relationship

It is all performance

Here is what I can do for you

Here is the service

That I offer you

Here is what will happen

If I perform for you

But in a family relationship

That basis is a commitment

Think about it too

In terms of a house

There are two ways

You can live in a house

Aren't there?

Many of you are tenants

You live in a house

That you rent

Or you can be a family member

So as a tenant

If you are renting a house

You live in that house

The person who owns that house

Is your landlord

You can have a pretty good relationship

With your landlord

Hopefully you do

As long as you pay the rent

And you respect the property

And as long as the landlord

Does what he is supposed to do

As long as he does

Maintaining the property

And that is a good basis

For mutual approach

But your exchanges

With your landlord

Well that would be

Pretty mechanical

Wouldn't they?

That would be ones of goods

And services

I pay my money

You do this

Because I pay my money

But imagine you

Are not living in the house

As a tenant

But you are living in the house

As a child

That paradigm

Becomes very very different

Doesn't it?

In the business paradigm

If you perform

You do what you are supposed to do

You pay your money

You are accepted

You pay the rent

You take care of the property

The landlord accepts you

In the family paradigm

You are accepted already

Because of that bottom line

Fundamental relationship

You know I am accepted

I belong

And you perform because of that

It's two isn't it?

Very very different ways

Of doing things

All of that is to say this

Jesus makes the revolutionary observation

Here that prayer

For the Christian

Is not on a business basis

It's on a family business

That you and I

Come to God

As those who are

In Christ this morning

In prayer

And we address him

As

Father

Our father in heaven

We talk to him

As family

Now one question

That raises right at the front

Right at the front

In the light of the Bible's verdict

On how you and I

Have treated God

This week

And in our lives

How can that be?

How can you and I

Address

The sovereign God

Of the universe

The creator

God of the universe

As father

When your track record

And my track record

Is one of

Scorning him

Of rebelling against his ways

Of going our own way

Wanting to make other things

The centre of our lives

How can you call him father?

And the reason we can pray to God

As father

Has everything to do with

Secondly

Who we pray with

Who we pray with

Who we pray to

Is determined by

Who we pray with

So look again

What Jesus says

In verse 9

Our father

In heaven

Every now and then

In church life

You come across somebody

Who wants to be pretty smart

About this prayer

And they would say to you

You do know

That it is wrong

To call it

The Lord's Prayer

Do you know that?

Have you met those people?

Maybe you've said it

I used to say it

It's not the Lord's Prayer

It's really

The disciples' prayer

Because Jesus could never

Have prayed these words

And I know that those people

Are trying to say

And that they're trying to be smart

Because I used to be one of them

But here's part of the objection

Jesus could never have prayed

This prayer himself

Because it would have been

Inappropriate for him

To pray the fifth petition

Do you see that?

Verse 12

Forgive us our debts

Jesus did not really sense

To be forgiven

He is the perfect son of God

So you cannot call this

The Lord's Prayer

In the end however

It doesn't really matter

What you call this prayer

But you need to grasp this

It is

The Lord's Prayer

It is

And what I mean by that

Is that this prayer

Covers the kind of petitions

That you hear Jesus praying

Over and over and over again

Throughout his life and ministry

As we read them in the Gospels

As you read through the Gospels

You find Jesus praying

For God's will

To be done

You find Jesus praying

That God's name

Would be hallowed

And praised

You find him praying

For daily bread

You find him praying

For protection

From temptation

But the most fundamental thing

We see

Why this is Jesus' prayer

This is the Lord's Prayer

It is in the opening

Two words

Can you see that?

Our Father

With those two words

Jesus is introducing

A whole new way

To relate to God

As family

The Old Testament

Certainly had the idea

Of the Fatherhood of God

It is there

Occasionally you read

That God is the Father of Israel

But you will not find

God referred to directly

In prayer as Father

It is Jesus

Who makes this

Fatherhood of God

Absolutely central

To prayer

Jesus calls God

Father

About 60 times

In the Gospels

Here is the mind

Blowing thing

This is what Jesus

Has called God

From all eternity

And think about this

Before God

Ever created

Anything

Before he was

A creator

Before he ruled

Over anything

Before he was

The ruler of the universe

God was a Father

Loving his Son

Jesus himself says it

Doesn't he

In John 17

John 17:24

Verse 24

Father you loved me

Before the creation

Of the world

And I think that is

Really really important

For you and I

To get our heads around

Before all things

God is a Father

He's not primarily

Creator

Not primarily ruler

But Father

And so implicit in that

All his ways

Are Fatherly

It's not that God

Does this kind of thing

In his day job

In his day job

He's a Father

But then he kicks back

And says well I'm just

Just plain old God

Tonight

You know that's like

He was a dad

I am a dad

But tonight

I'm just

My own

I'm back to being

The single man

I was before

I'm going to sit

In front of the sofa

And watch the telly

I'm not dad tonight

God never does that

I'll do the father

Again thing tomorrow

It's not that he is

God

With a nice blob

Of fatherly

I sing on top

No

He is Father

All the way down

And that is all

That Jesus has ever

Known

In terms of his

Relationship with the

Father

With God

And so he starts

The Lord's Prayer

Calling God

Father

Because he's never

Known God any other

Way

From all eternity

He doesn't say

To his disciples

Though

Do you see it

Here is how I pray

Here is my

Father

No he begins

Our Father

And the question is

How can he include

Other people

In this prayer

We have not

We have not

Been in an eternal

Relationship with God

As Jesus has

In fact

Our natural state

According to the Bible

Our natural state

Is that of being orphans

That we are like

The younger prodigal

Said in that story

We have run away

From the Father

We have essentially

Wished our Father

Dead

So we don't have to

Deal with him

Or answer to him

And Jesus knows

Our nature

We are orphans

But as he

Prays this prayer

He is anticipating

Isn't he

What he has come

To do in his

Mission on earth

That he came

Into this world

On a rescue mission

So that you and I

Could be reconciled

To the Father

So that we would

Be adopted

Into his family

So there is one

Time isn't there

There is one time

Recorded in the

Gospels

Where Jesus

Does not use

The language

Of Father

In prayer

You read it

Of course

On the cross

When Jesus

Cries out

My God

My God

Why have you

Forsaken me

And that is

Hugely significant

Earth

And heaven

Echo

As Jesus

Cries out

Those words

My God

My God

That Jesus

There

Is undergoing

Isn't he

The wrath of the

Father

We need to be

Very careful

But I think

We can say

There is a

Sense

There is a

Sense

In which

Jesus

Loses a

Sense

Of the

Fatherhood

Of God

The first

Time

In the

Only

Time

But at

That very

Moment

When Jesus

Is bearing

All our

Guilt

All our

Sin

Every

Last

Ounce

Taking

The just

Punishment

For what

We deserve

Ourselves

And in

So

In doing

So

There is

A sense

His

Relationship

With God

Is not

Ruptured

In any

Way

But he

Loses

That sense

Of the

Fatherly

Care

That eternal

Relationship

That he's

Had

With the

One he's

Known

From all

Eternity

With the

One he has

Called

Father

From all

Eternity

But the

Whole thing

Is this

That he

Did that

For you

And for

Me

I can be

So bold

As to

Say this

He lost

The

Father

So you

And I

Could

Gain

The

Father

So that

You and

I

Could be

Adopted

He was

Forsaken

So we

Could be

Forgiven

And adopted

Into his

Family

So I

Think there

Is a

Sense in

Which this

Prayer

The Lord's

Prayer

Jesus does

Include himself

In the

Petition

And forgive

Us our

Debt

Jesus of

Course

He had

No sins

Of his

Own

But the

Reason

Jesus came

Into the

World

Was to

Assume

Our

Debt

God

Made him

Who knew

No sin

To be

Sin for

Us

So that

When Jesus

Christ died

On the

Cross

Was he

Not asking

The

Father

At least

In his

Actions

If not

With his

Words

He is

Crying

On the

Cross

Forgive

Us

Our

Debt

That's

Exactly

What he's

Doing

He was

Not seeking

Forgiveness

For his

Own

Sins

But for

Our

Sins

Sins

That he

Has

Taken

Upon

Himself

That have

Been

Imputed

To his

Account

Forsaken

So that

You and

I can

Be

Forgiven

And

Restored

And

Adopted

So that

In these

First two

Words

Of the

Lord's

Prayer

We have

This

Monumental

Implication

Of how

We pray

We pray

Our

Father

And the

Lord's

Prayer

Becomes

Our

Prayer

I

Hear

How

Hard

It

Is

For

Naturally

Born

Children

In a

Family

When the

Family

Adopts

A

New

Child

You can

Imagine it

Being said

You know

That you

Were

Born

Born

To

Your

Parents

But

This

New

Person

In

The

Family

They

Were

Born

To

Someone

Else

And

They

Been

Brought

Into

Your

Family

And

They

Be

Given

The

Same

Rights

And

The

Same

Privileges

As

You

Have

And

Perhaps

There's

That

Feeling

In the

Back

Of

Your

Head

To

Say

To

That

Person

Who

Has

Been

Adopted

Yeah

Yeah

Well

I

Know

You're

Part

Of

The

Family

But

You're

You

Can't

Say

That

But

There's

None

Of

That

In

Jesus

Attitude

To

Us

There's

None

Of

That

In

Jesus

Attitude

In

As

Being

Adopted

Into

His

Family

There's

None

Of

Jesus

Saying

Or

Thinking

Yeah

Yeah

Yeah

You

Can

Call

God

Father

But

Do

Know

I've

Been

Calling

Father

For

All

Eternity

You're

Coming

In

Very

Late

In

The

Game

Or

I

Hope

You're

Feeling

Indebted

To

Me

That

You

Have

The

Privilege

Of

Calling

Him

Father

There's

None

Of

That

The

Whole

Reason

That

Jesus

Went

To

The

Cross

Was

To

Make

Our

Adoption

Possible

So

That

Jesus

Delights

Sunday

By

Sunday

To

Lead

Us

In

Prayer

And

So

Sunday

By

Sunday

Not

Only

In

The

Lord's

Prayer

But

In

Our

Prayer

We

Are

Being

Led

By

The

Praying

!

Savior

Jesus

Is

Very

!

So far

We've

Seen

That

He

Is

The

Calling

Savior

That

Jesus

Stands

At

The

Forefront

Of

Our

Worship

And

He

Calls

You

To

Worship

Him

And

To

Worship

His

Father

And

We

Saw

Last

Week

That

Jesus

Is

The

Singing

Savior

That

As

We

Sing

Praises

To

The

Father

We

See

Jesus

In

The

Midst

Of

Us

By

His

Spirit

Singing

!

We

Will

See

In

A

Few

Weeks

That

And

At

The

Benediction

At

The

End

Of

The

Service

We

See

That

Jesus

Is

The

Blessing

Savior

That

As

The

Elder

Gives

The

Benediction

He

Speaks

On

Behalf

Of

Christ

And

Says

The

Lord

Bless

You

And

Keep

You

And

Now

We

Find

That

Jesus

Is

The

Praying

Savior

That

He's

Leading

Us

In

Prayer

Can

We

Read

Hebrews

Hebrews 8 · chapter mention

Chapter

8

Verse

!

1

Hebrews

Hebrews 8 · chapter mention

Chapter

8

1

So

Page

Hebrews

Hebrews 8:1

Chapter

8

Verse

1

I'm

Going to

Blow my

nose

So

Let me

Take

My

Microphone

off

Alright

Is

That

Okay

Sorry

That's

The

Problem

With

This

Mic

Hebrews

Hebrews 8:1

Chapter

8

Verse

1

Hebrews

Hebrews 8:1

Chapter

8

Verse

1

Now

The

Point

Of

What

We

Are

Saying

Is

This

We

Have

Such

A

High

Priest

One

Who

Is

Seated

At

The

Right

Hand

Of

The

Throne

Of

The

Majesty

In

Heaven

And

Minister

In

The

Holy

Places

The

True

Tent

So

Remember

Hebrews

2

Told

Us

Last

Week

He

Is

The

Singing

Saviour

He

Is

The

Preaching

Saviour

And

Now

He

Invites

Us

To

See

That

Right

Now

Right

This

Morning

Jesus

Is

Serving

In

The

Holy

Place

The

True

Tent

In

Heaven

Where

It

Says

The

The

Worship

Leader

Jesus

Is

The

Worship

Leader

Who

Is

Our

High

Priest

Who

Is

Interceding

For

Us

Who

Is

Praying

For

Us

which is such a beautiful thought

isn't it?

that there is not a moment of any

day where Jesus

is not interceding

I'm praying to the Father for you and for me

you young people

when you're in French

and you're despairing of French

like I used to despair of French

the Lord Jesus

is interceding

I'm praying to the Father for you

when you're in the office

he is praying for us

but the point of Hebrews 8

is not just that he is praying for us

but he is praying with us

he is our worship leader

he is the liturgist every time we gather together

it's like we are swept up into this heavenly sanctuary

we are lifted up to the saints in heaven

and Jesus invites us to join with him in prayer

and he says

ok, let's all say it together

our Father in heaven

that's what happens on Sunday morning

our Father

and we join with the saints

around the world

so the reason we can pray to God as Father

is everything we do with the one we pray with

we pray with the one who has made it possible

we pray with Jesus

but we've also got to see that we pray with one another

but when Jesus is asked by his disciples

how to pray

his default is not

to personal private prayer

his default is to corporate

gathered prayer with the people of God

he assumes that you and I are going to pray together

so let me just say that

as a Christian

who are you praying with?

pray with us

come Sunday

by Sunday

I hope you come to pray with Jesus

who are you praying with?

of course he's not ruling out

personal prayer

not at all

Jesus prayed on his own

he expects us to pray on our own

to the Father

that relationship

individually

but also

he expects us to pray

in gathered worship

prayer that is frequent

and ongoing

but surely the fact that Jesus

as he gives us a model for prayer here

and he begins it

indicates that prayer is not just to be

a private thing

no Jesus says

my people are to pray together

our Father

here's a poem that I read this week

from rugged individuals

you cannot pray the Lord's Prayer

and even once say I

you cannot say the Lord's Prayer

and even once say my

nor can you pray the Lord's Prayer

and not pray for one another

for when you ask for daily bread

you must include your brother

for others are included

in each and every plea

from the beginning to the end of it

it never not once

says me

it's that profound poetry

Sunday by Sunday

we gather together

and one of the things we do

is we pray corporately

we pray with Jesus

and we pray

with each other

and we pray for one another

now the corporate prayers

on Sundays tend to be led

by one person

but these prayers

are in a sense

somebody said to me this week

they are in a sense

training for the rest of the week

so football players

they train six days

to perform on one day

as Christians

we gather to worship

on one day

to train

to perform on the other six days

in other words

these practices

in gathered worship

train us

how we are going to live

in our scattered worship

they give us a model

for how we are going to live

when we leave this place

and knowing that

that relationship with God

is not based on a performance

it's not based on what I do

but it's based on Jesus' death

and on the cross in my place

that gives me

unbelievable freedom

in how we pray

we are praying

to our heavenly father

and Jesus wants us

to be without pretense

when we can

instead we often come

don't we

wanting to be something

that we're not

the problem of trying

to be spiritual

we don't need

to clean up our act

in order to become a Christian

but when it comes to

praying with each other

we certainly think we need to

if we try to fix ourselves up

well in contrast

Jesus wants us to come like

well look

verse 9

like little children

to our father

now that's the bulk of the sermon

and we carry two words

alright

Jesus says

when you pray

pray our father

now what do you pray for?

what do you pray for?

let's look at the rest of that line

our father in heaven

let's face two words

in the Lord's Prayer

they highlight intimacy

the security

of a relationship

with God as father

the delight

of a relationship

that we now enjoy

with God

because of Jesus

but the second two words

of that first line

of the Lord's Prayer

tell us

indicate to us

that we are coming to a father

who is almighty

who is sovereign

who is powerful

who's got the resources

beyond our wildest imaginations

at his disposal

that this God

is holy

and majestic

he is the God

of heaven

he is the almighty

he is God

over heaven

and earth

and there's nothing

we can ask of this God

that is beyond

his capabilities

there is nothing

impossible

with God

and those four words

set up

everything

that is to come

in the Lord's Prayer

they set up

the context

for every time

you come to God

in prayer

because every time

we pray

we are praying

to the all loving

father

and the all powerful

Lord

he has the power

to do all things

and yet

he constrains

his power

he only uses it

in the loving way

that the greatest

father possibly could

so as you pray

the Lord's Prayer

you pray with complete

confidence

and trust

we say

your kingdom

come

your will be done

because we completely

trust that the

father in heaven

his will is going

to be perfect

his kingdom

is going to be

glorious

we come to him

with complete

dependence

as we pray

for our daily bread

because we know

that the almighty

father is the one

that supplies

all our needs

and we pray

for forgiveness

and protection

from temptation

because he is

more than able

and he is more

than willing

and through all

the prayer

we pray to God

who is father

who is almighty

with great boldness

and because of who

we are praying to

we will increasingly

pray

what one writer

calls frontline

prayers

prayers

as opposed

to maintenance

prayers

maintenance prayers

are the more

mechanical things

they are focused

on our physical

needs

on the physical

needs of the

church

and of course

God wants you

to pray for those

things

it's why he gives

us the petition

give us our

daily bread

but in a sense

as you look at

the Lord's Prayer

you see the balance

but what Jesus

does is he front

loads the Lord's

Prayer

with frontline

prayers

for his kingdom

to come

pleading with God

that his will

would be done

on earth

praying that his

church would

flourish

that our friends

and neighbours

would come into

the kingdom

and that the

gospel would go

deeper into our

lives

so that we would

live increasingly

radically

transformed

lives

you read Paul's

letters

and that's where

you find Paul

praying about

you

you find that

they are the

great examples

of frontline

prayers

that the gospel

would bear more

and more fruit

in our lives

and in the lives

of others

that we want

God to work

miraculously

to bring people

to faith

and we see the

gospel going

deeper and deeper

frontline prayer

works

but then it

realised the

gospel is so

powerful

that this

loving father

is so almighty

that God

is so gracious

he is so

caring

that there is

no marriage

that is beyond

God's ability

to save it

there is no

addict who is

in too deep

that God

cannot rescue

there is no

resentment

or bitterness

that is in our

heart that cannot

be dealt with

by the loving

father

and no person

no person

is unreachable

by the grace

of God

and why can

we pray

with such

confidence

because of

who we are

praying to

our father

in heaven

lastly all

through this

series I've

been trying

to say

what we do

on Sundays

shapes us

it forms

us

it moulds

our identities

and we just

need to think

for a moment

how does

prayer do

that

as we pray

together each

Sunday

speaking the

language of

our father

in heaven

the almighty

God who

reigns and

rules

in a sense

what we're

doing is we

are pressing

the reset

button

on how we

do God

because through

the week we

are bombarding

aren't we

we are tested

our hearts

so wicked

so corrupt

think wrong

thoughts about

God

we hear other

people say

stuff

and this prayer

is like the

reset button

where we come

and we say

no this is

who I'm

praying to

this is who

I worship

and every time

you pray to

God using

this kind

of language

and that is

important isn't

it because

your view of

God

determines how

you are going

to live your

life this

week

if you go

into this

week

banking your

life on the

God who has

revealed himself

as father

almighty

it's going to

change how

you live

it's going to

change how

you deal with

pressure

and anxiety

and fear

and it's going

to change you

the better

I've stolen

this phrase

but I can't

remember where

I've stolen

it from

in our prayers

we worship

God with

pendulum

prayers

pendulum

prayers

until we

are humble

and bold

at the same

time

we will not

know the joy

of prayer

what do I

mean by

pendulum

prayers

think about

the opening

line in

this Lord's

prayer

our praise

really operates

like a

pendulum

if you know

what a

pendulum is

it's a

weight on

a rope

it swings

from one

side of the

back

you got it

so our

praise operates

like a

pendulum

we are

praying our

father on

the one

hand

aren't we

we are

thinking

we are

praying

we are

meditating

we are

rejoicing

how loving

God is

how merciful

God is

how gracious

God is

how sacrificial

God was

in giving up

his son

so that we

could become

sons and

daughters

but then the

pendulum

swings to the

other side

and we think

about our

father who is

in heaven

and we're

thinking about

how majestic

how holy

how high

how lofty

how powerful

how other

he is

and the thing

is about

pendulum

praise

is it's

constantly

swinging

from one

side to

the other

and back

again

and every

single one

of us has

got a tendency

to tie the

pendulum out

to one

side

you either

want to

think of

God as

more loving

more than

holy

or you want

to think

he is more

holy than

loving

but the thing

about pendulum

praise is you've

got to let it

swing back

and forth

back and

forth

and the

beauty of

this is that

the further

you let it

go on the

one side

the further

it swings

to the

other side

and so the

more that you

are able to

see the love

of God

the father

and what he's

done for you

out of that

love

the more

then that his

might and his

holiness and his

justice and his

power they

come into

greater for you

and the more

that you pray

and meditate

and reflect

and praise him

for his might

and his holiness

and his justice

and his righteousness

the more beautiful

appears his love

back and forth

back and forth

back and forth

that prayer will

change you

because as you

reflect on his

might and holiness

it humbles you

you realise how

undeserving you are

face to face

with this glorious

God

and yet it gives you

incredible boldness

that you are

cherished

and you are

delighted in

by the God

of this universe

and we are

changed

we are changed

by how we

pray

and that

change is

then how we

pray

it takes us

deeper

deeper

deeper

into the

gospel

there's a

story of

Alexander the

Great

it's probably

apocryphal

and it goes

like this

Alexander the

Great was

once asked

by one of