R. Albert Mohler Jr.'s Blog, page 217

Prayer, Piety, and the Glory of God: The Lord’s Prayer in the 21st Century

This article is an excerpt from my book, The Prayer that Turns the World Upside Down: The Lord’s Prayer as a Manifesto for Revolution . This post is the first in an eight part series on the Lord’s Prayer.  

The Lord’s Prayer is one of the most astounding and theologically rich portions of Scripture. In Matthew’s gospel, the Lord’s Prayer stands at the heart of the Sermon on the Mount. Before Jesus gives instructions on praying, he spends a significant amount of time criticizing the prayer practices of the Pharisees; Jesus evidently did not think much of their many words and empty phrases. By implication, he may not think much of today’s standard fare Christian prayer.

The Sermon on the Mount presents a picture of life in the kingdom of heaven. Thus, the contents of the sermon are those issues that Jesus himself identified as essential to the kingdom. The Lord’s Prayer is no exception. For this and many other reasons, Christians need to regularly revisit the rich theology of the Lord’s Prayer. The prayer stands at the very center of the Sermon on the Mount; as Christ’s followers, it should thus stand at the very center of our lives.

The Lord’s Prayer in the Sermon on the Mount is part of Christ’s vision for life in the inaugurated Kingdom of Heaven. The arrival of God’s Kingdom leads to a complete transformation of values that in turn leads to a transformation in piety—particularly in the giving of alms, fasting, and prayer.

No one is better able to teach us these transformed values and the nature of true prayer than Jesus himself. The gospels regularly repeat that Jesus was constantly engaged in the work of prayer. Perhaps the most prominent example is Jesus’ prayer in John 17, what we typically call Jesus’ high-priestly prayer. In this text, we get a small glimpse into Jesus’ private prayer life and his intense communion with the Father. This passage alone shows us the richness of Jesus’ prayer life. Yet, prayers like John 17 cannot serve as model prayers. Indeed, many of the elements of Jesus’ prayer in John 17 could only be spoken by Christ as the divine-human Mediator. The Lord’s Prayer, however, is quite different. The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer for disciples to pray. In other words, Jesus specifically designed the Lord’s Prayer to be used by the people of God and to enrich our prayers. The account of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew makes this point explicitly. Jesus says, “Pray then like this.”

In Matthew, Jesus leads into his model prayer with these words:

And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father 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 for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Matthew 6:1 is the key to understanding this passage. Jesus instructs his disciples to beware of practicing their righteousness before men. Jesus urgently warns against a piety that is public and ostentatious—a piety, therefore, that is completely vapid and false. This type of piety is self-referential. It draws attention to the one who is supposedly, by his or her actions, a pious man or woman.

Jesus shows that something is going to be disclosed in our piety—either the glory of God or the superficial, insincere “piety” of the believer. Jesus is also decidedly clear that those who wish to be seen as pious have already received their reward. The Pharisees make themselves look famished and hungry when they fast in order to draw attention to their artificial piety. What they desire are the approving and admiring looks of those who see them. They want to be considered holy by men. They may get what they want—but that is all they will get. Their only reward is the praise of man, but that is where their reward ends. Jesus commends another type of piety—a secret piety that will be rewarded by the Father. The contrast is stark. We can pursue the glory of the Father by humbling ourselves, or we can pursue our own glory by exalting ourselves before others. We simply cannot do both.

You do not have to be a Pharisee to fall into this trap. Christians sometimes feel the need to impress other believers with our prayers, whether in a worship service or in a smaller group. But authentic prayer is never about impressing anyone. The prayer God seeks is the prayer of the humble and contrite heart. As Jesus says elsewhere, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

To read more, purchase your copy of The Prayer that Turns the World Upside Down at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or ChristianBook.com.

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Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Justice Department inspector general report exposes politicization of the FBI, provides ammunition for both political partiesNew York Times (Matt Apuzzo) — Report Criticizes Comey but Finds No Bias in F.B.I. Decision on ClintonNew York Times (Alexander Burns) — Democrats Find Vindication, and New Agony, in Report on ComeyWashington Times (Stephen Dinan) — Comey 'insubordinate,' FBI wracked by leaks in 2016 campaign investigation

Why in a fallen world someone must watch the watchers and investigate the investigators

When Canada’s Supreme Court tries to balance religious liberty and equality, it’s religious liberty that takes a back seatVancouver Sun (Jim Bronskill) — Supreme Court of Canada rules against Trinity Western University over law school graduates

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Monday, June 18, 2018

America faces a moral crisis at its southern border: How did we get here and how will we respond?Washington Post (Michael E. Miller, Emma Brown, and Aaron C. Davis) — Inside Casa Padre, the converted Walmart where the U.S. is holding nearly 1,500 immigrant childrenNew York Times (Ross Douthat) — The Lesser Cruelty on Immigration

Why both political parties must own up to the political and moral crisis brought on by the failure to act on the issue of immigrationNew York Times (Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Michael D. Shear) — How Trump Came to Enforce a Practice of Separating Migrant Families

How should Christians rightly understand our relationship to government in light of Romans 13? Washington Post (Julie Zauzmer and Keith McMillan) — Sessions cites Bible passage used to defend slavery in defense of separating immigrant families

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Friday, June 15, 2018

How the psychotherapeutic revolution has led us to the dangerous belief that unhappiness is a problem that must always be solvedWashington Post (David Von Drehle) — Our culture assumes happiness is the normal human condition. Why?

Can money buy happiness? New survey says yes, but this type of happiness comes with regretsNew York Times (Paul Sullivan) — Balancing the Benefit and the Burden of Wealth

The quest for inner peace: Competitive meditators and their unmindful mindfulnessWall Street Journal (Ellen Gamerman) — Competitive About Your Meditation? Relax, Everyone Else is Too

Not dying will not work: How the fear of death drives us to desperation which can be satisfied only in ChristWall Street Journal (Alison Gopnik) — Who’s Most Afraid to Die? A Surprise

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Thursday, June 14, 2018

Proposal to divide California into three separate states reveals political frustration, will be faced by California voters in NovemberNPR (Camila Domonoske) — California? Or Cali-Three-Nia? Proposal To Split State Will Be On Ballot In November

Americans grapple with moral questions surrounding violent crime as support for the death penalty risesPew Research Center (Baxter Oliphant) — Public support for the death penalty ticks up

Which story is more likely to end with two people living happily ever after: Meeting at happy hour or meeting at church? National Review (Kevin D. Williamson) — Advice for Incels

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Wednesday, June 13, 2018

How will history remember the summit between the United States and North Korea?Dallas Morning News (Staff) — Trump pledges 'security guarantees' as Kim Jong Un recommits to 'denuclearization'Wall Street Journal (Gerald Seib) — Singapore Summit Puts Kim Jong Un’s Words to the Test

Human rights abuses linger as United States and North Korea move forward under new agreementWashington Post (Adam Taylor) — The North Korean human rights issue stalking the Singapore summit

Secularization in the Bible Belt: Once unthinkable, opposition to gambling fades in Alabama

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Tuesday, June 12, 2018

What the Miss America Pageant reveals about the jumbled contradictions in America’s cultural landscapeWashington Post (Emily Yahr) — Miss America eliminates swimsuit competition and won’t judge contestants on physical appearanceNew York Times (Jessica Bennett) — Goodbye, Swimsuit Competition. Hello, ‘Miss America 2.0.’Dallas Morning News (Catherine Cuellar) — Until Miss America changes, it's unlikely the U.S. will achieve gender equity

Abortion and the fight for life: Has Northern Ireland redefined or recognized basic human rights?New York Times (Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura and Richard Pérez-Peña) — U.K. Court Dismisses Challenge to Northern Ireland Abortion LawWall Street Journal (Jason Douglas) — U.K. Top Court Criticizes Strict Northern Irish Abortion Law

How eating a chicken sandwich can send an unintended moral message and outrage the cultural warriorsCBS News (Kate Gibson) — Jack Dorsey, Twitter's CEO, blasted for patronizing Chick-fil-A

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Monday, June 11, 2018

As suicide rates rise, there are basic questions we must ask about why the problem is not getting any betterWashington Post (Amy Ellis Nutt) — Suicide rates rise sharply across the United States, new report shows

Why the church’s response to the rising suicide rate must not be one of confusion, but of clarityNew York Times (Benedict Carey) — Defying Prevention Efforts, Suicide Rates Are Climbing Across the Nation

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn goes to Harvard: How one man who didn’t know how not to tell the truth, told the truth in a 1978 speech

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Friday, June 8, 2018

New generation celebrates new traditions with the rising popularity of the ‘you be you’ wedding cultureNew York Times (Marianne Rohrlich) — How the Royal Wedding Might Influence Weddings to Come

As young Americans postpone marriage, we see the unraveling of marriage and the entire understanding of the familyNew York Times (Roni Caryn Rabin) — Put a Ring on It? Millennial Couples Are in No Hurry

Why our response to secularization should not be retreat and pessimism, but the preaching of the gospelReligion News Service (Tom Heneghan) — Europe: Not as secular as you think

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Thursday, June 7, 2018

History behind the Gallup Poll Gallup (Jeffrey M. Jones) — Most in U.S. Say Consuming Alcohol, Marijuana Morally OK

Why changing the number of people in a marriage is far easier than changing the definition of marriageGallup (Andrew Dugan) — More Americans Say Pornography Is Morally Acceptable

Is it really that shocking that the American Bible Society would align its employment policies with the Bible?Philadelphia Inquirer (Michael Boren) — American Bible Society to employees: Abstain from sex outside marriage or resign

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