to Unanswered Prayer

            By Garner Ted Armstrong     [printer-friendly]     [pdf format]

CHAPTER ONE

"O God, where are You when I need You?"

     Each day, millions pray. In China, Japan, Southeast Asia, prayers are recited in Buddhist temples, Shintoist pagodas; prayer wheels turn in dozens of Nepalese streams. In Europe, Central and South America; across the United States and Canada, millions pray each day. What happens to all those prayers? Where do they go? Does anyone hear them? Are very many of them answered? Do you pray? Are your prayers answered?
     During World War II, Catholic mothers in Germany and France prayed that their sons would be granted safety, and victory. Priests recited petitions in the same language, (Latin), to the same God, asking for the same thing. But, during the German advance into France, those prayers went up to God from opposing sides. Wasn't this a little confusing to God?
     Each Sunday, tens of millions go to church; tens of millions more see religious programs on television. They pray. They engage in responsive readings; millions recite the "Lord's Prayer" each week. How many of those prayers are answered—really answered, in a definitive, perhaps even a spectacular way?
     What about you? Do you pray? Are your prayers answered in a tangible, positive way, leaving absolutely no doubt in your mind?
     Sometimes, failing to receive an answer to prayer can prove frustrating, especially to children. For example, a young lad named Peter once wrote a letter to God. You've probably seen samples of such letters—national magazines have published them, and they have been the subject of humorous comment on TV talk shows. Little Peter had been taught about God. He believed God was good, kind—that He was all-powerful, and could do anything. He saw his parents pray at home, in church. Then, disaster struck. When his teacher asked him to write a letter to God about it, Peter wrote, "Dear God: My brother Tommy was hit by a car. My mother prayed to you—and so did I. We begged you to let him live, but you wouldn't. He was only two years old, so he couldn't have sinned that bad. You didn't have to punish him that way ... you could have saved my little brother, but you let him die. You broke my mother's heart. How can I love you, God?"
     Peter's letter is exactly the way millions feel. Why does God hide Himself? Why is He so unreal to us? Why does God allow wars, sickness and disease, rape, murder, tragedy, accidents, death? For centuries, man has sought the answers to these painful questions. Where is God when you're really in pain?
     Philosophers and theologians alike fail to provide us with ready answers. As a newspaper columnist wrote, "Suffering of innocent people is something we cannot understand."
     "Surely, His ways are mysterious, and past finding out," intones the theologian, quoting scripture.
     Pastors have sought for generations to comfort the bereaved at funerals—trying to provide some insight into the bitter question WHY? Why this or that person—why now? And why, that way? Why are children born malformed, deaf, blind, dumb? Why crib death? Are there any answers, or must we remain forever helplessly asking "why"?
     We humans tend to blame God for our failures and congratulate ourselves for our successes. When we're comfortable, successful, happy, we have no special need of God. But when we're sick, frightened, poverty-stricken, or experiencing the loss of a loved one—we cry out to Him in anguish of soul. We think of so many ways in which it all seems so unfair, somehow.
     One man professed to be an atheist because he couldn't rationalize suffering and the goodness of an all-powerful God. He wrote, "if I had the power to fashion the universe and remake it nearer my heart's desire, there would be no blind, no deaf, no dumb; there would be no crippled, and each child born would live free of disease and possess a mentality capable of withstanding all the rebuffs of life. There would be no deaths by accident. There would be no earthquakes, cyclones or tornadoes. Unless and until such a condition comes to pass, and we may live free from disease, sorrow and suffering, there is no God in this vast universe worthy of homage." At first glance, this may sound like a logical enough position. But on second thought, what causes blindness, deafness, dumbness, endemic disease? What causes accidents—why do tragedies occur? The atheist didn't consider the element of free moral agency. Since there is a God, and God has created we human beings with a mind; with free choice, He has given us personal control over our own lives.
     Man has, in too many cases, invited God out of his life. God has cooperated. God does not produce "Monday-morning automobiles" (cars produced by assembly-line workers with Monday-morning hangovers) with twenty-five easily discernable factory defects—careless, hung-over workmen do. God does not force mothers to turn their attention to morning sitcoms or soaps while their children stray from the yard to dash into the street after a rolling ball; God does not produce careless, indifferent, slipshod workmanship in products which often betray their users. God is not the One who causes accidents—men are. Yet, when accidents occur, man is quick to call out to God for relief—sometimes bitterly indicting a seemingly uncaring Deity for aloofness.
     But is it God who is aloof, or we humans who ignore Him, and His will in our lives? Would you want God interfering in your personal life on a daily basis? Think about it.
     Are you a smoker? I smoked for about 8 years, and it was a terrible ordeal to quit. Finally, with God's help, and by discontinuing some associations; quitting the bowling league, staying away from situations where I was tempted to smoke, I broke the two-pack-a-day habit I had during my years in the Navy. I quit in 1953. That was about two years before Dr. Cuyler Hammond released his report showing the correlation between cigarette smoking and lung cancer—and years before the explosion of filter tips, longer cigarettes, and all the advertisements about the amount of "tar" contained in each. Today, cigarette advertising is banned from television; a clear warning is required on each ad, or package, saying smoking causes lung cancer.
     If you smoke, would you like God to prevent it?
     Try to imagine the scene, if someone who smoked was not necessarily an atheist, but not devoutly religious, either. Perhaps our smoker believes God may exist, perhaps goes to church a time or two each year, watches a religious TV program now and then; thinks he has all the bases covered.
     But, one day, he tries to reach for his shirt pocket to extract a cigarette. Suddenly, his hand is stopped short of his shirt by some invisible, powerful force. He is shocked, wondering if he is having seizure, a cramp, an epileptic fit. He tries with the other hand. Just as he is about to extract the pack, his arm is stopped in mid-air by a powerful., unseen force! He seizes the arm with his other hand, tries to guide it to his shirt pocket. Again, some compelling force stops him from reaching his cigarettes! He calls to a friend, and asks him to reach his cigarettes. His friend tries it—only to be stopped by some sort of seizure. They look at each other in dumbfounded amazement. The smoker bends over, shakes his shirt, and the cigarettes fall to the floor. He tries to reach them. He can't. some power prevents it. Sobbing in desperation, bewildered by what's happening, he asks his friend to light up, and blow smoke in his face. The friend lights a cigarette, and tries to blow smoke into his face. But the smoke simply disappears as it comes out of his mouth! Our smoker, bewildered, frightened, angry, frustrated, throws himself to the ground in a mindless frenzy! Finally, he is carried to a padded cell, placed in a straightjacket, so he can't hurt himself, or commit suicide!
     Unrealistic? Not when you think about it. Apply the same scene to a developing affair between a married person and a friend. What if their attempts at physical contact were somehow barred by the intervention of a powerful force—an invisible presence?
     What if God prevented you from doing anything which was harmful to you? it might give you better health, prolong your life, prevent accidents—but it would also remove your free moral agency; it would take away volition; make you into a robot, an automaton. God is not interested in producing robots—He is interested in reproducing after His own kind; the family of God! And He wants the development of righteous, holy character, not the bovine acquiescence of a pre-programmed robot. The atheist was wrong. The very fact that we have free moral agency; the fact that God allows us to choose between good and evil proves there is a God.
     Accidents, tragedies are heart-breaking, difficult to understand. But God does not cause them—He merely fails to prevent them, in the same fashion that He does not intrude into our lives in a forceful sense; does not prevent us from doing things that are harmful to us.
     Is there a God? If SO, can you prove it? Is God a personal Being, who hears and answers prayers? Of course, such a question is deserving of a book, or several of them. But yes, there is a God, and you can prove it. How? By the laws of science; by history, archaeology, by logic, and by the Bible.
     There are seven proofs God exists. Each is deserving of a book to thoroughly explain, but in brief, they are:
     (1) CREATION. Matter exists. The universe exists. It is. Our own galaxy, and our vast solar system, with our "orange dwarf star," the sun, positioned precisely where it needs to be to provide stored energy for our fossil fuels, daylight, our seasons; all this is but an infinitesimal part of what is actually there—the universe. Our own galaxy is said to consist of two hundred billion, billion stars—many of them much larger than our sun. The good, green earth is said to be like one speck of sand in all the seashores on earth, in comparison to its place in our galaxy. No-one doubts the universe, we merely stand in awe of it—heart-stopping, mind-boggling, breathtaking awe. Matter exists. We exist. Creation—the incredible array of interdependent, symbiotic life forms—it is. Your logical mind demands a Creator for a creation.
     (2) LAW. And what of the forces that act upon creation? What of the laws of thermodynamics; of the conservation of energy? What of the laws which uphold the nuclear reaction in our sun which gives us heat and light? Think of the irrevocable, immutable, absolute laws of physics, chemistry, of the physical sciences. What of the cleavage properties of minerals? The laws governing how they form, or are broken down? What of gravity, the magnetic field of earth, inertia? Science must work within such laws to invent, design, and produce the wondrous machines that can make life so abundant. Aerodynamics is a case in point. Aircraft are designed so as to overcome drag by devices such as jet or propeller-driven engines and airfoils, or wings, which produce lift. Bricks can't fly—but airplanes can. Science must comply with existing laws, finding efficient means to obey principles and laws which are immutable, unchangeable, from creation. When those laws are broken, we suffer. Break the laws, and they break us. Get in harmony with them, obey them, and they bless us. Immutable laws—the laws governing the properties of creation itself—these require a great LAWGIVER.
     (3) LIFE. You and I are alive. Billions of creatures, from man to huge blue whales; from microorganisms to yellowfin tuna; from tiny shrews to elephants, we all share something we call "life." Life is a true cycle. It is broken only by death, and its only beginning is through pre-existing life of the same kind.
     Evolutionary thought proposes that randomness produced life. Do explosions in print shops produce dictionaries and encyclopedias? Think of the myriad forms of life—plant, animal, fish, bird, insect, microbacterial life. Does your logical mind believe life came from the not-living? No. It demands that life comes from life—just as you came from your parents, and they from their parents, and so-on. Life requires a Great Lifegiver! All life must come from a life SOURCE!
     (4) DESIGN. Look around you at the incredible design of our universe, our solar system, the earth, and all of matter, all life forms.
     Think of your own body; your mind. Our marvelously-constructed bodies are an absolute miracle of design. Is anything superior, in the known universe, to the human hand? With it, we can perform fantastic feats; from concert violinist to skillful surgeon, from champion boxer to astronaut; from architect to artist—the human hand is a marvel of engineering design.
     What of the eye? Have you ever bothered to renew the smorgasbord of knowledge you received during your years of formal education—to reacquaint yourself with the functions of your own body? Study an encyclopedia on the human eye; study our muscular, digestive, nervous, skeletal, circulatory systems. Study articles on our vital organs; glands that affect our growth, reproduction, physical health, digestion, mental ability. Think of the feather of a bird, the wing of a fly; the symbiotic relationship between blue whales and plankton, or krill. What of the food chain—the microorganisms that produce humus; soil that grows herbs, vegetables, and fruit; our digestive systems with bacteria that help us utilize our sustaining foods; our blood stream that carries life-giving oxygen and foods to our cells?
     Wherever you look in nature, you see harmonious, intricate, breathtaking design. Such marvels of design require a Great DESIGNER! Intricate design is not the result of blind accident, of happenstance, any more than a Boeing 747 could grow like fungus in a field.
     (5) SUSTAINER. What of the continual functioning of the universe itself? What of the controlled forces we see at work; from gravity to erosion—the exact place of the continental masses in relationship to each other; the earth's tectonic plates, great oceans with their powerful currents, polar ice caps, weather systems?
     What keeps it all going? Why is it so dependable, so constant? Again, laws. The sustaining of such laws—the  seemingly-guaranteed, aeons-long, continuous operation of forces and energies which, if they acted in capricious operation of forces and energies which, if they acted in capricious disarray, would eradicate man from this earth, are instead dependable, lawful, constantly predictable. Laws governing the conservation of energy; the continual intake of carbon 14 into living things from the sun; the gradual breakdown of radioactive carbon into lead; the deposition of rocks and forming of strata; the daily tides; the earth's annual journey around the sun, the moon's monthly journey around the earth; our weather and seasons—such laws operate like a finely-tuned Swiss watch. Why? How? All this requires a sustaining force—a Great SUSTAINER!
     (6) FULFILLED PROPHECY. Another great proof God exists is found through studying the many examples of fulfilled prophecies in the Bible. There were many, many prophecies which portrayed the coming of Christ as Messiah; many others which were fulfilled in specific things He said, or did. The Gospels relate these—continual references are made as to how Christ fulfilled this or that prophecy, spoken or written centuries before.
     Are you a doubter? Study the 11th chapter of Daniel with Rawlinson's Ancient History and other profane sources to hand. In this remarkable chapter, you will see generations of kings; the Seleucidae of Syria and the lesser Pharoahs of Egypt, the Ptolmeys, locked in bitter struggle over Palestine. Hundreds of years before the fact, God's prophet Daniel was given dreams and visions of what was to become history. He foretold the rise and fall of the ancient Babylonian Empire, the Persian Empire, the Greco-Macedonian Empire; the death of Alexander the Great and the division of his empire by his four generals; the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.
     There are dozens of other examples. Theological libraries are filled with books attesting to the remarkable accuracy of the Prophets of old. Great city states and empires have come and gone—their emergence and destruction clearly set down in Bible prophecy centuries before it happened. Ancient Tyre, Sidon, Babylon, Rome all are mentioned, and in some cases, in fine detail. Bible prophecy and history cannot be separated.
     Will skeptics deny history and archaeology? The monuments and ancient buildings of the near east and Mediterranean world bear silent testimony to many pages of fulfilled Bible prophecy. Rome itself was predicted to rise and fall—and experience successive revivals down into our time. Christ was the greatest of all prophets—and who can deny that He prophesied of our own time, when He warned that if God did not cut short the days, a time would come when all human life could be erased from the earth?
     He said, "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved [alive], but for the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened" (Matthew 24:21, 22). Clearly, Jesus spoke of a time in which the destruction of humanity would finally become possible—our time, now. Yet, He gives us glorious hope in the face of awesome weapons of destruction—for He reaffirms that God does exist; that He will cut short the days of global chaos; that He will intervene to save mankind from himself.
     Not only are there hundreds of fulfilled prophecies of the past; those which are absolutely, corroborated by history and the spade of the archaeologist, but there are prophecies which apply to our modern times, as well. Fulfilled prophecy is surely a proof God exists (7) ANSWERED PRAYER. Now we come to the most personal proof—a proof God exists that is absolute, incontrovertible, to those of us who have received dramatic, undeniable answers to prayer. Atheists and skeptics will of course deny answered prayer, placing it on the level of a placebo. Arguing about the historical accounts concerning Christ's miracles is useless, for there are no living witnesses, and, in any case, the skeptic would discount them as unreliable. But to the believer—the individual who has experienced, seen, felt, known the answer to prayer in a vivid, undeniable, personal experience, the existence of a loving, powerful God is clearly proved. I know God answers prayers—I know, by the same token, that there are many prayers He seems not to answer—or perhaps defers to answer.
     A few days after I had begun writing this book, my wife and I enjoyed a visit from my sister, Beverly. She brought with her from California two letters she had received from an old friend of the family—letters written by my mother. One had been written from Astoria, Oregon, in 1927, almost three years before I was born. In it, my mother told of an absolutely dumbfounding, inspiring, miraculous answer to prayer. I read the letter for the first time never having known of its existence before, only the morning before writing these lines. My mother related how she had been bitten on the arm by an Airedale dog; a rather serious wound. She went to the doctor, who cleansed and bandaged it.
     But a couple of days later, she drove a thorn from a rose bush deep into her little finger. It became infected, and she developed blood poisoning. Then, while under the doctor's care for this development, she contracted a severe case of laryngitis. She wrote to her friend that it had developed into what they commonly called "quinsy" at that time. The doctor lanced the infection several times, but it refused to heal up. She had a terrible fever, but she finally seemed to stabilize.
     The doctor visited her several times. Finally, he said he would have to open the finger to scrape the bone, in order to rid her of the infection. Then came the day when my mother's jaw locked shut. She could neither eat nor drink; her body weight, a normal 102 or so, had gone down to 84! She was very near death, and the doctor plainly indicated such, not venturing how long she had. But a neighbor lady asked my father and my mother's sister, my aunt Bertha, if the family believed in "divine healing," or answers to prayer. My mother had been reared a Methodist, my father a Quaker. They said yes, they did. The neighbor lady told them of a "Christian family" who she said had "great faith," and who believed in prayer. She asked if it would be all right if they came over to pray for my mother.
     My mom's letter, written so long ago, related how the man and his wife, together with the neighbor lady, joined my father and mother at Mom's bedside. He began to pray in a quiet, sober manner, almost as if in conversation with God, reminding God of His promises to heal—quoting scriptures which confirmed those promises. He pulled out a small vial of olive oil and anointed her forehead with oil, laying his hands on her head. Then, he thanked God for having heard and answered the prayer—even before he got up from his knees! He sounded sure, as if they already had received the answer!
     My mom's letter related how she immediately sat up; her jaw loosened, she was able to drink something. Though it was winter, she got out of bed, put on her coat, and walked outside with my father, to take a brief stroll under the stars, thanking God. She had been confined to bed for so long, she felt she had to get up, and go outside.
     She related how the large abscesses in her throat, swollen hugely both inside and out, had suddenly disappeared! The pain and fever left! She was immediately strengthened! She went back into the house, went to sleep—the first good, full night's sleep in weeks, slept until almost noon the next day, and then got up and went about her household chores again. The doctor was dumbfounded—he openly admitted it was a miracle! A day or so later, my father's brother and his wife came to see my mother, expecting to find her near death.
     When she walked out of the house to meet their car in the driveway, they looked as if they had seen a ghost, my mother wrote.
     I had heard my parents describe this miraculous healing many times while I was growing up—but to see my mother's own handwriting in a letter she had written to a dear friend in Iowa; a letter which had been in the possession of her friend's family all these years—a letter I didn't know existed—and to read it now, well, I can't help wondering if God wanted me to put it into this book as a source of inspiration and encouragement to many who desperately need an answer to prayer.
     Miracles do happen. Prayers are answered. I know. I wouldn't be here if they weren't! I literally owe my life to my mother's neighbor friends; to my mother's faith, and to God.
     But there is much more to it than mere need; even desperate need. There are certain conditions to prayer--some requirements on our part.
     Few seem to understand that God has made answered prayer conditional. That is, there are keys to answered prayer; formulas. In this book, using the outline of the famous " Lord's Prayer," we shall see what those formulas are. By the time you have finished this book, you will understand, as never before, why so many prayers seem to go unanswered--and you will understand how to receive an answer to your own personal, heartfelt prayers to God.
     Hopefully, you will never again cry out, "O God, where are You when I need You?"

CHAPTER TWO

"Our father...

     So begins the Lord's Prayer. Hundreds of millions can recite it in many different languages. But what does it mean to all those people? What does it mean to you?
     The title naturally conveys a familiar relationship. We are told to address the God to Whom Jesus referred as His "Father" as our Father. Why? Why not "mother?" (as some may prefer), or "God," or "Great One in the sky"? Why did Jesus tell us to use a family title, the name connoting fatherhood?
     First, because God is the Author of all life. He is the ultimate Creator, even though Jesus Christ was the Divine Spokesman, or the Executive Member of the Godhead who did the creating—the Logos (Greek for "Spokesman") who issued the command, "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:14; John 1:3). Therefore, God is the Father of all humankind. He is not "Big Brother," or some anonymous "First Cause," but the actual Progenitor of the human race. As we have seen, God is the Lifegiver of us all.
     To most of us, our own fathers come immediately to mind when using the name "father." Probably, in a subliminal way, our own fathers—the kind of persons they are, or were—subtly color our impressions of just Who, or What we are addressing in heaven.
     Unfortunately, only about fifteen percent of American families are a true family unit, with parents and children in traditional roles. Millions of ill-prepared single parents strive to rear children (fifty percent of which are illegitimate) without a father figure in the home. As our society drifts further from the God ordained family unit—the building block of any normal society—millions of new citizens have no true father role model; have no prior knowledge of their father. Millions do not know who he was.
     But for those who do, and they still represent the vast majority, it is quite possible that he shaped their concepts about God. What kind of a father is (or was) he? Was he mild-mannered, easy-going, tender; brusque, harsh, remote; a stern disciplinarian or a kind, loving provider? Unfortunately, there are no schools for training fathers; no "licenses" issued to those qualifying, nor certificates of merit, nor degrees. Today, children beget children; fathers are too often teenagers.
     Since the impact of the title "father" is largely shaped by our own experiences, it is quite logical that most of us tend to grope for concepts which will help us understand this Divine Being, this hidden, unseen God who wishes to be called "Father," in terms of our own human experiences. Either our own father, or some older role model; a father in the neighborhood, an uncle, a grandfather, may have shaped our concepts of what "father" is all about.
     A father, of course, is merely any male who has procreated (produced children), whether a boy of sixteen, or a successful businessman of forty.
     Has there ever lived a son or daughter who has not found, in at least some corner of his heart, a place for love of father? To be sure, there are far fewer "good" fathers than there should be, but because he is life-giver, the one who engendered us, gave us our being, we carry to our graves some of his hereditary traits; his genes, some of his physical characteristics like our height, weight, color and texture of skin, color of hair and eyes, perhaps even marked talents and abilities. We are a mixed copy of our fathers and mothers. No matter what, we are here because of them.
     When we refer to God as our Father, we are not only addressing Him as our spiritual Life-giver; we are also ascribing to Him the title of Beginner, or Author of all life—ours included. "Father" is a common title.
     Francis Asbury is known as the "Father of American Methodism, while Aeschylus is called the "Father of Greek Tragedy. " Americans know George Washington as the "Father of his country," and doctors refer to Hippocrates as the "Father of medicine. " The father of the constitution? James Madison.
     Your father was somebody. Once, when Margaret had apparently been voicing some negative feelings, her father wrote to her, "Your dad will never be reckoned among the great. But you can be sure he did his level best and gave all he had to his country. There is an epitaph in Boothill Cemetery in Tombstone, Arizona, which reads, 'Here lies Jack Williams; he done his damndest. What more can a person do?' " (Harry Truman).
     Fathers can be anybody. At least, to other people. They can be alcoholics, drug-abusers, rapists, arsonists, murderers; they can be doctors, dentists, lawyers, politicians, truck drivers, busboys, senators, farmers, aeronautical engineers, pilots, assembly-line workers, clerks, technicians, deliverymen, scientists, morticians, astronauts, or generals.
     Fathers can be kind, generous, humorous; or bitter, pecuniary, selfish. They can be gifted with a sense of humor, or possessed of a violent, uncontrollable temper. They can be good husbands, providers, protectors, breadwinners—or lazy, indolent, selfish failures. They can be ebullient, positive, happy, fulfilled; or selfpitying, despairing, resentful. They can be an amazingly complex mixture of many of the above.
     Did your father beat you, molest you, abuse you? Did he love you, comfort you, encourage you? Did he never speak a single word against your mother in your hearing—or did he beat your mother, spitting epithets at her in the hearing of the children?
     Theodore Hesburgh wrote, "The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother." How true. Any person fortunate enough to have been brought up by loving, traditional parents in proper roles will have a fairly easy time understanding God's words about the Heavenly Father of us all; understanding God as a kind, loving, merciful Father who wants only the best for us.
     The ancient Latin proverb, "Like father, like son," acknowledges the powerful influences of heredity and environment on each of us, the significant influence of our human fathers in our lives . Like many old adages and sayings (where there's smoke, there's fire), it is not necessarily true, but it has a measure of truth. One quotation that is especially poignant for me is that of Samuel Johnson in his book Boswell's Life, (July 14th, 1763), who said, "There must always be a struggle between a father and son, while one aims at power and the other at independence. "
     Often, famous men have had famous fathers. A well-known case in point is that of General Douglas MacArthur whose father, military governor of the Philippines, was a role model for him. Douglas was to write, "By profession I am a soldier and take pride in that fact. But I am prouder—infinitely prouder—to be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build; the father only builds, never destroys. The one has the potentiality of death; the other embodies creation and life. And while the hordes of death are mighty, the battalions of life are mightier still. It is my hope that my son, when I am gone, will remember me not from the battle but in the home repeating with him our simple daily prayer, 'Our Father, who art in heaven.......
     Harry S. Truman said, "My father was not a failure. After all, he was the father of the President of the United States!"
     Other famous people have observed and commented on the relationship each had to his sire. Mozart, as a boy, was quoted as saying, "Directly after God in heaven comes Papa, " and Margaret Trumbell wrote, "No man is responsible for his father. That is entirely his mother's affair. "
     With his usual acid wit, the well-known pessimist and satyrist, Sir Bertrand Russell, in Why I am not a Christian, wrote, "The place of the father in the modern suburban family is a very small one particularly if he plays golf, which he usually does. "
     In a lighter vein, fathers are said to be "men who don't practice birth control," and "a man who has just missed being a bachelor by an heir. " Perhaps it was a disillusioned father who said of Father's Day, "It's the day to remember the forgotten man," or "a holiday when your son lets you wear your new necktie first."
     My father was 38 years of age when I was born. A generation apart, we had virtually no father-son relationship such as those commonly enjoyed by most youngsters growing up. We never went camping, hunting, fishing together. By the time I was old enough to do such things, my father was middle-aged, and totally involved in the demanding, time-consuming work of his ministry. He was in the home only for eating and sleeping; then, off to the office, or another trip somewhere.
     Strongly authoritarian, he ruled his family with an iron hand. How well my two sisters and I remember the state of impending doom when our mother would say, "I'm going to tell your father about this when he gets home." The result was two very badly frightened little boys, my brother Dick and I, sweating out the hours until the punishment our mother was unwilling to dish out was systematically administered by our father.
     I really don't remember the first time I ever heard the Lord's Prayer, or read it, for I was very young. However, the name "father" never failed to convey to my mind impressions of what "father" meant from my own childhood experiences. Not that all dad did was punish. Far from it.
     There was also the Dad who would give us a quarter now and then, or who, sometimes grumpily, would heat the water to a boil, pour it over and into the radiator on our old Graham, manage to start the balky, cold engine during one of Oregon's typical winter mornings, and take us to school after Mom had allowed us to oversleep.
     I can remember the rough wool of his jacket, the faint smell of his after-shave when we climbed into his lap on a rare occasion to enjoy a session of his reading the Sunday funnies to us. How well I remember the night I awoke, screaming, after a neighbor boy had told me a gruesome story about a haunted hospital; an ancient, deserted old building with bloody knives, rusty needles, syringes, operating tables, and ghosts in the elevators. I was probably about five. My screams brought my parents, who promptly told me to come and get into the bed with them. There, I was safe—and if my father's faint snoring kept me awake, it was not because it bothered me. Quite the contrary, it reassured me. Dad could deal with the knives and ghosts even if he had to haul out the ping pong paddle. Frightened little boys and girls always know everything will be all right if they are near their mother and father.
     My human father was a man of great vision, passion, emotion; driving energy to succeed. He was generous to a fault—giving more of material things than of himself, but anxious to see the glow of enjoyment on the faces of his family or friends when he bestowed some gift or favor. Perhaps one of his worst faults was that of instantly leaping to wrong conclusions, failing to give his children (or anyone else) the benefit of the doubt. He was easily convinced by first impressions.
     How many of us, whose fathers and mothers are no longer living, have so earnestly wished we could have expressed more love, more concern, more honor to them while they were alive? By the same token, what parent, if he loses a child, has not wished he could have expressed himself more deeply while the child was alive? Since we are seemingly so shy, so embarrassed, so remote in our feelings toward our human parents or children, can we learn the all-important lesson, before it is everlastingly too late, that God does not hear those who ignore Him in their daily lives? Do you thrive on love? Believe it or not, so does God! God wants our love! He wants our worship, our deep appreciation, our adoration! He does not respond to aloofness, to inattention!
     Obviously, if you pray at all, you want God's undivided attention! Fine. When does He have YOURS? The Bible shows us that once-in-a-while prayers—prayers only in times of emergency, prayers only a few times a year—are simply not heard.
     Think of the following analogy: As a transmitter of prayer, you are a spiritual dynamo or a power source. However, like the incandescent lights in your home, you can only give out power as you receive it. As you know, electricity flows in a current. See the socket in the wall? Notice it has two holes in it, to establish both a positive and a negative contact so the current will flow in a continuous circuit. God is our Power source. When we are in constant touch with Him, we are imbued with spiritual power. Prayer is like a circuit. God gives us the spiritual power, and we communicate with Him on His "wave length," called prayer.
     Today, we enjoy a marvelous array of battery-operated mechanical devices, from portable telephones to tiny vacuum cleaners for our cars and boats. When we're not using them, they are plugged in to a power source, or they finally run down and will not function. As a child of God, we need continual contact with Him, or we lose our spiritual energy, our spiritual power.
     A desperate prayer every year or so has little chance of reception because the spiritual "batteries" that are operating the spiritual transmitter are too weak. Of course, we have to start someplace, so, even though terribly weak (from lack of prayer, lack of personal Bible study, lack of staying in communication with God), we can begin to pray again, and God will hear us. Naturally, analogies break down at some point, and the one above is not to suggest God will not hear us, even after years of lack of communication with Him, for He will! God will hear the most desperate sinner, if the sinner calls out to Him broken-heartedly, in deep contrition, and seeks contact with God. But "tired Christians" cannot expect dramatic answers to prayer if they seldom pray.
     When you set yourself to really spend time with God in prayer, then you are "charging your spiritual batteries," as surely as you are plugging in a portable electrical utensil of some kind to its power source. Those who pray only casually, perhaps once a year or so, should not really expect very dramatic results. Those who pray daily will probably tell you they get results—often!
     Jesus said we are to address our Eternal Creator as if a personal Father, our Spiritual Progenitor. Is He listening? Is it difficult to talk to God? Is He so far away we can never hope to reach Him? Is prayer, after all, merely a spiritual placebo, a talisman we clutch in times of extremes? Or is God near enough that we can be heard?
     Paul put it this way, "...for in Him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28). The Bible insists that God is not far from us, that His ears are always open to our cries, that His eyes are upon us. We are told He is but a prayer away—as instantly available, nay, more so, than our closest friend over the telephone.
     Jesus Christ instructed us to pray that we and our loved ones be accounted worthy to receive special, divine protection during calamitous wars, droughts, famines, natural disasters.
     Speaking of frightening world conditions, the times in which we live, He said, "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man" (Luke, 21:
     Of course it is a temptation to pray only selfishly. I remember the story about a man who, receiving counseling about prayer from his minister, was told he had a bad case of the " gimmes. " It seems his prayers largely consisted of "Please gimme this, gimme that, gimme the other thing. " He was praying to receive more than he was praying for others.
      Paul said many of our prayers should be directed away from self; should be concerned with others around us, those who affect our lives. He said, "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty ... I will that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting" (1 Timothy 2:1-8).
     When we address God in heaven above as "Our Father," we are coming to Him as His begotten child. Peter said we are to "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). When we receive God's Holy Spirit, after repentance and baptism, we are begotten as His child! Read 1 Corinthians 12:13, together with Romans 8:9-15.
     Christ was Son of God, called the "First-begotten" and the "Firstborn from the dead" (Romans 8:29). John, the disciple closest to Jesus in a personal sense, wrote of Him, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made ... He was in the world ... and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name ... and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth" (John 1:1-14).
     The genealogies or Matthew's first and Luke's fourth chapter clearly establish Christ as the Son of God. His life's work, His preaching, His miracles, and especially the fact of His resurrection, add positive proof that He was who He said He was—the only begotten, the first begotten of God—the very Son of God.
     Because Christ was God's own Son, He referred to Him as "The Father. " As we shall see in the chapter concerning God's names, He has many, many other titles, several names. Yet, when we pray, Christ says we must address Him as our spiritual Father.
     Some doubt that Jesus was a real person. Many scoff at the miracles of Christ, say He could not have been the Son of God, and thus set aside the origins of the Christian religion. But men don't willingly die for what they know to be an hoax, the perpetration of a myth. Yet, hundreds went to their deaths, refusing to disavow the miraculous things they had seen, refusing to impugn their personal experiences with Christ, choosing torture and death rather than defilement of Christian conscience.
     That Jesus Christ lived, that He was an authentic historical figure, is one of the most substantiated facts in all history. His life, death, burial and resurrection are central to the entire concept of Christianity, and therefore to Western Civilization.
     Jesus Christ was the First-begotten from the Father; the first time in all history a human being had been injected into the human race who was not merely human, but also of divine origins.
     Christ wants us to pray to our Father in heaven in a child-like, innocent, humble, supplicatory manner; trusting, hopeful, anticipatory; devoid of pride or vanity. On one occasion, when the crowds surrounding Him attempted to present their little children to Him so that He might bless them, His disciples tried to discourage them, thinking Christ had no time for children. But He said, "Suffer [permit, be tolerant of little children, and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew 19:13-14).
     On another occasion, His disciples were arguing about who should be the greatest in His Kingdom, and "...Jesus called a little child unto Him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, 'Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me' " (Matthew 18:1-5).
     Notice well those words! Christ said we must become converted, changed, begotten of God as His children before we may enter His Kingdom. It is only those who approach God as converted, meek, humble little children—In child-like trust and innocent wonder, who are truly communicating with God.
     Vanity, selfishness, pride, evil motives, these cancel communication with God as surely as if one dialed the wrong frequency on a radio transmitter. God simply does not listen unless we approach Him as an humble, trusting little child.
     This is a vitally important key to answered prayer. Are you converted? Have you truly repented of your sins? Have you asked God for forgiveness? As we shall see, this continual seeking for daily forgiveness for our shortcomings is the quintessential element in successful prayer.
     Is it only a coincidence that the name for "father" is the first word in the Hebrew language and the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet? "Father" in Hebrew is Awb. In English, we must progress to the sixth letter and through hundreds of words, until we come to "father" in a dictionary. Not so in Hebrew. It is first. Number one.
     The Bible stresses the absolute primacy of God the Father. Jesus reveals that He and His Father, though One in spirit, purpose and mind, are nevertheless in a Father-Son relationship. Christ said repeatedly He spoke not of and for Himself, but insisted the Father gave Him the messages He delivered; that the Father was the Supreme authority. How can one expect an answer to prayer unless one acknowledges the absolute supremacy of God in one's life? Can you go to God with urgent requests unless you trust in Him absolutely? Can you trust Him without knowing Him, knowing His purpose in your life? If you are truly converted, the most natural way to address God is to simply call out to Him as an heavenly Father.
     Paul put it this way: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption [Greek, "sonship"], whereby we cry, 'Abba, Father!' " (Romans 8:14-15).
     No human being can enter into the Kingdom of God without prayer. None of us can fulfill his personal destiny, the purpose for our existence, without discovering, and communicating with, the true God. Prayer is as essential to us spiritually as eating and drinking is essential physically. It is our spiritual sustenance, our life's blood. Without prayer—answered prayer, two-way communication with God—we will shrivel and die spiritually as surely as flowers and shrubs will die without water.
     Jesus instructed us to pray. He intended that we voice our innermost feelings; our guilt, our hopes, dreams, desires; our most personal frustrations and anxieties—that we come clean with God, baring our souls in the deepest, most private communication.
     He also intended that our opening words of prayer establish contact with God. As a jet pilot, I am very familiar with the Air Traffic Controller system. Without it, flight operations in the United States at altitudes above 18,000 feet are impossible. See those wispy contrails of moisture in the sky from a passing jet? Each one of them is in constant communication with a ground controller in some nearby sector who sits before a radar screen upon which is a blip of light which represents that airplane.
     Beside that light is a computer-generated readout obtained from the flight plan and the transponder code from the airplane, identifying the aircraft by number, giving its altitude, its ground speed, and other information.
     When the jet has progressed to the point that another radar sector can better receive its electronic image, the controller issues a command, "United heavy 456, contact Albuquerque Center on 134.45. " The pilot (or, usually, the co-pilot) acknowledges the command, switches radio frequencies, and says into the microphone, "Albuquerque Center, this is United 456, level three seven zero." The center acknowledges, and the crew knows the controller on the ground has identified the blip on his screen, sees it in clear relationship to all the other electronic blips, has heard audible confirmation that the transponder readout of the jet's altitude is accurate, and can keep all the aircraft in his sector at their assigned altitudes, at appropriate distances from each other, avoiding disastrous collisions and loss of life. Ham radio operators use the same thing—certain frequencies—to contact other ham operators half a world away.
     Opening a prayer with the humble words "Our Father," is like establishing positive communication with a controller. We must be on the right "wave length" to communicate with God. Actually, our own spiritual state; whether or not we are willing to obey God, whether we are asking according to His will; our personal life's current condition—our attitude—these are as highly significant in communicating to God as having the right frequency on a VHF radio transmitter.
     Isn't it more than mildly curious that Jesus did not say we should immediately state our own names, addresses, and social security numbers when we pray? But He didn't. God's great mind is vastly superior to the minds of all humans and all computers combined. When we establish contact with God, He instantly knows exactly who we are, where we are, what we are doing. So the expression "Our Father" is far more than a mere "religious" title of some sort; it establishes a contact with God; it acknowledges that we are His offspring. It is the way He wants to be addressed.
     Jesus Christ intends we learn all there is to know about our Heavenly Father; get to really KNOW Him, through the scriptures, and through Christ's own examples. Jesus Christ was the "stamped impress," or the exact similitude, the "carbon copy" of the Father.
     The apostle Paul wrote to the scattered Jews of the Diaspora, "Cirod, who at different times and in various manners spoke unto the patriarchs by the prophets, has in these later times spoken unto us by His Son, who He has appointed Heir of all things, by Whom He made the Universe. Who, being the very brightness of His glory, and the express image [exact replica] of the Father's Person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had, by Himself, purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Hebrews 1:1-3 paraphrased).
     The Greek word for the word "image" is karakter, from which we take our English word of similar spelling, with all it conveys. Paul was inspired to say that Jesus Christ was an exact replica of the Father; that His personality, His character, were as if a mirror image. The more you learn about Christ, His teachings, examples; His lifestyle, His miracles, His tenderness, compassion; His anger at posturing religionists; His feelings toward the sinsick and afflicted, the more you learn about the Father in Heaven.
     His own disciples were curious about this "Father" of whom He so frequently spoke. Once, overcome with curiosity about Jesus' frequent references to His Father, one of His disciples asked, "Lord, show us the Father, and that will be sufficient for us." But Jesus answered, "Have I been with you for so long a time, and yet you have not known me, Phillip? He that has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:8-9, paraphrased). Thus, we learn that God has "human" form, or, more to the point, that we human beings are made in the image of God.
     The Bible says His eyes are upon those that seek after Him, speaks of His arm not being shortened that it cannot help in time of need, speaks of His face shining upon the just.
     The Bible gives us many examples of men's encounters with angels. They appear as human beings, as in the case of Christ's appearance to Abraham, and the two angels who rescued Lot. So man-like did they appear that the citizens of perverted Sodom lusted after them (Genesis 19:1-5).
     Moses, overcome by curiosity, asked God to show Himself. God declined, but, after insistent appeal, allowed Moses to see His hind parts as He passed by—saying, "No man can look on the face of God and live. " In the first chapter of Revelation, Christ is pictured in His resurrected glory as having head, torso, arms, legs, feet. God's Word says He made man in the image of God, that God has the same shape and form as do we humans.
     Unfortunately, the average person who recites the "Lord's Prayer" may know little or nothing of Jesus' examples, His teachings and instructions, His personality, His life's record. He may not know, for example, that Christ was an ordinary-looking person, impossible to pick out of a crowd; that the Bible says He had "no form or comeliness, that when we see Him, we should desire Him" (Isaiah 53:2).
     If we expect answers to prayer, we must come to know to Whom we are praying—really communicate with Him. How can we expect an answer to prayer if we are praying "vaguely," as if in bluffed images? Can the jet pilot contact the ground controller by simply dialing any frequency out of the hundreds that are available? Can you call a friend by dialing random numbers on your telephone? Can you write to a relative by addressing your letter, "Dear Someone, somewhere"?
     The key to answered prayer is to establish contact. Prayer is not empty ceremony, it is powerful, personal, private communication. it must be a two-way communication, or it is meaningless!
     And remember, Jesus Christ didn't say, "IF" you pray, He said, "WHEN" you pray! Jesus Christ set an example of prayer. He prayed for literally hours at a time, rising early in the morning to go to a private place, climbing a steep mountain to escape His disciples and the crowds, finding a place to be alone with His Heavenly Father in earnest prayer.
     Christ prayed until He perspired with the effort, prayed with groans and cries, prayed aloud, or prayed within Himself, in His mind. The Gospels are replete with examples of His life of closeness to God—His life of prayer.
     Christ made His prayers personal. On many an occasion, it was as if He interrupted a human conversation to speak to His Father in heaven.
     At the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus had listened to the frantic weeping of Mary, and all of Lazarus' family and friends. Because of their anguish, and because of His own pain upon seeing their lack of faith (not because of a sense of "loss" or pain on his own part for He knew what was to happen), Jesus simply "...lifted up His eyes, and said, 'Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always; but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.' And when He thus had spoken, He cried with a loud voice, 'LAZARUS, COME FORTH and he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, 'Loose him, and let him go' " (John 11:41-44).
     In this inspiring account, Jesus had been engaging in conversation with those surrounding Him; then, by merely shifting His gaze upward, began communicating with His heavenly Father. A great miracle resulted.
     Christ was in constant contact with God. He didn't need to "work up" faith, or force Himself into a certain "mood" before talking with His Father. He merely addressed Him; began talking to HIM, instead of other humans nearby. He immediately established contact with God, because He thought of the specific Being with whom He had shared eternity; His mind was clear about what He meant when He addressed the "Father" in heaven; He was constantly in communication with Him through prayer, and not only prayer, but fasting with prayer. Christ met all the criteria for answered prayer; He was deeply imbued with the Spirit of God, He knew the Father, He was utterly selfless, and He was wholly trusting, faithful. Therefore, He was answered in dramatic, miraculous fashion. Christ understood how to pray.
     God intends that we come to that same understanding; that we follow Christ's example. God is not remote, aloof, impossible to know. On the contrary, He says He reveals Himself to us through His Son, through the pages of His written Word, so that we need not create a fantasy-figure, a vague, unreal "Someone" of our prayers, but pray to Him, personally!
     To many of us, God has been like a "divinized" father-figure. Many speak of "The Man upstairs," or "Somebody up there who likes me," or the "Great Someone in the great somewhere. " Millions, of course, speak of God in slang and profane terms, cursing with His name, and that of Christ, as if in smug self-assurance there really is no God who stands behind His command, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Eternal thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain." Is there one out of a thousand who thinks of the true God, the Father of Jesus Christ, in an informed, intelligent manner, as he prays?
     Prayer, after all, is the most private conversation possible. It is time for confidentiality’s, secrets, confessions, admissions, requests, urgent, heartfelt appeals. It is more intimate than writing in a diary, more personal than sharing secrets with a dear friend. Therefore, it is necessary to know Who we are addressing—really KNOW.
     The next time you pray, go through a mental check list. Have you repented of your sins? Are you approaching God as a little child? Do you envision Him as the perfect kind of Father; the absolutely ideal, kind, generous, loving, forgiving, father you may never have had? Do you see Him, at the same time, as of awesome power and ability, able to punish and exact the consequences for sin, as well as able to be generous with His gifts? Do you hold Him in wondrous AWE, having that Godly fear (not terror) that a small child might have for a father who not only loves, but disciplines?
     God expects you to claim His promises, to come to Him as His loving, humble child. If you truly believe that He is your Spiritual Father; if you are as eager to confide in Him as you were to crawl into your father's arms as a little child—then go to Him—let Him know how you feel—call Him "Father" each time you pray, for that way, you'll always know He is listening!
     After all, He says, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give good things to them that ask Him?" (Matthew 7:7-11).
     What father is it who has been able to refuse a trusting, sweet, obedient, loving child who comes with a petition? Are you a parent; a grandparent? Can you refuse your own flesh reasonable requests? Nonsense. No, we're pretty much pushovers when our beloved children come to us in a moment of need. How many skinned knees, cut fingers, bruised lips have we tenderly dressed? How many times have we "kissed away the pain" of a crying child? How deeply have we hurt when our children are hurt, or sick? You cannot feel as deeply as your Heavenly Father feels toward you; human emotions simply fall short. So go ahead, claim God's love, claim His promises. After all, God listens to His own kids first, doesn't He?
 

CHAPTER THREE

"Who art in heaven..."

     Where is heaven? An altogether familiar word to hundreds of millions, the term conjures visions of streets paved with gold, "heavenly mansions," spirit beings playing on harps. Then there are the dozens of jokes about "St. Peter and the pearly gates." Heaven is supposed to be the place where all our deceased loved ones, the "good" people, are.
     She has a heavenly body—we had a heavenly time—it was a heavenly dish; we use the term in everyday conversation, and in slang. Many use heaven in supposedly mild forms of profanity, in spite of the fact that Jesus Christ said we are to "Swear not at all, neither by heaven, for it is God's throne: nor by the earth, for it is God's footstool" (Matthew 5:34-35).
     All religions speak of some other-worldly paradise, whether it be a beautiful oasis, an island in the sky, or some utopian place of eternal bliss and happiness. Clearly, the Bible identifies "heaven" as the place of God's throne. Yet, the word "place" is hardly applicable to our finite minds, for we are dealing with a spiritual realm of which we know only very little.
     Most of us think of heaven as "up" there, somewhere. But "up" is a relative term, conveying the exact opposite meaning to Australians and Americans. The word "out" would be more correct. Out from our round sphere called earth in the midst of a solar system revolving about our orange dwarf star we call the sun.
     Is the place of God's heaven further away from earth than our own galaxy we call the Milky Way? Astronomers estimate there are two hundred billion, billion stars in our own galaxy, many of them larger than our sun. They tell us there are perhaps millions, or billions, of other galaxies.
     To the layman, the most introductory study into the vastness of our universe is mind-boggling, incomprehensible. Yet, the God to Whom we pray is the Creator of all things, abides in heaven somewhere, and calls all those billions of stars and planets by name! Astronomers know where countless stars are. But where is heaven? No powerful telescopes, no space probes have captured the image of heaven on film, or transmitted it to earth stations on computer-enhanced images.
     "I believe that Someone, in the great somewhere..." goes a line in the improperly named song, "I Believe." (It should be called, "I Guess.") The great "somewhere"? Is that where heaven is? Doesn't the concept of heaven sound vastly far off, perhaps light years away further than the other side of a black hole in the universe, when you stop to think about it?
     When we were growing up, we were taught relative proportion. Remember the pictures and words about how far, how big, how long, how short, how tall? We studied pictures of mice and elephants together, of man and the great blue whale. We compared ants and the Statue of Liberty, an ocean liner and a loco motive, a bicycle and a 747. When Jesus gave us His outline for prayer, He said we should pray to our Father who is "in heaven. " He did not say this to confuse us, but rather to give us a sense of comparison, of proportion.
     It is good for us to realize that we are on this good, green earth; that it is a round orb, endlessly making its annual journey about our sun; making its daily revolutions, the moon faithfully completing each monthly trip around our earth right on time. It is good for us to contemplate the vastness of our universe as a testimony to the work of the hands of God; a glittering, awesome, incomprehensible, mind boggling proof of His creation—His limitless power. The solar system and the universe give us a sense of proportion! Ever stand next to the General Sherman tree in Sequoia National Park? This forest giant dwarfs puny man—It contains enough wood to construct forty five room houses; was probably a little sprig of a tree just after the flood of Noah!
     As the story goes, a lady aboard a 747 commented to her fellow passenger, "Oh, look at all those people down there—they look like ants!" To which her companion replied, "They are ants, my dear, we haven't taken off yet. " A flight in an airplane can give us a sense of proportion; we see huge buildings, whole cities, as but specks on the landscape. An ocean journey, especially if one encounters a storm, can quickly reduce us to our appropriate size. Prayer is like that. Jesus intended us to pray to our Father "who is in heaven," as a reminder of proportion; of how GREAT is God, and how puny, how small, insignificant and temporal, is man.
     However, most of us quickly lose this sense of proportion once outside astronomy class. Oh, we know, intellectually, that we live on a round earth. We know there are other human beings about 8,000 miles from us, straight through the planet. But we are not, in a daily sense, truly conscious of the fact. We speak of the sun "going down" or "coming up," not of the earth rolling away from the sun, or rolling toward it. We awaken in the mornings utterly unaware we have just completed an 8,000 mile trip; that we are now about 8,000 miles distant from the place we were, relative to the stars, when we went to sleep.
     We know astronomy has debunked the superstitions of the dark ages about a flat earth, that our daily weather satellites bring back incredibly detailed pictures of our entire planet, with the cloud formations clearly seen. Still, most of us live as if blissfully unaware of our temporal place on a planet that has been likened to but one grain of sand in all the seashores of earth in comparison to the number of celestial bodies in the Milky Way.
     When we pray, Christ wants us to get our minds on God, on heaven—away from this earth with its mundane concerns. He wants us to project our thoughts out through space to the very place of God's throne.
     The Bible reveals there are three heavens. The first is identified as the mantle of air that cloaks the earth; our atmosphere.
     The very first verse in the Bible says, "In the beginning, God [Hebrew: Elohim] created the heaven and the earth. " The Hebrew word for "heaven" is shameh (pronounced shaw-meh'), meaning I to be lofty," as the sky, or "aloft." It means the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as the higher part of our universe where the astral bodies revolve, and is also used to refer to the place of God's throne.
     The word has three different usages which are clear only from the context.
     Notice a couple of examples: "And God called the firmament heaven" (Genesis 1:8). The Hebrew word "firmament" is raqiya which means "an expanse. " The Bible says, "And God said, let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years..." (Genesis 1:14). Obviously, the word shameh, translated "heaven," is not here referring to the place of God's throne, but at once to our earth's atmosphere and to space—the physical universe.
     Notice the usage of the word in relationship to our atmosphere: "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven [shameh] were opened" (Genesis 7:11). There are many other examples. Genesis 8:3 speaks of the rain from heaven being restrained.
     Most of the places in the Old Testament where the word heaven is used, it is shameh, and refers primarily to this earth's atmosphere, or to our solar neighborhood. When Elijah was "taken up into heaven," for example, he was transported into the sky, carried out of sight—not taken to the place of God's throne.
     This is obvious, in the light of Jesus' positive statement, "And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven" (John 3:13). Also, speaking of Elijah, Paul wrote, "These all died in faith, not having received the promises" (Hebrews 11:13).
     Not understanding the three usages of the Hebrew word for heaven, many have assumed Elijah was taken to the place of God's throne; instead, he was transported to some other place on earth, there to live out his days in peace. The Bible says he died "in faith, not having received the promises."
     Three different meanings are possible from the Hebrew shameh. The first is our atmosphere, the air surrounding our earth where the birds fly, clouds form, and aircraft navigate. Air is matter, of course, composed of various gases, and is very much a part of our earth. The second is our solar neighborhood and outer space. The third usage is the heaven of God's throne.
     In order to determine which is meant, one must discern by the context. Notice: "Then hear thou in heaven [Hebrew: shameh] thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest ... hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place... " (1 Kings 8:39-43). So prayed Solomon at the dedication of the temple. He obviously refers to God's throne, yet uses the identical Hebrew word for heaven which was used in connection with rain falling, or the heaven where the stars are, which is shameh.
     Notice what Paul wrote: "...I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man ... how that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter... " (2 Corinthians 12:1-4).
     The language Paul heard may well have been the "new language" God will give the entire earth at the establishment of His Kingdom. He says, "For then I will turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Eternal, to serve Him with one consent" (Zephaniah 3:9). The words were "unspeakable" in a beatific, holy sense.
     In vision, Paul said he was given a glimpse of heaven itself. He called it paradise, said the language was unknown to him. He calls this paradise, this place of God's throne, "the third heaven." Paul was obviously acquainted with the other usages of the word shameh, or he would not have specified "the third heaven" when speaking of the heaven of God's throne.
     Our heavenly Father is a Spirit Being. Jesus said, "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23-24).
     God exists in another dimension from ours—the spirit world. The method of communication with God our Father, who is Spirit, must therefore be spiritual, not physical. Radio and television are physical. One could dial in any frequency known to man on powerful transmitters and never be heard of God. He is available only on spiritual wavelengths; He is instantly available when we meet those spiritual criteria. Addressing Him as our Father; acknowledging that He is in heaven—envisioning heaven; seeing, as clearly as we can, God's surroundings, His majesty, His greatness; this is what Jesus intended.
     We must communicate "in the spirit, " not via the air waves. God is composed of Spirit—he is not flesh and blood, and if we are to reach Him we must do so in a spiritual dimension—prayer!
     Think of some physical analogies. Perhaps we perceive radio and television as mundane, since they are so commonplace. And yet, radio and television waves that travel through space can teach us a great deal about prayer.
     Right now, wherever you are, you are being bombarded by hundreds, perhaps thousands of unheard waves of sound. You have only to turn on a portable transistor radio set to prove it. Your human ear cannot detect these sounds, for they are emitted on frequencies not available to normal human perception. Yet, they are constantly bombarding you, filling the room where you are sitting, the automobile in which you are riding. So it is with spiritual communication.
     Somehow, we are able to project our thoughts through spiritual channels directly to God's throne in heaven, directly to the great mind of God Himself, by being on the right spiritual wavelength.
     Jesus did not use the analogy of radio to help us understand prayer. But if He had, He would probably have shown how each of us is like a powerful transmitter. He might have explained how we can select the right frequency with which to communicate our heartfelt thoughts to God—that conversion, baptism, the broken-hearted humility and contrition God desires in His children is prerequisite to establishing contact, as surely as selecting the correct frequency on a VHF radio.
     Perhaps He might have shown how, when we are truly "in the Spirit"—that is, thinking spiritually, our minds attuned to the things of God, and not the mundane concerns of this life—we can communicate with God as surely as a space satellite can communicate with a ground station.
     It is an apt analogy. The human brain is capable of much, much more than we suppose. Many of us operate at about ten percent of capacity. We all know about strange "psychic" powers, about ESP, and kinetic energy. We have marveled at true accounts of how, during World War U, a wife screamed out in anguish at the precise moment her husband was killed overseas; how twins seem to know when something wrong has occurred even though separated by a continent; how our minds are capable of some kind of little-understood "spiritual" kind of communication.
     Never underestimate the power of our human minds. God says "there is a spirit in man" (job 32:8; Proverbs 20:27; Romans 8:16), and reveals that when He begets us with His Spirit, He gives us a new kind of spiritual power, of spiritual perception. It is not difficult to "tune in" to God. He is instantly able to receive our signals. We have but to worship Him in spirit, ensuring we have followed His required criteria of repentance—then approach Him using the formula Christ gave, and, instantly, He is receiving—He is listening.
     Light travels at the speed of 186,282 miles per second. Without light, we could not live. It is our source of energy from the sun, and light from the sun is the source of the stored energy of the earth—the fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, representing billions of creatures of the distant past whose lives, flora or fauna, depended upon energy from that same sun.
     The visible light we see is but a fraction of the waves of energy with which science is familiar, however. Electromagnetic waves transmit energy in pulses, or waves, up to hundreds of miles long; or in short waves of less than a billionth of an inch.
     A serious study of light—what it is, how it works, how it affects our lives—can give one a perception of how prayer might work. Though He does not say so directly, Jesus' instructions on how we should pray seem to imply that each human mind is like a powerful transmitter, that we have only to tune in to the proper "wavelength"—In this case, a spiritual channel—and we can communicate with Almighty God in heaven. Of course, the properties of electromagnetic waves, from cosmic rays, gamma rays, X rays and ultraviolet rays to long wave radio frequencies are limited by our physical universe and known laws.
     Is spiritual communication so limited? Or is there something beyond the properties of light and energy which belongs in another dimension from ours about which we know little?
     Let's take a look at that quotation from the apostle Paul again, in which he said to the doubting Areopagites, "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though He needeth any thing, seeing He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us: for in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring' " (Acts 17:24-28).
     Notice Paul said God is "not far from every one of us," that He is immediately available, approachable. When we pray to Him as our Father who is in heaven, we need not be intimidated by the vast distances of' our universe. First, God's heaven may be far closer to earth than we imagine; second, our human minds, together with God's Holy Spirit, may be capable of communicating in an instant, in milliseconds, directly to the mind of God.
     We ask, "What does heaven look like?" Is it really all golden streets, heavenly mansions, and pearly gates? Listen to this description: "After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me: which said, 'Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.' and immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
     "And He that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine [sardonyx] stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
     "And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
     "And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts [Greek: zoon—"living creatures"] full of eyes before and behind" (Revelation 4:1-6). These living creatures are mentioned in greater detail in Ezekiel's first and tenth chapter, where the throne of God was seen by God's prophet Ezekiel.
     He wrote, "Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month ... as I was among the captives by the river Chebar [Kabour], that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God... " Notice the description of God's throne: "And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire unfolding itself [Hebrew: "flashing continually"] and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.
     "Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the color of burnished brass.
     "And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.
     "Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.
     "As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle…" (Ezekiel 1:1-10).
     One must read this entire chapter for the whole description—for it is fascinating. That there is no doubt it is a description of the throne of God, even though Ezekiel was not allowed to look upon God's face, is evident from the text. He said, "And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above it.
     "And I saw as the color of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of His loins even upward, and from the appearance of His loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.
     "As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Eternal. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of One that spake" (Ezekiel 1:26-28).
     The Bible identifies the "four living creatures" as cherubim, created angelic beings who are at God's throne, and who apparently accompany Him wherever He goes. The true cherub of the Bible is hardly a tiny naked baby with a bow and arrow, called "Cupid." Rather, cherubim appear as huge creatures, having manlike characteristics, plus the faces of oxen, eagles, and lions.
     These "host of the heaven" were worshipped anciently. They can be seen in form as the Sphinx, guarding the tombs of ancient Pharaohs; as the "Winged Bulls of Bashan, " and the winged bulls guarding the palaces of ancient Babylonian and Assyrian kings (replicas are in the Louvre, and the British museum). God placed a cherub to guard the way to the tree of life after Adam was ejected from Eden, no doubt giving rise to pre-flood tales of monsters guarding fabulous treasures, remnants of which tales are found in Jack and the beanstalk, St. George and the dragon, and other myths wherein a dragon-like creature, breathing fire, guards priceless treasures.
     Apparently, there are dissimilarities between "seraphim" and "cherubim," as will be seen from careful comparisons of Isaiah's sixth chapter with Ezekiel 1 and 10.
     God's throne was also seen in vision by the apostle John, who, on the Isle of Patmos, received the prophecies of the Apocalypse. He says, "And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing' " (Revelation 5:11-12).
     What? No St. Peter standing at the pearly gates; no angels playing on harps? Instead, a throne seen as set upon a translucent "sea of glass," perhaps like quartz, or onyx; a brilliantly-hued, super-bright Personage on the throne. At His right hand, Jesus Christ in His glorified state. Before Him, twenty-four "elders," or wise spiritual counselors. All about Him, countless angels. The picture of God's throne is a stunning, awesome one—replete with multitudes of angelic beings singing in inspiring tones about God's magnificence. When we pray, we should address God our Father in His heavenly setting letting our minds picture, as near as we can, the glorious magnificence of His throne. We should pray directly To Him.
     John prophesied that God's throne will eventually come to be on this earth! He wrote, "And He shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb ... the throne of God and the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him: and they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; ... for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 22:1-5).
     There are more than five hundred references to heaven in the Bible. By studying descriptions of heaven, the details the Bible gives concerning the throne of God, we may indelibly impress upon our minds the true biblical picture of heaven, replacing the myth, superstition, and vague unrealities of the past. In doing so, we remove one more obstacle to prayer—open up one more important key of access to God.
     The phrase, "Our Father, who art in heaven, " is meant to be much more than mere sanctimonious rote—It is an intelligent address, a method of communication with God. If you were to write to our president, you would probably address your letter, "The President of the United States, The White House, Washington, D.C." Your mind Would envision the stately mansion in which so many of our presidents have lived.
     So it is with addressing your prayers to God. Jesus intended you retain in your mind a vivid picture of the setting in which God lives; that you see Him as if in a blaze of super-bright light, brighter than several suns, surrounded by billions of angels, with the twenty-four elders at His left hand and His right. Of supreme importance, we must realize that the risen Christ is sitting at the Father's right hand, waiting for your prayers, eager to make daily intercession to His Father on your behalf.
     The next time you pray, do so after looking up and reading for yourself several of the graphic descriptions of God's heavenly throne. Pray intelligently, with understanding. When you do, expect answers to your prayers! Claim God's promises boldly, as a trusting child goes to his father in perfect confidence his requests will be answered. Think on all you have learned in these few chapters, and use this knowledge!
 

CHAPTER FOUR

"Hallowed be thy name..."

     Do you know God's name? Millions speak of "God," either in prayer, or profanity. But "God' is not so much a name as it is a proper noun, connoting divinity. A dictionary definition is, "God, the Maker and Ruler of the universe; the One Supreme Being. "As we shall see, this definition, leaves much to be desired. Millions assume, when they speak of "God," that they refer to the One Jesus called "Father," the Creator, as they suppose, of the Old Testament; the giver of the Ten Commandments; the God with whom the ancients dealt. This is untrue. As we shall clearly see, the Bible demolishes cherished myths, casually assumed tradition. Much more is implied by the word "God" than we may have realized.
     The first place in the Bible where we encounter the name "God" is in the very first verse of Genesis, the first chapter: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth..."
     The Hebrew word is Elohim, which occurs 2,700 times in the Bible. Its contextual connection is with the creation, and illustrates its primary meaning—that of the divine family of Beings who did the creating. Elohim is a plural word, and connotes more than one personage. Notice, "In the beginning was the Word [Greek: Logos, or "Spokesman"], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men ... He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.
     "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name,...and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten Of the Father,) full of grace and truth" (John 1:1-14).
     This unmistakable reference to Jesus Christ plainly says that He, the member of the divine family called the Logos, or the "Spokesman" of the Elohim (more than one—a duality of persons) did the creating! it also tells us something else rather startling to familiar traditions and concepts: That, when Jesus tells us to pray to "Our Father," He is not telling us to address the God of whom we generally read in the Old Testament Scriptures! For, as shocking as it may appear, the Bible is replete with proof it was the One who became Christ who is the God of the Old Testament!
     Notice further proof: "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, Whom He hath appointed Heir of all things, by whom He made the worlds [Greek: aion, or "ages"], Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high..." (Hebrews 1:1-3).
     Therefore, the one personage of the dual name for God, Elohim, we see in the first verse of the Bible is that same One who was to come into this world: Jesus Christ of Nazareth! Remember, Christ said, "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him" (John 1: 18).
     Christ came to reveal the Father to the world for the first time. He said, "All things are delivered unto me of my Father, and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him" (Matthew 11:27).
     The name Elohim connotes the Son as very God; as the living Word, who did the creating. Notice, "In Whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of every creature; for by Him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: and He is before all things, and. by Him all things consist" (Colossians 1: 14-17).
     Notice contextual proof that Elohim means more than one person:
     "And God [Elohim] said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness..." (Genesis 1:26).
     The next name for God we encounter is Jehovah which is a name used in covenant relationship between God and His creation. The name means, "The Ever-living One; the Eternal; the One who was, and is, and is to come."
     The name Jehovah is combined with ten other words in the Bible, forming ten different "titles" for the divine personages.
     They are: (1) Jehovah-Jireh, meaning God will see, or provide. Read Genesis 22:14 for an example. (2) Jehovah-Ropheka, meaning the God who heals us. See Exodus 15:26. (3) Jehovah-Nissi, meaning Jehovah my Banner, or Shield. See Exodus 17:15. (4) Jehovah McKaddishkem, meaning the God who sanctifies you, or sets you apart as holy. See Leviticus 20:8. (5) Jehovah-Shalom, meaning the God who sends peace. See Judges 6:24. (6) Jehovah-Sabaoth, Jehovah of hosts, or multitudes. See 1 Samuel 1:3. (7) Jehovah-Zidkenu, meaning God our Righteousness. See Jeremiah 33:16. (8) Jehovah-Shammah, meaning God is there, emphasizing the nearness of God. See Ezekiel 48:35. (9) Jehovah-Elyon, meaning the Most High God. See Psalms 7:17. (10) Jehovah-Roi, meaning Jehovah my Shepherd. See Psalms 23:1.
     It is fascinating to see how David was inspired to use seven of these names and titles for God in His inspiring 23rd Psalm! Read it in your own Bible. In verse 1 you will see number (1), above; in verse 2 Jehovah Shalom, or number (5) above; in verse 3, both number (7) and number (2) are used; and in verse 4, number (8); finally, in the fifth verse, both Jehovah-Nissi (3), and Jehovah-McKaddishkem (4) appear. Thus, in this moving Psalm, very possibly the one on Christ's lips as He died (see the Gospel accounts of the crucifixion, together with Psalms 22, which is obviously prophetic), seven names, or titles, for God appear!
     There are many other names of God in the Bible: A few are, JAH, which is Jehovah in the special meaning of having become our Salvation; EL, which means "the Almighty, " and ELOAH, which is God in connection with His will and purpose, used primarily as "the Living God," in contrast to dead idols.
     The word ADON is one of three additional titles, all of which are generally translated as "Lord," but which convey special meanings. ADON is the Lord as Ruler in this earth; ADONAI, the Lord in relationship to this earth, and ADONIM means, generally, the Lord who rules His own.
     Jesus Christ said we are to show honor, respect, even awe toward the name of God, by including in our prayer, "Hallowed be Thy Name." He intended that we come to understand the many names and titles of both Himself and His Father; that we come to know the usage of His names and titles as they relate to various situations. For example, if one were to pray to God for healing, it would be altogether appropriate to remind God that one of His very names is Jehovah (or Yawveh) Ropheka, God our Healer.
     Notice the annunciation concerning the name of Christ....... and she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).
     The name "Jesus" is a proper name, coming from the Hebrew Joshua, or Yashua. The two are perfectly interchangeable. The Je prefix in the name as translated into English is indicative of the Hebrew Jah, or Yah, together with the remainder of the word, and means "God our Savior," or "God who is our Salvation."
     In this same passage, Isaiah 7:14 is quoted. Notice the verse from Isaiah, "Therefore the Lord [Hebrew: Adonai]Himself shall give you a sign; behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name 'IMMANUEL.' " The name means the Lord as connected to, or in relationship with this earth, or "God with us." It is so translated by Matthew, who writes, quoting Isaiah, "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name IMMANUEL, which, being interpreted is, God with us" (Matthew 1:23).
     It is fascinating to note that never, not once, during any personal conversations when the disciples of Christ were addressing Him directly, did they call Him "Jesus." Always, it was "Master," or "Teacher," or "Lord, " as titles of great respect. Though they were to use the name Jesus in later writings, they never called Him by that name face to face.
     The Third Commandment says, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain" (Exodus 20:7).
     Obviously, using God's name in profanity is a direct, flagrant violation of this command. Profanity turns God's face away from us; it insults His divine integrity, deliberately hurls epithets, curses, vile utterances toward God. It is a capital crime exactly on a par with murder, according to God's law, and will not go unpunished. God says the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Using God's name in profanity is a sin, just as it is sinful to use His name in monotonous repetition.
     Man has found many devious methods of "pretending" not to swear, yet using similar-sounding words and names, or using the first letters of "Jesus Christ" in profanity. Millions say "Jeepers, Creepers," or "Jeeze." They say "Jumpin' Jimminy" or "Jehosaphat! " which includes a tide of God. The slang words "Gee Whiz" and "Judas' Priest" are references, albeit supposedly "indirect," to Jesus Christ. People say "For the land's sake," or even use the name of the capitol city of ancient Judah, "Jerusalem" as a byword. Why? One wonders whether rebellious men have searched the Bible to see what God says don't do, and then proceeded to do it. Want an example? Notice the following passage from the famous Sermon on the Mount:
     "Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, 'Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:' But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: nor by the earth; for it is His footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King ... let your communication be yea, yea; nay, nay, for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil" (Matthew 5:33-37).
     Yet, how commonplace are such expressions as "merciful heavens! " or "heavens, no! " How many times have you heard people using various oaths to proclaim their honesty? Even our childhood nursery rhymes teach us to ignore Jesus' commands; the little pigs, when refusing to allow the wolf into their house say, "Not by the hair on my chinny-chin-chin, " but Jesus said we are not to swear "..by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black" (Matthew 6:36).
     Could it be many of us who plaintively cry, "O God, where are you when I need you," have unknowingly severed contact with God as surely as if we had pulled the plug on our reading lamp? Could it be we are overlooking the biblical requirements to successful prayer, short-circuiting our communication with God—placing barriers between ourselves and our divine Father in heaven, so He will not listen?
     He says, "Behold, the Eternal's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear" (Isaiah 59:1, 2). The remainder of the chapter is a powerful indictment against all who have not repented of sin, who have not come to God as a little child: "We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noon day as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men. We roar like bears, and mourn sore like doves; we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us. For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them; in transgressing and lying against the Eternal, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood" (Isaiah 59:10-13).
     God tells us any lack of communication is simply not His fault, but ours! He is there—waiting, listening, ready to receive our cries. Is He our Father? In other words, are we His begotten children, repentant, of contrite spirit and humble heart? Do we truly seek His will in our lives, as well as His special favor from time to time? When we acknowledge the awesome holiness of God's name, praying "Hallowed be Thy Name," we need to realize how truly great is God; to understand the limitless power which can be unleashed by His great name.
     Great miracles were accomplished by Jesus Christ, and astounding miracles were performed for the apostles. In each case, it was through recognition of the awesome power inherent in God's name! Jesus absolutely promised His disciples would accomplish even greater works than He did—through prayer, through faith, and through the powerful name of Jesus Christ!
     Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it!" (John 14:12-14).
     "In my name" also connotes asking according to His will and purpose; asking according to His authority.
     Striking examples of the veracity of this promise occurred in the first few years of the early church. For example, Peter and John, who recorded the words above, were entering into the temple only days after the resurrection of Christ when they saw a crippled beggar. Read the Bible account of what happened: "...and a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called 'beautiful,' to ask alms of them that entered into the temple.
     "Who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, 'Look on us!' And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
     "Then Peter said, 'Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have I give thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk!
     And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God" (Acts 3:1-9).
     Notice that the cripple did not seem to know who Peter and John were—only that they were worshipers, about to enter the temple. Notice too that he did not expect to be healed; he looked expectantly at them, expecting "to receive something," obviously a small amount of money. This miracle was performed for the purpose of evangelism as is clear by the following texts. The crowds were amazed; a great discussion arose. Peter then began another of his stirring messages, referring to the miracle they had seen.
     Was there ever a greater way to gain the attention of a crowd? Peter said, "Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we made this man to walk?
     "The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified His Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up ... whom God raised from he dead. And His name through faith in His name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know; yea, the faith which is by Him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all" (Acts 3:12-16). Though we may only remember it from childhood Bible tales, the account of Moses' calling; how He came into the presence of God at the burning bush is fascinating, stirring. Israel was in slavery. Moses, like all his compatriots, was a product of the Egyptian society; he had been raised by a daughter of the reigning Pharaoh. After fleeing for his life when it was discovered he had killed an Egyptian for mistreating one of his fellow slaves, Moses encountered God, who appeared to him in a bush which seemed to burn, yet was not consumed. The interesting story is found in Exodus, the third chapter.
     After God instructed Moses to take off his shoes, He said, " 'I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.." A few verses later Moses asked, "… behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, 'The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you'; and they shall say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say unto them?'
     "And God said unto Moses, 'I AM THAT I AM;' and He said, 'Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.' And God said moreover unto Moses, 'Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations' " (Exodus 3:6-15).
     The Hebrew for the expression "I AM THAT I AM" is 'Ehyer 'Asher 'Ehyeh and means what it says, in the sense that God proclaims He is the One who is self-perpetuating, with life self-inherent within Himself; the One who was, who is, and who is to come.
     A fascinating reference is made by Christ in the New Testament to this name of God, another obvious proof that the Member of Elohim who did the creating was the One who became Christ. Christ was confronted by the leaders of the synagogue following a sensational healing of a man born blind. The entire chapter is an incredible study in human bigotry, fear religion, how churchmen can sometimes keep their members in a constant state of concern over being "put out" of their church. Finally, the argument became so heated, the Pharisees accused Christ of being illegitimate. Jesus managed to raise their anger to white hot heat when He said, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.
     "Then said the Jews unto Him, 'Thou are not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?' Jesus said unto them, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I AM!'
     "And they took up stones to cast at Him..." (John 8:53-59).
     This is unmistakable reference to the same name used by the same personage of the God family to Moses. It enraged those who heard it, for they knew He was clearly stating He was God in the flesh.
     To us today, it is another confirmation of the absolute divinity of Christ His pre-human origins—that He was the God of the Old Testament, the One who dealt with the patriarchs and prophets, the One who appeared to Moses, the One who wrote the Ten Commandments with His own finger.
     What's in a name? Today, many prospective parents find names in books of names for babies; perhaps name their children after relatives, or others they have known and admired. Many are named for famous persons; many are named almost haphazardly. Humorous stories abound about families so large their frustrated parents began calling them "Al, A2, A3, " and so on. But God names things what they are. He called man Ish in Hebrew, merely meaning "Man." "Woman" was Ishah, or the one who came from Ish. "Adam" meant, literally, "red clay."
     God's names are meant to convey to us His many divine attributes; His love, mercy, patience; His kindness, gentleness, goodness; His magnificent power; His eternal character. In the Oxford Press edition of the King James Bible, with the concordance, there is a section under "Proper Names" devoted entirely to the many scriptural examples of the qualities of the divine family.
     Is your name important to you? Do you know what it means? Are you proud of your name? The word "name" conveys reputation, and quality of character. When we speak of a man having a good name, we mean a good reputation. Surely, when you name your children, their names become who they are. When we speak a name, our minds instantly give us the complete understanding of who we mean, depending on (note this well!) how well we know that person. If it is your spouse, then your usage of his or her name conveys an immediate picture of the total person. That's the way Jesus Christ wants us to address God. He wants us to come to know Him—to understand how thoroughly, how completely, God knows us!
     David prayed, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalms 139:23-24).
     When we read the Psalms, like Psalms 51, David's heartfelt prayer of repentance after the affair with Bathsheba, we come to understand why David was "a man after God's own heart." God simply loves a broken and contrite heart, a prayer of repentance, a deeply felt, sincere, personal prayer for forgiveness.
     Constantly, David exulted in the name of God. He prayed, "Bless the Lord [Hebrew: Jehovah, or Yahveh, The Eternal] O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Eternal, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things... " (Psalm 103:1-4).
     And again, "Praise ye The LORD, praise, O ye servants of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and evermore" (Psalm 113:1-2). Here, the Hebrew expression is Hallelu-Jah. Psalms 111 through 113 are known as the "Hallelujah" Psalms. Each is a moving call to prayer, praising the great name of God. The 111th is an acrostic Psalm, and includes the phrase, "Holy and reverend is His name." This is one reason I have never accepted the title "Reverend," though I am an ordained minister. The Bible says His name is holy and reverend; I doubt that any man's name is to be reverenced. There are dozens of references to God's name in the Psalms; David continually praised the name of God; thought on His great qualities of character. David is the only man in history who earned the rich accolade, "A man after God's Own Heart. " Was it because he was able to deeply repent when he had sinned; because He continually prayed to God, constructed dozens of poems set to music, praising His holy name?
     When Jesus said we should pray "Hallowed be Thy Name," He intended we know the great and holy names of God, and to know that those names and titles help us to understand God as our Father in heaven, to really come to know Him.
     The first thing we usually say to someone when we meet for the first time is, "Hello, my name is..." We then call them by name. God wants us to know His great names, to appreciate their great significance. Perhaps, after reading this brief chapter, you will be much better equipped than before to put real meaning into your prayer the next time you say, "Hallowed be Thy Name... " You might want to remember that God is our Protector, our Provider, our Banner and Shield; that He is our Life-giver; that He is our Savior. Think on His names; pray to Him directly—by name. After all, He knows who you are!

CHAPTER FIVE

"Thy Kingdom come..."

     When these words are recited in responsive readings in church, what comes to mind? For over thirty years in the ministry, I have noticed how many tend to "blank out" literal meaning of our language when it comes to "spiritual" sounding phrases, biblical language.
     It is as if when biblical language is used, words suddenly take on an utterly meaningless, esoteric, "other-worldly" sense, like they don't really convey the same sense to our minds that those same words might if spoken by the layman.
     For example, if one were having a conversation with Prince Charles of Great Britain, and said to him, "I hope you are King, one day," hastening to make sure he understands you wish no ill towards his mother, Queen Elizabeth, both would understand precisely what was meant. If one said, "I believe your reign will be the most magnificent in the history of Great Britain, " it would be equally understood, if a little pretentious.
     But when we utter those same words toward God—asking that His prophesied Kingdom come to this earth, do we really know what we are asking?
     Just what is the Kingdom of God? Is it merely a figurative phrase which means, in some vague "spiritual" sense, "heaven," where God lives? Are we merely intoning an oft-repeated phrase which means something like "right on, Lord," in the same way an Englishman might sing, "Rule Britannia?"
     As the story goes, a little girl was being instructed by her Sunday school teacher about the three Hebrew children and the fiery furnace; how the astrologers came in b