When You Don't Know How to Pray: Jesus' Simple Guide (Pt 1)

Nathan: 00:00

Welcome to the Loveshaped Life podcast where we lean into the wonder of God's love with our desire to see, experience and live in the center of that love. We are in season seven, episode four, Last episode we was an introduction to the concept of prayer, this invitation, this longing of God's heart to live in this dynamic, to engage in this dynamic relationship with us. Now we're coming into this episode and the next two where Jesus actually lays out this model prayer, this framework. He set the stage, and now he lays out a framework for what prayer can look like and and is a model for us to follow. So let's go for it. You said is just before we started the podcast that there was this verse that was worth pointing out before we actually get into Jesus model prayer. Maybe you can start us with that.

Bob: 00:58

Sure remember, but the last episode, we had just mentioned what Jesus was instructing them about prayer was, don't be like the hypocrites, yeah, right, who prayed on the street corners, looking to a scene, right? Yeah. But don't be like the performers. They were performers, but don't be like the pagans, who were non. They didn't believe in the Hebrew God, but they had their own God. But don't be like them, who are constantly repeating themselves to God, like pounding

Nathan: 01:25

on God's door, right? Yeah, like trying

Bob: 01:27

to get his attention. And then he said, do not be like them. For your Father knows what need, what you need, before you ask him this. Then he said, is how you should pray.

Nathan: 01:42

So I think it's really cool. One of the things is we're preparing for this. We had a phone call where we were. We noticed that the example of the religious teachers in among the Jewish spiritual elite was not a good example for prayer. And then Jesus turns to like the non Jewish neighbors and their religious practices, and he's like, that's not a good example for prayer. Let me give you something totally new, totally fresh, that is actually the way to engage God. And I think that's what you're getting at. Where Jesus says, Okay, here's this, here's that. Let me show you the way.

Otavio: 02:23

Yeah, I think that's that's powerful, because this is what he's been doing this entire time. In this message, he's basically pointing out, you know, here are the concepts that you have, here's how you're you're being accustomed to viewing things, but here's how it really is, here's here's a better way, absolutely, yeah, let me, let me show you a better way. And in so doing, I'm sure everyone was just literally riveted, like, literally like, Wait, so it's not like that, and it's not like that either. How is it? Well, it's, how is it? And then he jumps into, hey, here's what it looks like,

Bob: 03:06

right?

Nathan: 03:07

Yeah. And these words, yeah, go ahead.

Bob: 03:10

Well, again, I see this whole sermon on the mountainside of if Jesus being the artist, and he's got that canvas, and he's repainting the picture of God that they knew, and also the principles that run his kingdom, right? It's just a whole new dynamic. Now he's inviting them into this relationship with the king of the kingdom, right? This prayer, communicating prayer just

Nathan: 03:41

It's powerful. It's powerful. And this section, the next three episodes, or this episode and the next two bring us into a really common piece of territory within the Christian tradition, which creates a bit of a problem for us, the words we're going to say as we talk about this prayer framework that Jesus gives. For some of you,

Bob: 04:15

he's gonna have to go in the bathroom

Nathan: 04:18

now. Framework, yeah, if he does

Bob: 04:20

it again, I'm gonna stick him in the bathroom. Okay, okay, my wife and kid,

Nathan: 04:23

okay, yeah. So what's fascinating is that in in this next episodes, this one, in the next two, when we're looking at this framework, is that it's a really common, fair framework within the Christian tradition. It's called by many Christians, the Our Father and some of us have it memorized. Some of us memorized it way back in childhood, and that's actually a problem for us, because as we talk today, the risk is that as you listen. And as we have a conversation that we hear the same old words and miss Jesus point, so we're going to try to sort of disrupt that in our conversation, and hope that we can actually hear Jesus point instead of the layers of tradition and practice that are kind of weighing it down. Wow. So let's start with that. We're looking at the first section of this prayer. It's kind of three parts. We're going to hit the first section and I'll read it, and then we'll, we'll go, go for it. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come your will be done on done on earth as it is in heaven. What's going on here? What's Jesus giving us in this framework?

Bob: 05:54

Well, first off, I want to say that you know he for them. He was introducing this relationship with God by calling him their father. He's inviting these people to call God their father. This was a radical thing for them, because they weren't taught that in their whole religious sphere. So he's, he's, he's saying, Listen, you're the God in heaven is your father. Now I just want to say here that for a lot of the viewing audience and for you know people that the picture that we have of an earthly father has not always been a good one. Oh, have mercy. So I mentioned before that I came from a dysfunctional family. I know you had mentioned earlier today when we were having lunch about your experience, and so it's not always a good one. So when people think about a father, they don't necessarily have a good picture to think about, right, right? So that's why we want to talk about I would like to take a moment to say, what is this picture of the Father in Scripture look like, what's a true father look like? We did a little bit on the last episode, but what's that picture?

Otavio: 07:08

Hmm, the first thing in, and we covered this a bit on the previous episode, but yet it pops up to me at least here. This our father. This is an accessible God. This is a god that's reachable, that's, that's, that's attainable, that that cares. You know, even though he's God and He's in heaven, He's our father, there's a there's a parental, caring element that comes out here when I see this of drop whatever negative connotations of a good parent that you might have and unfortunately might have encountered. I know for myself, I've I've encountered some of that, and it has actually pushed me to strive to be a better version as a father for myself personally, but he's presenting this picture of you have a parent in heaven, God who is genuinely concerned with your good, your well being, and he's accessible And reachable by you like so that, to me, it's like, it breaks down barriers, any barriers that might be up like, I can't God is he's we spoke about this the last episode. God is up here. We're down here. No, Jesus is literally, you can speak to God, and you can speak to him like a parent, like a parent that cares, that a parent that listens and is genuinely concerned with your good and your well being.

Bob: 08:48

So he's not a deadbeat dad, not

Nathan: 08:50

all right? Well, in the religious culture, the religious teachers of the day, they reinforced the distant, unapproachable God idea, right there, what was a specific protocol for even how you talked about God. So for Jesus to say, call God daddy, and I'll use that term, call God daddy, was a radical departure from the concept of God at the day. I mean this, this was just upsetting the whole framework of God, way up there and me way down here to God bending down with deep, deep compassion and interest in me, right in you.

Bob: 09:35

You know, there was a later time when the disciples saw Jesus praying, and they saw this like he was just in deep prayer. And they saw something going on with him that they wanted. So they said to him, when he got done, teach us how to pray. And the only thing Jesus did was he repeated the Our Father, which we're reading right now. But when it was over, this is what he says when he got done with it, when. Of the things he said was, which of you fathers, if your son asks him for a fish, we'll give him a snake, and said. Or if he asks for an egg, will he give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? Or Another version says, Good give. Give good gifts to those who ask. So he's he's comparing us as earthly fathers. You know, if your child comes to you and ask you for some bread, you know what I'm saying, Are you going to give him, you know, a snake instead of, sorry, he said, a fish. Or are you going to give him a snake instead? You don't say it's just absurd. He gives us this thing, saying, no, no, we wouldn't do that. And he said, Look, you guys are evil, and you'll do that for your own children. How much more will your heavenly Father, wow, give good gifts to you? Wow, that's the picture that he was painting.

Otavio: 10:54

Wow, that's powerful. What strikes me there in in what you just shared, is the how much more, really, the how much more? Because just, just think about this, even, even if you have the best version of an earthly father that you can have, you, there are some of not everyone has the dynamic where their father isn't a great father. I'm knowing the two of you. I know that you are good fathers and and we strive to be that. And there are people who have the blessing of having good fathers. And no matter how great your father might be here on Earth, how much more God is, even as good as we might be as parents, we are still flawed fundamentally as humans, and so our good reaches only so far. How much more God is like, even if you have a good framework with your dad, God is even better. It's just absolutely

Nathan: 12:00

awesome. So so as you're talking, what's coming to my mind is this, that it's this thing I hear in conversation where someone says, Is this hard thing that I'm going through? Could be difficulties at work. Could be inability to to get pregnant because of something I did back then. It's as though, if, if there's a God that whatever I'm going through, specifically, whatever I'm suffering, is that God getting me back for some behavior in the past? And I think Jesus is in some way confronting that specific thing he's saying, Listen, you he's resetting it in the sense first saying, Listen, you guys, you know you've got bad habits, and you yell at the kids sometimes, but you still like to do the right thing. Like, in general, a father wants to the right thing by his kids. And the reset about God here he's like, God is all of that plus, but much more.

Otavio: 13:06

Wow. That's phenomenal.

Bob: 13:10

You know, it's, it's, again, that picture of him, of who God is, I like to use the word you use the word reset, right? So we're rebooting. Jesus was rebooting this picture of God, and he's saying he's your father, right? Who will do more, right? So this, this picture again, of seeing God, who's just wanting the best for his children, wanting to help you when you're hurting, wanting to strengthen you when you're weak, wanting to give you wisdom when you're ignorant, whatever you need. He wants to just pour it on you, right? And yes, we see scripture telling us that he does discipline us. So He allows circumstances to come for our own good, that we because we all have blindsides, like you had mentioned earlier in a conversation. So so he wants to open our eyes so that he can lead us to a better life, right? Yeah. Jesus compared our relationship with him of a vine to a branch, and he said, even though the branch is bearing fruit, it needs to be pruned. So sometimes we still need to be pruned by a loving God, a loving father. What a beautiful picture. Yeah, what a beautiful picture. I just want to say that, you know, you mentioned about the the people with this picture of God, as if he was getting back at something that we sometimes these pictures that they've been painted in our mind about God don't just go away overnight. Oh, for sure, you know. So even though we're seeing this beautiful picture of our Father in heaven, that doesn't mean that these pictures that are in our mind are just going to instantly go away. That's why it's so important for us to really reflect on it. And like the Bible says, To meditate upon it, right? Meditate. Is to just go over it in your mind, to allow that picture to be the dominant picture in your mind, because God will reshape how you think. Right to plant that, that true picture of

Nathan: 15:11

him, in your mind. But it does take determination, a decision, to say, You know what, I'm gonna I'm gonna follow this thing and stick with it until the script I have about God starts to change.

Bob: 15:23

Well, unfortunately, you know, like the disciples, they were taught in their religion, right to to, you know, love their neighbors, so to speak, and hate their enemy, right, right? So they had hatred towards certain group of people and Jesus along the way, had to clear that up for them, that these people that they were prejudiced against, who were called the Gentiles, that God wasn't so as a process to deliver them from that mindset right, to help them to see that God loved everyone. That's why this term our Father in heaven, our, yes, yes. What do you think he meant by our

Nathan: 16:05

I'm thinking all of us the human family, that that God is not. You know, in religious circles, we tend to have this us versus them, right? When I talk to God, it's for me. There's me getting my relationship figured out, this is me getting the rain on my field. This is me getting the return on my investment. This is me. And Jesus knocks that and he says, I'm everybody's father. So when you open your mouth and talk to me, talk to me as a member of my family and as one of them, come to me with that family perspective, that you're not just talking to me about you. There is a part of the prayer where the the you sort of my needs come up. There's a place for that, but it's even then, in the context of us, right? We and us, right? Not us versus them, right?

Otavio: 16:58

We're all God's children, he Jesus is painting this paradigm for humanity to understand that everyone is valuable in the eyes of God,

Nathan: 17:12

and you're not talking about everybody who believes the way you do.

Otavio: 17:16

Not ever it does. It doesn't matter what people believe. They're still a child. All of us are children of God, regardless of what we believe, even if we don't believe he exists, right? We're still his children. Yeah, you know, if, for some weird reason, and I pray this never happens, my daughter one day wants to disown me and basically not be close to me, you feel everything broken. My heart will be broken, but at the end of the day, that will still be my baby, that will still be my child, and nothing will ever

Nathan: 17:50

change. There's nothing she can do on paper, in court, or anything that changes that

Otavio: 17:54

reality. Nothing would ever change that. And it's the same with God. We are all God's children, and we should be valued as such, and Jesus is is presenting that reality

Nathan: 18:07

our father. Sorry, go ahead. No, it's good, and I think God can handle because in my line of work in clinical chaplaincy, I just had someone in a conversation the other day. They're like, if there's a God, I have things to say to Him. God's okay with that, he's like, Yeah, I have things to say to you. If you saw the mess going on down there, you and I both have a conversation about what evil has brought into our world sucks, and that putting it mildly, right?

Bob: 18:36

So when Jesus was saying, Our Father in heaven, the crowd Roman soldiers, right? Religious leaders that were hypocrites, right? You know, broken people that were slaves to the Roman army, right, right? People that didn't believe in the Hebrew God, right? And he says to them, our father, right? When you pray, Our Father, because, like you said, God wants us to understand that every human being is a value in his eyes, right, right? So when Jesus said, Remember, when Jesus went on to try to expound on that says, God reigns upon the just and the unjust, he sends rain. We all get rained on, right? And it all causes the earth to grow food, and we all partake in it. And it's upon the the just those that are seeking God and the unjust and those who are not seeking God, God cares for them all.

Nathan: 19:34

So what were you telling me that that I have to acknowledge, if I'm somebody who wants to believe in God or believes in God, that I have to acknowledge that from whatever political camp I'm in, when I pray that God, that God is not in my political party or your political party, he's on both sides. He's for, well, maybe let me rephrase it, he's for the people on both sides that I have to. Admit that in my prayer that God is not rooting for my particular person to win. Well, I want to say this that, and we could do this foot. We could do this at teams and and nations and stuff.

Bob: 20:10

No, I just want to say this that if, if you're saying, if you're believing in the true God, the God that Jesus is portraying, right, then yes, you'll have to acknowledge that. But that's powerful, yeah, but I just want to say Romans 123 says that that the people had made God out to be one is themselves. See. Now, if they want a picture of God as one of themselves, then they they incorporate all their prejudices and hatred and so on, because the God that they painted was one like themselves, right? But the true God, right? It's the Our Father. Because the promise to Abraham, if you go back in the storyline the Bible, the promise to Abraham was that all nations should be blessed absolutely by the promise, yeah, so that all nations would come back. Because this is the purpose of Jesus, and the Savior is to bring all nations back. Right underneath that's beautiful. This is what he's drawing us all. Yeah.

Nathan: 21:06

So there was a fascinating story in the Old Testament where there's this encounter between God and a warrior, and the warriors like, are you on our side or their side? And he's and the answer was, neither, neither. I'm captain of God's army,

Bob: 21:20

right? Good. It's good,

Nathan: 21:22

right? So, so I just want to make this really practical. If I'm using this as a framework for prayer, what do I do with these two words? And here's my suggestion. I'd love to hear what you say something my prayer could be something like this. Sometimes I pray when I'm walking. I pray often when I'm driving. So I could say, Daddy, I wanted to come and talk to you about us, something we're dealing with. Let's make this practical. So again, I don't know how you guys would couch it, but that would be my adaptation of this language. Would be the two things daddy, which is this endearing close term. And then this, this language that this corporate, this group language that as I enter into prayer, I'm specifically coming from the US, not just my home, my needs, but us. I wanted to talk to you about something that impacting us.

Bob: 22:27

Well, I just to comment on that again. You know, God knows your heart, and he's meeting you where you are. So if the word daddy connects you with him in that way, that oneness, that he's inviting you into, by all means, right? Use it, yeah.

Nathan: 22:48

Sometimes I use God, just with just the name God, you know what? Whatever works. I'm just, yeah, that framework of use that language, that's kind of how we use this framework, boots on the ground. Was we take that as this framework for sure. There's no need to repeat the words that are there. It's a framework. Yeah.

Bob: 23:09

And again, what Jesus is inviting us, you know, our father acknowledging God as our Father is that is to see that the true picture of the Father is being given is one that cares for you, has the best interest for you, longs for you to come into His presence, gets excited, like Octavio talking about his daughter, when his daughter comes and asks him something, you know, and is more willing to give us What we need than earthly fathers are. You know that that picture, so I guess if you talk them in practical terms too, about coming into God's presence, I think it's healthy for us to reflect on this, that this is the God that I'm coming into the presence, right? Not a god that's up here, right? I gotta, and I've gotta behave a certain way in order to get his attention. But a father who I he considers me his child, calls me his son, right? Yeah, even like you had given he, you know, Octavia gave the illustration, if your daughter ever decided to abandon you, it doesn't change your heart, right, right? So even when we abandon God, it doesn't change how he feels about it doesn't. So I think it's healthy when we start our prayer and reflecting on prayer to remember what God, what father means, right? The relationship.

Otavio: 24:34

One part I want to add, I want to just say to that, is we're not going to always approach God from the same angle, meaning there will be times where we will approach God from a place of frustration, that's that's good, literally, we so at that moment, unfortunately, the reality of humanity, who we are, he might not be. Daddy, technically, is at that moment, it might be God like, or whatever, whatever it might be, and but still, then he wants us to approach, you know, right? I I want my daughter. I keep bringing this up because for me becoming a parent, the picture of God just open like I want my daughter to come and speak to me whether she's happy, whether she's sad, whether she's mad, whatever it might be. I want her to know that at all times I'm here, I'm available, I'm accessible, and I will always listen. And that's the same way with God. So we might approach him and be like daddy. We might approach him our Father. We might approach Him, Lord, we might approach him with God, whatever it might be, we might approach him. What are you doing? What's going on? Right? I don't get just and he's just there, inviting the approach that's awesome, inviting

Nathan: 26:06

beautiful. So one of the I was listening to a podcast the other day, and the author said, one of the things is that a child knows they can come to you under all circumstances, right? That's a reasonably healthy parent. Is that sense? And the story of the prophets demonstrates that people in the god story came to God under all kinds of circumstances, happy with him and pretty upset with him, exactly. So Jesus gives us three things to pray for in the prayer, this model prayer, again, it's a framework. This is Jesus giving a generic framework that covers the bases. It's not meant to determine every prayer. It's this framework. Here's a framework work with it. It's a model to work with. So three things to pray for. Number one, that his name is held in high regard. It uses hallowed be your name, but that simply means that your name is held in high regard. We can talk about that briefly, and then your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as as it is in heaven. What is the what? What is this bringing into the prayer? How is this framework practically impacting what it looks like for me to talk to God if we're saying those words don't need to be repeated. What is this telling me about where to go after whatever greeting I'm going to use, what is this telling me about how that next few pieces of interaction should look

Otavio: 27:30

for me? The next part is an interesting part. The hallowed be your name, which hallowed simply means holy, right? Apart, yeah, high guard. But when I think about that, my mind immediately goes to, I'm just this person that's constantly asking, like, Okay, but what does what does that exactly mean? What are we going number one, biblically speaking, when you see the term name, name is not just like, Okay, your name is the name always means something about you, it represents what you're like, right, right? And so it's holy. Is your name. God is holy. And for me, what jumps out is what God is like. God is holy, God is good, God is righteous, God is love. That's what strikes me. That's what pops out to me when I see hallowed be your name. So I'm approaching God. I'm approaching my Father in heaven, who is holy, who is love, who is good, like this is the God that I'm approaching. So now whatever barriers I might have up, hmm, can start coming down. That's good, because I'm approaching a God whose love,

Nathan: 28:49

who's good, absolutely beautiful.

Bob: 28:51

I love that thought, because that's really what it's seeking to convey. You know, Moses has God show me your glory, and then God said, I'll show it to you, and I'm going to proclaim My name before you went by. And he talked about his attributes, merciful and gracious and long suffering and abundant goodness and truth, right? He was talking about the attributes of God. So that's that name that you're talking about, which is holy, and all those attributes comprise Love. Love. Exactly That's it comprise love. So Holy is Your Name, right? God is the holiness of God is who He is, right? It's the beauty of who he is, and he's our father. He's inviting us to come into His presence. And he's merciful, he's gracious, he's long suffering, he's abundant goodness and truth, and the list goes on and on, right?

Otavio: 29:38

That's beautiful, and it's all summed up in God is love,

Bob: 29:43

yeah, amen. So holiness, then yes, is God likeness, right? So when we're talking about living holy lives, this is what Jesus came to offer us. Was this new heart to be able to have love that he has. I. Not only towards him, but towards each other. Yeah, that's right, that's what holiness is. So this a little bit,

Nathan: 30:05

yeah, I want to shift it a little bit. I see this part of the prayer as as a request. You know, we've talked about deconstruction, how this picture of God that that what, that what we have come to see if God is beautiful. God is love in the most radical sense of that word, right? But that that's not the story that is heard in many places. So what I'm seeing in this is an invitation of Jesus that in our prayer we have come to admire and adore this beautiful God. And it's almost like that, the next thing we know, he's our father and and as we've come to know Him, we're like God. May, May the rest of you know, may my family, may the people in my life today See how beautiful you are, right? So I kind of see this as almost a request that the darkness about God would be pushed back by the truth of His love His goodness, right? Like so I'm asking that my life, or that the story of God, that somehow in my world, I'm praying in whatever way that is. I'm saying, God somehow help others to see you the way I see you.

Bob: 31:21

Yeah, that's a beautiful thought. You know that, you know, Holy is Your Name, right? Holy is Your character. So, you know, coming into God's presence and remembering that we're entering the presence of this holy God, which is this beautiful God of love, right? That that were God is inviting us into His presence, instead of a god that's authoritarian or arbitrary. You know what I'm saying? That this is the holy. Holy is Your Name that we are remembering, that this is the God who we're coming in the presence of when we pray, yes, regardless of how we're praying, right? Not necessarily repeating all the words, but we're coming into the presence of that God, right?

Nathan: 32:06

So, so, and can we pray that others would come to recognize that that's who he is?

Bob: 32:16

Yeah? Well, you know, again, you know, we hope that our children are representing our name right when they grow up and they go on to community. You're saying that if we are especially seeking a relationship with God, we're helping we want to help them do the same. So then that wherever they go, they're identified in the community because of how they love, right? So, yes, you know, I would say that's God's desire for us, right, to reflect Him, right? So others might do this, see him,

Nathan: 32:58

yeah. So what does it mean to pray for the Kingdom?

Otavio: 33:00

For me, context of the whole situation they're dealing with, remember, they're wanting an overthrow of a literal earthly kingdom, right? Yeah, and he's not presented to them your kingdom, like God's Kingdom Come that's a kingdom God is basically pointing out the kingdom that you really need is not a kingdom that basically overthrows the Roman Empire. It's a Kingdom that's in your heart. It's a Kingdom that's in here. Like living in accordance to God's Kingdom is something that needs to happen in the heart. Like being in God's kingdom is not just being relocated from earth to heaven. That's that's not really what that's about, right? Being in God's kingdom is literally our mindset shifting, our heart shifting from, I love my neighbor, but I really hate those Romans over there, right? No, it's a I love my neighbor, and even though it might not be easy, I pray for and I love the Romans too, like that's God's kingdom now coming and actually being in us.

Nathan: 34:11

So, so if we're talking really practical there, then, then this framework piece is where I can pray for that to advance in the world, right? So I could pray God, specifically, God help me to help the way you see people to be the way I see my boss, who's really nasty me every time I go in the office. Help me to see them with Grace today, because that's the way like that's praying for the kingdom, right? That's literally praying in a very practical way for God's way of living to become the way my life unfolds in the world. I can pray for that in my family, right? You know, heavens a place where, where peace, this dynamic of of living in harmony with each other's reality. So I can pray God in my family today help us to be kind to each other, right? That's the key part of the kingdom, right?

Bob: 34:59

Yeah. There's two aspects. There's really two kingdoms, and there's one kingdom, but there's two parts of it. There's the physical kingdom, which, when Jesus comes again, he'll set up the physical kingdom. But there's the internal kingdom, and we need the internal kingdom here to help the kingdom grow, right, to help others along the way, but it's also to fit us for that right earthly kingdom, future civilization. So Paul in Romans, chapter 14, says the Kingdom of Heaven is not meat or drink but righteousness and joy and peace in the Holy Ghost. That's beautiful. So he's defining what that kingdom again, it's righteousness. It's right doing or living a life that is in harmony with the attributes of God, righteousness and then joy. Because there's joy in living in harmony with God. You know, David said in Psalm 1611, in thy presence is fullness of joy, and at thy right hand are pleasures forevermore. Right? Right? Righteousness, joy and peace, right? So Thy kingdom come is to experience that in our daily lives, the daily rhythm. That's what God wants to give us, not just for ourselves, but to help our families, to help our co workers, to help our neighbors and everybody we come in contact. Yeah. So then this kingdom built. Sorry, the kingdom is being built then that way, right, right, right? So that the kingdom that they wanted to see to conquer the Romans, is now a Kingdom that's conquering the evil and human hearts, right? And planting the SPIRIT OF LIVING GOD in there. Get a new heart,

Nathan: 36:34

right? So then this next phrase, and the last one in this episode, your will, God's will, Your will be done. This is a wish. This is my wish. I'm communicating to God. I want your will to be done on earth, in the place I live, in, the town I live, this part of the world that I live. I want it to be done here like it is in heaven. What is that piece? What do I pray about in this piece of the prayer, if I'm going to really make it practical, what am I really asking God for? What kinds of things fit under that last phrase

Otavio: 37:05

for me, what I see there is, that's my place of submission. That's my place of surrender. That's me basically saying I've I've shifted from what I want is a better earthly kingdom I want. I don't want the Romans ruling anymore. I don't want whatever to me basically saying, Lord, I'm going to yield to your will, and in yielding to your will, I'm yielding to your kingdom principles in me. And if each of us individually yield to God's will in our lives, to allowing him to live out his kingdom principles in us, then that's when his will basically starts taking place on earth as it is in heaven.

Nathan: 37:56

Okay, so give me an example without using any of those words, how? What? Kinds of ways would you word a prayer where it fits under that kind of framework? So for me,

Otavio: 38:10

it's, Lord help me to love people like you love people, even the people that are hard to

Nathan: 38:21

love, no, so you're, you're, you're a company owner. So does that obviously, you're not use names in the podcast. But would this be time when you would name specific employees or a specific contract you're working with

Otavio: 38:35

absolutely, absolutely like, name specific individuals, whatever it might be, whether it's in the company setting, it might be in some other setting. It let's be real. It might be in the church setting, whatever it might be in the house, right? Whatever it might be, wherever that place is, where my mind, from an earthly standpoint, would be, all the bad, all of the wrong things that I shouldn't be it would be yielding and saying, Lord, actually, I'm going to love that person, okay, even though they're hard

Nathan: 39:12

to love. So I want love to displace whatever this

Otavio: 39:15

is I have in my heart, right? Whatever that, whatever it is, yeah, because

Nathan: 39:19

I think the thing we want you to understand that is that Jesus is not giving us a memory text to regurgitate, to reprocess back to him. He's giving us a framework that says, Okay, if you want to know what to pray. Here are the categories, and there's different ways to apply that. But here's these are the big things to that you can touch on. And again, kind of a generic, ideal prayer. You might say, this is what it looks like. He's not covering all the circumstances, the one line prayers are going down traffic, whatever. Those are perfectly fine, and God loves them. But if we're looking at a whole package, the. What it looks like, and it's a practical thing, not again, not something for us to just to spit out and check the box.

Bob: 40:07

Yeah, I want to say in regard to, you know, God's will be done. You know, Romans, 87 says the natural mind is at enmity or at odds with God's laws, right? So our natural disposition is that we don't want to submit to God's ways, because we want to do our own thing. But now we're encountering this God who is love, and we're looking, we're gazing into this picture, and that picture is drawing us in, right? That God has something better, and God has the answers to all my heart's needs. And when I'm choosing to accept that, and I'm accepting the Savior of the world into my life and asking God to create in me a new heart, I'm now saying My Father Knows Best. So I'm willing, on a daily basis, to surrender my will to God. That's not the picture of a authoritarian God, and I'm this God just telling me what to do. No, no, no, no. I'm realizing that my father in heaven knows best and cares for me, and His ways are ways of joy and happiness and peace. For me, my ways are ways of a self destructive path, right? So now, beautiful, practically speaking, if somebody does me wrong, instead of hitting them back and hitting them back harder, I'm going to choose to forgive because that's what God's asking me to do, because God has forgiven me, right? I'm going to choose to exercise mercy on them, because God is exercising mercy on me. So I'm submitting myself to the will of God. This is the will of God, right? This is how God wants us to live, as Kingdom builders, as members of his kingdom. So. So Jesus said something really interesting. He said, I delight to do thy will. O, my God, yea, thy laws within my heart,

Nathan: 42:04

hmm. The way you do, life is

Bob: 42:08

written inside of me. The way you do, life is written inside of me, and that's what God is doing for us, so that doing the will of God becomes a joy for us, right? And this is how the universe is really built, right, right? So as we come back into harmony with God, then then doing His will, we're finding joy in it, but it's bringing peace to you and peace to you, right? So we're working in harmony together, instead our father pulling us back into one family, right? So underneath the will of God is pulling human beings back into the family of God united together.

Nathan: 42:46

Yeah, that's awesome. All right, so we're gonna wrap it up. See experience, live. Those are the three wrap up questions, what do you see?

Otavio: 42:54

See an approachable God who just invites us to come be close to him, like, that's what I see

Nathan: 43:01

that's awesome. What about experience?

Bob: 43:04

Well, I want to go to see Yeah, quickly, but I see a father, a good, a good, good father.

Otavio: 43:14

Yes, wow.

Nathan: 43:16

So experience, either of you want to take a shot at that. What about experience?

Bob: 43:20

I see a father who has melted my heart because of what I see in him and how he's treated me and to live is I want to do His will,

Otavio: 43:35

not my own right

Nathan: 43:37

because you're attracted to him, which way of doing things right? You got anything on either of those experience or live

Otavio: 43:43

honestly, it's quite the same, um, especially on the live, on the live, it's literally your will be done, like submitting to His will. His way is better, like his way is the way of love, and the way of love is really the way that my heart is longing to live if I don't fight against it, right? And so living in harmony with His love, making a decision daily, where it's this circumstance what makes me want to be react this way, but instead of that negative way, I want to actually respond in the way of your heart.

Nathan: 44:25

That's beautiful. You're

Bob: 44:27

hollowing his name, right? Exactly. You want to keep that name holy, right? Son Exactly. And so he's seeking to manifest the attributes of God, yes,

Nathan: 44:36

yeah. That's beautiful. So again, I want to highlight coaching here at Loveshaped Life. One of the resources we offer is spiritual wellness coaching. If, as we've been talking about prayer, you have interest in it, or you're excited about that, or that sounds meaningful, as opposed to whatever you've heard or experienced in the past or what you're experiencing now, if you're looking to deepen your sense of. Spiritual wellness, your sense of connection to God and the deep satisfaction that brings one of our coaches would love to walk beside you in that journey, as frankly, we learn together, you can connect with one of our coaches at loveshaped.life slash coaching. Make sure to hit that like button, subscribe, follow us, share with a friend. If this has been meaningful to you and until next time, lean into the Loveshaped Life