So I want to give you seven principles from the Lord’s prayer that I believe will transform every relationship from your friends to your family to even your enemies. So the Lord’s prayer will help you change all of the relationships.
So it says, “Our Father Who Art in Heaven” so our first thing is we have direct communication.
The second thing is this, “Hallowed be Thy name” so we learn to handle relationships this way with care. The way we honor God’s name this way.
The third thing is this; we pray, “Thy kingdom come” so in a relationship we let God’s kingdom, the things that are going on in heaven, explode out of us. His grace, His forgiveness, His love, His mercy comes flowing out of us.
The fourth thing is this, it says “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. So we are praying in our relationships that we will bring heaven to earth. To everything around us, that we will bring Heaven here, right now, in the situations we find ourselves in.
The fifth thing is this, it says, “Give us this day our daily bread.” So the fifth thing is we learn to be a selfless giver. God has given us His bread, He’s given us everything and so we learn to give freely.
So the sixth thing is this, it says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”. So we learn to forgive others much. Because those who have been forgiven much, forgive much.
The seventh thing is this, it says, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” So the seventh principle is this, God leads us and delivers us.
These seven things will help every relationship this way (vertical) and this way (horizontal). Let’s break them down.
So the first principle in transforming every relationship around us is understanding that God has given us direct communication with him and we learn to communicate directly with others. I love how Jeremiah says it in Jeremiah 33:3. It says, “call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” God wants to show us great and hidden things in all of our relationships. There might be different struggles or tensions or hopes or dreams or fears. Right and God can reveal great and hidden things. So we pray this way (vertical) and act this way (horizontal). So we learn to communicate directly to people, not around them, but to them. With grace, with love, it’s simple. We go directly to the person and we share what’s going on.
The second thing is we learn to handle every relationship with care. When we learn to do this, it’s going to be powerful in our lives. Because we will realize that every person has value. Imagine every person you come in contact with has a sign on their forehead that says, “handle with care.” When you see this, you will treat people differently. In James 1:17 it says this, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” So if we are going to learn to handle our relationships with care we have to trust that God has put value in every single person and we learn to treat them as a heavenly gift from above.
The third thing is this; we need to let God’s kingdom explode out of us. God’s kingdom is full of grace. God’s kingdom is full of love, full of joy. When we learn to have those things inside of us, we are going to be showing those to everybody. It’s going to change the outcome of other people’s lives. In Galatians 2:20 it says; “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” So what every christian should be able to say is “I’ve been crucified with Christ. It’s not about me anymore. It’s about Him. And so I will learn to let God’s kingdom flow through me. Let His love flow through me, let His grace flow through me. So that I can show Christ in me to the world.
The fourth thing is this; we bring heaven to earth. We have the opportunity to see all the things that are going on in heaven right now, rejoicing over people who have given over their lives to Christ. The joy of being able to worship the Lord. We bring those things here on earth. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 it says; “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” So every day you have opportunities to do God’s will. And if we want to know; hey, what’s God want me to do today? Start here. Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in everything for this is God’s will for you. Think about that. Every day you have an opportunity to choose joy. Every day you have the opportunity to make your life into a prayer. Every day there are going to be things, both good and bad, and we go “God, I give you thanks because I know You are shaping me and molding me into the person You designed me to be.
So number five is we learn to be a selfless giver. We have to learn to give selflessly. And how do we learn that? We learn it this way (points upwards). God has given selflessly to us. In Romans 8:31-32 it says, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – How will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” God wants to give and has given you everything graciously. When we feel empty, we go to God and He fills us up. We learn to give to others, the way God has given to us. How has God given to you? Freely, without reservation, graciously and He has given you all things. That will change the relationships that you have. When you learn to give of yourself instead of just take. You give. In Isaiah 1:16-17 it says, “Stop doing wrong. Learn to do right. So think about this for a second. If you realize, you know what, I’m pretty selfish. I do a lot of selfish things. So we learn to stop doing wrong and we learn to do what’s right. So we stop doing wrong and we learn to do what’s right. So you stop being selfish and you learn to be selfless. And it’s a lifelong process. Of saying to God, “Help me to be like You, that gave so freely. So selflessly. Help me to give that way.”
So number six is those who are forgiven much, forgive much. Until we are aware of our deep need for forgiveness and how much God has forgiven us, we won’t be able to forgive others in the same way. In Ephesians 4:32 it says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” How did He forgive you? Completely. How did He forgive you? Before you ever asked. What would happen right now if you forgave somebody before they ever asked. You just called them up, or in the middle of a relationship of tension, you just process for a second and go “look, God’s forgiven me much, and I know that what you’ve done is wrong and you’ve hurt me. That’s OK. I forgive you because God has forgiven me much. These things will change the outcome of your relationships. Instead of being selfish, you learn to be selfless. Instead of saying, “you know what? I don’t forgive. I get back. I get even.” No, instead you say, “I’m going to learn to forgive as Christ has forgiven me.” That will change your relationships.
Number seven is that God leads and delivers. God loves leading people out of darkness and into His wonderful light. He loves bringing you out of the old life and into the new life. God is passionate about you. As you learn that, you learn to be passionate about others. You learn to lead those around you, the way God has led you. Right? God wants to lead you and deliver you. In Psalm 31:1-3 it says, “In You Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in Your righteousness. Turn Your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. Since You are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of Your name lead and guide me.” This is what God wants to do. He wants to lead and guide you. He wants to deliver you. But you have to trust that He is your rock of refuge. He is your strong fortress. And He can and He will deliver you.
So I want you to compare these seven principles to the Lord’s prayer.
#1 We have direct communication
#2 We handle every relationship with care
#3 We let the kingdom of God explode out of us
#4 We learn to bring heaven to earth
#5 We learn to be a selfless giver
#6 Those who are forgiven much; forgive much (understand how much you’ve been forgiven)
#7 God leads and delivers
God wants to do these things in your life. If you know the Lord’s prayer, I would encourage you to actually pray it. Not just say the words but actually pray it. Right now. Also, if you have things that you have learned from the Lord’s prayer, I would love to hear those in the comments below. I would love to hear how God has shaped you and moved you with this powerful prayer. I hope it encourages you to become the person that God has designed you to be. I hope it increases your relationship this way (Points up toward heaven) and you grow closer to God. And I hope it helps you with all of your relationships this way. (arms spread horizontally).
