I have read this book and as usual with Max’s books I got a great deal out of it. There is study guide in the back of the book that I am going to use as a guide to write about the book or at least about what I got of the book. If you have not read this book then I encourage you to do so.

Our Father which art in Heaven, Hollowed be thy name

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Thine is the kingdom and the power, the glory, for ever. Amen.

Matt 6: 9-14

Max uses this prayer to describe God’s house. The way he does this is very enlightening. I have never thought of this prayer in this way.  I will use the study guide in the back of this book to do a series of papers, one for each chapter. This may take a few weeks to finish any comments will be useful as I go along.

Mr. Lucado starts this chapter and the book by telling us he wants to take a tour of our house. No it is not our physical house but our spiritual house.

Let us Ponder

1)      God can be your dwelling place.

A)    In what way can God be someone’s “dwelling place”?

God wants us to live in his house with him and his son Jesus.

John 12:23 – Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone love Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”

B)     Is God your dwelling place? Explain/

Good question. There are days I feel closer to God and then I have days that I don’t. I tend to read my Bible and study the work more at work than I do at home. There is not much distraction here but at home there is always something that needs to be done or someone that needs my attention. I need to be more diligent in my studies and reading my word as I am sure a lot of you do. If I was then maybe I would not struggle as much with the demons that I have to fight. But then I have noticed that the close I am with God the stronger my demons get. I also know the walls of my Saviors house are to high for my demons to get thru so I need to trust in him more.

2)      You may go days without thinking of God, but there’s never a moment when he’s             not thinking of you.

A)    How often do you estimate that you think of God? What keeps you from thinking of him?  How do you overcome this obstacle?

I know I think of him everyday, some days more than others. There are several things I think that interfere with my thoughts. Some times it can be family problems or work. Some that know me would say NASCAR occupies my thoughts. There are even times I have thoughts that even I don’t want to have. To over come these I must rely on God more to handle my problems and to have him more in my life.

                  B) Do you believe God never stops thinking about you? Explain.

                       I know God does not stop thinking of me.

                         Matt 28: 20 “Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded  

                                               You; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the

                                                age.” Amen.

3)      You are a step away from the house of God. Wherever you are. Whatever time it is.

A)    What does Max mean by “stepping into the house of God?”

It is simply stepping into God’s presence. This could be anywhere home, work, a ball game. Wherever you feel the need to pray or talk with God.

B)     Does this image of the Great House of God help you to grasp and utilize

The Lord’s Prayer? If so, how? If not, why not?

I am not sure the image plays a big part, although it is nice to imagine a huge castle waiting in heaven just for me to share with my God. I know there is a mansion the sky waiting for me.

       4) Christ has provided more than a model for prayer; he has a model for living. These

            words do more than tell us what to say to God, they tell us how to exist with God.

A)    In what way is the Lord’s Prayer a model for living?

It reminds me to forgive others and to trust God for all of my needs.

B)     How does the Lord’s Prayer tell us how to exist with God?

It reminds us to acknowledge the holiness of God. That is all powerful, and all knowing. That all the Glory goes to him.

C)    What part of the Lord’s Prayer speaks most powerfully to you? Why?

“give us this day our daily bread”. We have to remember that God will

  provide our basic needs if we just put our trust in him. That is sometimes

  hard for us to do. We tend to want to take care of things ourselves until  

  we get into trouble, then we go God for help. If we would do that first

  then maybe we would not get into trouble.

   Let us Prepare

1)      Read through the Lord’s Prayer in Mathew 6: 9-13.

A)    What part of this prayer most encourages you? Why?

“Your kingdom come. Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven.”

 God is in control as long as I let him.

B)     What part most convicts you? Why?

“And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.”

God wants us to forgive those who do us wrong, just as he forgives us. That is sometimes hard to do. But as Christians it is what asked of us.

C)    Are there any parts you don’t understand? If so, what are they?

I can’t think of any I don’t understand.

                D) If you were to assign parts of a house to each part of this prayer, how would

                     you do it?

                      I never thought about it but as I read Max’s book, I think he outlined it

                      Pretty well.

2)      Read Acts 17: 24-28.

A)    What picture of God does this passage portray? How does this picture fit

into your concept of prayer? Explain.

God is everywhere, not bond in a church or synagogue, He needs nothing from us. If we seek him then he is not too far from us.

B)     Note verse 28. How does the concept mentioned her fit with Max’s image of

The Great House of God?

Max shows the image of our Fathers house. His living room is ours, his kitchen is ours, his hallway is ours, is chapel is ours. We are free to move around freely. We are his children he is our Heavenly Father.

3)      Read Psalm 90: 1-2.

A)    What is significant about that?

In his prayer Moses acknowledges Gods greatness. The fact that God has been with us from the beginning and will be with us until the end.

B)     What kind of requests does Moses make of God in the rest of the psalms

(See verses 12-17).

To show mercy and grace in all our days, so that we may rejoice in his love and in his works. Make all that we do glorify him.

4)      Read 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18; Romans 12:12; Ephesians 6:18-20; Hebrews 13:15, 18-19; Colossians 4:2-4; Philippians 4:6-7.

A)    What do you learn about prayer in each of the verses above?

To pray without ceasing and with thanksgiving, giving thanks for all things.

Rejoice with hope and be patient thru tribulations.

Do now worry about things; give all things to God in prayer.

5)      How does the pattern of prayer laid out in the Lords Prayer relate to the passages listed above?

If you pray the Lord’s Prayer you are doing these exact things.

       Let us Pray

1)      This week read through the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6: 9-13 at least once each day. Read it meditatively to soak in its rich truth. Then take some time to pray about the concerns that touch your life, based on this pattern prayer.

2)      Sit down with a piece of paper and a pen and “take apart” the Lord’s Prayer phrase by phrase. Divide the prayer into units that make sense to you—“Our Father,” for example, or “hallowed be thy name”- and write a paragraph on how that unit is significant to you. Then take a moment to pray through the whole prayer, especially considering what you have written about various parts.

God Bless

Frank Alford