A story about some polo mints. When I was a lad I had acute indigestion. After every meal, I would feel most uncomfortable in my stomach and the only thing that seemed to help were polo mints. (But what was calming my stomach, was also rotting my teeth) I remember having a store of them in my desk drawer. Then in my mid teens I went to our minister’s communicants’ class, where he talked to us about following Jesus. I don’t remember much of what he said but I do remember quietly deciding as he talked one night that I would follow Jesus I would make him the centre of my life and my leader. I made the decision and did not think that much about it until some weeks’ later I noticed two things: one was a new kind of peace and contentment in my life, a kind of deep down joy which has never left me even though there have been times when I knew I was not as close to Christ as I should have been; the other thing was that I no longer had indigestion. And some months later, clearing out my drawer I threw out several packets of dusty polo mints. By God’s gracious leading, I gave my life to Jesus Christ and in his utter love he has given me peace and an enjoyment of food! I believe that is a sort of illustration of Matthew 6.33 when Jesus is urging his friends and followers not to be worried. ‘eek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.’ Put Jesus Christ in the middle of your life and as your focal point. Let him rule over you; have a right relationship with him and the things you want will be given you as well. You see, when I decided to follow Jesus I wasn’t even thinking about my indigestion, I did want it to be better some day but in no way had I made being healed of indigestion a condition to be met before I would follow Jesus. I followed him, became a willing subject of his kingdom and then he sorted out that problem, such a pleasant surprise.

But how often do we turn this the other way round? Bless me, Jesus and then I will follow you. Sort my problems out and I will then do what you want. But what Jesus wants to hear from us is what we sang at the beginning of the service: ‘You alone are my heart’s desire, and I long to worship you.’ If we are serious about God having the kingdom, the power and the glory then his kingdom, his rule has to come first. And be sure of this, when his kingdom comes first then he will give us, not always what we want but what we need.

Do we want God or only what we can get?

What do we do when we don’t get the answer we wanted?

As I said earlier, God blessed me by giving me help I had not expected when I began to seek his kingdom and his righteousness but I cannot say that I have always had everything that I wanted and some prayers I have prayed passionately have not been answered as I would want. I have prayed for people close to me be physically healed and they have not always been. God wonderfully healed my indigestion but I have had to pay the chiropractor to ease pains in my neck. I have prayed for peace in Ireland for nearly 30 years and only recently have I dared to begin to hope that prayers are being answered but it is not an easy or a quick peace. I have prayed for this church and the whole church in this land to know the power of God in a new way and I cannot say that that prayer has been answered although maybe we are nearer that hope than I can see.

I am sure that many of you have struggled with prayer in the same way. God has blessed you in answer to prayer and that’s great. God has blessed you even sometimes when you didn’t ask him and that is amazing and wonderful. But sometimes you have asked and there seemed to be no blessing and no power in God in a world of many troubles and needs.

The answer is only found in the utter realism of the Bible because the Bible is not a book of magic cures and instant answers. The bible is a book basically about people who know weakness and struggle and in that weakness they find the reality of God. Look at what the writer to the Hebrews says 2. 8-9 In putting everything under him God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. (How realistic that is, but here is the reality of God:) ‘ut we see Jesus, whom was made a little lower than the angels now crowned with glory and honour because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.’ This is the true power of God that Jesus Christ shared our weakness and suffered and died for us and is risen and ascended and in the ultimate reality of heaven but we cannot only see that with our earthly understanding but that we cannot see it does not mean that it does not exist. So you see we must not give up on God just because things go wrong and we don’t always get what we want and we have to struggle with many things. Paul wrote about the struggles of faith in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians (4.16-18)’ therefore we do not lose heart. though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal.’

I remember a speaker at our university Christian Union lining up some very good looking girls to do a little drama; I forget what the drama was but I remember that they were very nice to look at. But the point he was making was that outwardly we are wasting away, there is a beauty that is only skin deep but there is an inside beauty that is renewed rather than decaying. That’s what glory is, the true shining beauty of God as he is and as we will be when we see him as he is. That’s the glory waiting for us who believe in Christ a glory that is God’s just as the kingdom is his and the power is his however much we cannot see or touch or taste that today

So whenever you pray following the pattern of the Lord’s Prayer don’t be afraid to ask your Father for things you need, daily bread, forgiveness, protection but don’t pray as some mechanical ritual pray that you may know the Father through Jesus and that you are so focused on him that whatever happens you want the kingdom the power and the glory to be God’s

Let us look at two short passages in the Psalms which may help us focus on God We will read them together and go into prayer

Psalm 73.25-26 ‘Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you My flesh and my heart may fail but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever’

Psalm 27.4 ‘One thing have I desired of the Lord, this is what I will seek to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.’

Lord, may these words be true for us and in our lives and whatever happens whether you surprise us or seem to disappoint us may yours be the kingdom, the power and the glory

God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’ make his light to shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ

SOME NOTES AVAILABLE AFTERWARDS

Matthew 6.9-15 with other scriptures to help explain it

This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven.

For the Spirit that God has given you does not make you slaves and cause you to be afraid; instead the Spirit makes you God's children, and by the Spirit's power we cry out to God, ‘Father! my Father!" Romans 8.15

May your holy name be honoured. Do not bring disgrace on my holy name; all the people of Israel must acknowledge me to be holy. I am the Lord and I make you holy; and I brought you out of Egypt to become your God. I am the Lord. Leviticus 22:32-33

May your kingdom come. For God's kingdom is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy, which the Holy Spirit gives. Romans 14:17

May your will be done on earth as It is in heaven. Teach me, Lord, what you want me to do, and I will obey you faithfully; teach me to serve you with complete devotion. Psalm 86:11.

Give us today the food we need. All living things look hopefully to you, and you give them food when they need it. You give them enough to satisfy the needs of all. Psalm 145:15-16.

Forgive us the wrongs we have done, as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all wrongdoing. 1 John 1:8-9

Do not bring us to hard testing but keep us safe from the evil one. Every test you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps his promise, and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you strength to endure it and to provide you with a way out. 1 Corinthians 10:13

If you forgive others the wrongs they have done to you, your Father In heaven will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others., then your Father will not forgive the wrongs you have done. Be tolerant with one another and forgive one another whenever any of you has a complaint against someone else. You must forgive one another just as the Lord has forgiven you. Colossians 3:13

Bernard of Clairvaux's Version of The Lord's Prayer

Our Father by right of creation, fountain of mercy, gracious provider;

Which art in heaven the seat of' your majesty, the inheritance of your children, the kingdom of bliss;

Hallowed be thy name by the thoughts of our hearts by the words of our mouths, by the works of our hands;

Thy kingdom come of grace to inspire us, of power to defend us, of glory to crown us;

Thy will be done in wealth and woe, in fullness and in want, in life and in death;

In earth as it is in Heaven in us as in your angels, willingly, readily, truthfully, without murmur or halting or deceit;

Give us each day our daily bread for the nourishing of our bodies, the feeding of' our souls, the relief of our needs;

And forgive us our debts whereby you are dishonoured, our neighbour wronged, ourselves endangered;

As we forgive our debtors who have done wrong to our bodies, hindered our prosperity, hurt us in our good name;

And lead us not into temptation of the wicked world, the unmastered flesh or the blinded self;

But deliver us from evil forgiving what is past, removing what is present, preventing what is to come;

For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory to rule all, to govern all, to command and do all, in all by all, you All-in-All:

Now and for ever and ever;

AMEN.

Shorter Catechism (modern version) 107 The conclusion of the Lord’s prayer (for yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory for ever) teaches us to be encouraged only by God in our prayers and to praise him by acknowledging that the kingdom, the power and the glory are his. To show that we want to be heard and have confidence that we are, we say Amen.

Looking inward we are stricken dumb; looking upward we speak and prevail. (Hooker)