from WL Worcester (H Blackmer, ed.), 
The Sower.  Helps to the Study of the Bible in Home and Sunday School
 
(Boston: Massachusetts New-Church Union, n.d.)

Table of Contents
 

 

Lesson 57

Luke 11:1-26  Prayer: Casting Out Devils

The Story

Primary

Every Sunday in church and Sunday school we say the Lord's Prayer, and we should say it at home every morning and every night, and at any other time when we need the Lord's help. It is the Lord's Prayer because the Lord taught it to His disciples and to us. When we say the prayer we must think what we are saying and what the words mean. "Our Father," the very first words, tell us that the Lord is our kind Father Who loves to hear our prayer and loves to help us. We say "our" Father because the Lord loves all children and all people, and we pray that He will help them all. "Who art in the heavens" reminds us that He is the Lord too of the angels in heaven. But that does not mean that He is far away, for heaven is all about us, very near. "Hallowed be Thy name." The Lord's name and everything belonging to the Lord, as His holy Bible and the Sabbath day, are holy and we must treat them so. "Thy kingdom come." The kingdom comes when the Lord's laws are obeyed, and if we obey the Lord's laws, gradually He helps us to love the good ways. It is so in heaven, and it may be so too in this world. "Give us this day our daily bread." We are asking for food and for all things that our bodies and our souls need to make them grow strong and beautiful. "Daily bread" means each day what is needed for the day. That is the way the manna came in the desert, each morning for the day. "And forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors." The Lord is always ready to help us to leave what has been wrong and to do better, and we too must forgive others. "And lead us not into temptation." It is a prayer that the Lord will help us to turn away quickly from things that are wrong and will protect us if temptations come. "But deliver us from evil." If some wrong things have taken hold of us, have become habits, we ask the Lord to make us strong to break them off. In our Bibles in Matthew 6:13 the prayer has this close: "For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen." We must remember to be grateful to the Lord for all good things. The power is His, and we should give Him the praise. "Amen" means "It is all true." Now we will say the prayer, and remember as many of these thoughts as we can while we say it.

We do what we can for our friends. Fathers and mothers love to do the best that they can for their children. Much more does the Lord love to give what will be best for us.

Junior

We should all be finding help in the Lord's Prayer. Say it reverently and earnestly and think what we say, for the mere sound of the words is not a prayer. The desire in our hearts is the real prayer which reaches to the Lord in heaven. Think over what has been said above to the little children. The parable about the friend at midnight teaches us not to be discouraged in prayer, for the Lord does love us, He does hear, and we shall have His help, though sometimes there seems to be delay till we come into a state more ready to be helped. Even selfish people answer the prayers of others. How much more the loving Lord! See Luke 18:1-8.

Ask, seek, knock. To ask is to desire something earnestly. To seek is to use our best thought for it. To knock is to work for it. Such earnest prayer is useful even if things do not happen exactly as we hope. It is right to tell the Lord our needs. He will help us to see them truly. It is right to ask the Lord for what to us seems best, at the same time wishing that if the Lord knows something else is better He will do the better thing. "Not my will, but Thine, be done." We can truly say that the Lord answers our prayer, giving us what we ask or what is better.

A little boy was playing in the long grass and suddenly noticed that he had lost a key which had been in his hand. It was important; he was distressed. He hunted in the long grass, but it was hopeless. The thought came to him that it might be useful to say the Lord's Prayer, and he shut his eyes and said the prayer, standing in the long grass in the field. He opened his eyes and there was the key at his feet. He knew that the prayer and the Lord had helped him.

A temptation came to a young man to do wrong. It seemed impossible to be master of himself and to drive away the evil thoughts. He said the Lord's Prayer and instantly was helped. It was almost startling that the help came so quickly, seemed so near. He told me that he then first felt sure that there is a Lord and that prayers are heard.

How fully the Lord came into our states of trial, that He also prayed! He was praying in a certain place; He continued all night in prayer. He prayed in Gethsemane so earnestly that His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. If even the Lord needed to pray and found help in prayer, how much more need have we to pray and to pray earnestly!


1. What is the meaning of the words, "Hallowed be thy name"?

2. When do we sincerely pray, "Thy kingdom come"?

3. Does the Lord hear our prayers? Even if they are spoken silently in our hearts?

4. Does the Lord desire to give us good things? Why does He seem sometimes to delay?

Spiritual Study

Intermediate

Read in A. 6619 about the infinite meaning in the Lord's Prayer. Read of the heavenly influence of the prayer with little children. (A. 2290, 2291; H. 336) Mere formal piety, not of the heart, "penetrates no further than to the first threshold of heaven and is there dissipated." (A. 10177, 10143) "As the affection is, such is the prayer," R. 278; and a full treatment of prayer in E. 325. Unspoken prayers if sincere are heard in heaven. (A. 9202) The prayers of little children are heard in heaven more fully than those of older people. (D.2435) Prayer in itself is talking with God, and there is then an enlightenment upon the subject of the prayer with him who prays. (A. 2535)

"Lead us not into temptation." This is one of the many expressions in the letter of the Word accommodated to people in natural states of mind. As the prayer is read by angels, the thought that the Lord could lead into temptation disappears and the petition is successively purified with higher angels. It is right for us to say the prayer as it stands in the letter, and our thought will be of the Lord's protection from all that might lead us astray. If we say this prayer sincerely, should we not be on guard ourselves not to go needlessly and willfully into temptation? (A. 1874, 1875)

The argument of the parables following the prayer and of the parable in Luke 18:1-8, is that if we, imperfect and selfish as we are, answer prayers, how much more the Lord. A parent wishes to give his child the best that the child can receive. How much more the Lord! Not merely natural knowledge and imperfect understanding, if one desires and is able to receive real wisdom. (R.951)

The charge of the Pharisees that the Lord cast out devils by Beelzebub was more serious than the rejection of Him by those who rejected Him ignorantly, for it meant that they felt the Divine Spirit in His words and works and hated it. Verse 19 seems to mean that even the power which they and their children had to restrain outward evils and to lead a proper life was from God. How much more the power to rebuke and cast out the roots of evil! (Matthew 12:31, 32; E. 778)

Let the emphasis of the lesson be upon the reason for prayer and the necessity for prayer, with testimony from experience of its practical power.

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