Living the Lord’s Prayer

By David Timms

Bethany House. 2008. Pp. 238.

Reviewed by Robert F. Hull, Jr.

Dean and Professor of New Testament

     Here is a refreshing and resourceful guide to Christian discipleship, mapped out by the best-known words in the New Testament, namely the “Lord’s Prayer.”

     Emmanuel alum David Timms, (M.A.R. 1988) is chair of the Graduate Ministry Department at Hope International University.

     Instead of a commentary on Matthew 6:9-13, Timms has written a kind of primer in spiritual formation, for he finds in the words and phrases of the prayer “the most fundamental features of the deeper Christian life,” namely, “being with Christ, becoming like Christ, and living for Christ” (22-23).

     The single word “our” is the door for reflections on the importance of community—commitment to engagement with Christian friends and family in the living out of our faith. Similarly, he finds in the word “father” an invitation to strengthen the bonds of intimacy and trust in the community, not only with God, but with one’s siblings in the household of faith.

     Timms’s mastery of biblical Greek yields helpful insights: The phrase “in the heavens” (plural in Greek) provides space to talk about ancient views of a many-layered “heaven,” and about God’s presence in the air we breathe, the far reaches of the universe, and the dwelling place of God beyond both time and space. For the three petitions “hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done” Timms focuses on holiness (“hallowedness”) as the differentness, the “set-apartness” of the believer for the service of a set-apart God; the centrality of God’s reign as opposed to the temptation to expand our own dominion; and the transformation of our willfulness into willingness to surrender to God.

     He rightly translates “lead us not into testing” (rather than “temptation”—the one Greek word has both senses), meaning “lead us into deeper faith” and into lives of righteousness and obedience.

      The traditional conclusion (“for yours is the kingdom, etc.”), which was added some time after the fourth century is, unfortunately, treated as uttered by Jesus as well. Timms misses here an opportunity to provide correction, not only for the heart and soul, but also for the mind of his readers. Yet even in this section there are powerful observations.

     (For more of David Timms, visit his e-zine in HOPE (www.hiu.edu/inhope) as well as at his new resource, www.growingdeeper.com. His three April 2008 addresses on leadership are available on DVD from The Emmanuel Institutes, 423-722-1086.