The Lord's Prayer
(photo by Laelia Watt)
On Sunday while laying on a blanket in the grass at the park, I thought a lot about the Lord's prayer. In my new church (Memorial Presbyterian) we pray the prayer as a congregation at some point every service. There are a million reasons I love my new church and reciting this prayer and doing communion every time we meet are two of those reasons.
In the past, when I read the section of the Bible where the disciples ask Jesus how they should pray and Jesus responds with this prayer, I always wondered why He chose these particular phrases and themes. Knowing that everything Jesus said or did was purposeful and quite deep and beautiful, I figured it was not something he just threw together to give the disciples a mantra to recite.
For the past ten months, my life has been turned and jostled in ways I never would have imagined- inability to procure a full-time job, no more school (thank GOD!), diagnosis of PCOS, move to St. Louis (PRAISE, PRAISE GOD!!), and still no full-time job. There have been many days when I literally did not know if I would be able to eat, let alone pay bills. There were days I had to repent to the Lord for various things, forgive someone in my heart. There were days I was tempted- to despair, do something I shouldn't, or to believe lies that Satan was trying to feed me.
I have had to learn the hard way to look to the Lord for provisions and grace, literally moment by moment. So many times this year I didn't have food in the kitchen and no money to buy more. Just last week this happened and as lunchtime was nearing, my brother called and invited me out to lunch. On Sunday, I was $35 short of being able to pay a bill. I had been telling God about it all weekend, but when it came time to pay the bill, I was still short, so I paid as much as I could and just said, "Well, somehow God will still take care of me even if I can't pay it." Then I checked my email and a family from church had last minute asked me to babysit for them that night. I did it and was paid exactly $35. NO ONE had any idea that I needed $35 by Sunday, so it was all God. Through these moments this year-too many to recount- God has made himself present in tangible ways, always reminding me to hope in Him, trust Him, and most of all, thank and praise him in all circumstances.
After months and months of praying, seeking God's face, stepping out in faith when he gave me any glimpse of a direction- or even when he didn't- the Lord's prayer has become most profound. All of my prayers are encapsulated into that one. Everything God has taught me, everything that I have found REALLY matters in life are described in that prayer.
In the Christian world, we often remind each other that "we are not promised tomorrow" and that "we should not worry about tomorrow," but how often do we let those truths change our worldview completely? The Lord's prayer is profound because it is a prayer for "today" and states the most important things about life in such a succinct way:
Praise God
Desire His kingdom
Desire God's will
Look to God for what you need today
Have a repentant heart
Have a forgiving heart
Desire to follow God's way
Ask God for protection
Acknowledge who God is
So, the most important things in life that Jesus encapsulates in this one prayer have to do with our relationship with God, our relationship with others and provisions that are necessary for survival in the moment. It kind of puts everything I have ever worried about or let dominate my thoughts and prayers look a little piddly to say the least.
Here is my version of the prayer I wrote out in my journal while lying happily in the warm sun:
"My dear heavenly Father, I praise and honor your Holy name! Please bring your kingdom. May your will be done in my life and on the earth just as your will is done in heaven. Please provide food for me on this day and please forgive me in the ways I wrong you. Just as you forgive me, please help me to forgive those who wrong me. Keep temptation far from me today and just plain keep me from evil altogether because the kingdom and all power and glory are yours forever."
On Sunday while laying on a blanket in the grass at the park, I thought a lot about the Lord's prayer. In my new church (Memorial Presbyterian) we pray the prayer as a congregation at some point every service. There are a million reasons I love my new church and reciting this prayer and doing communion every time we meet are two of those reasons.
In the past, when I read the section of the Bible where the disciples ask Jesus how they should pray and Jesus responds with this prayer, I always wondered why He chose these particular phrases and themes. Knowing that everything Jesus said or did was purposeful and quite deep and beautiful, I figured it was not something he just threw together to give the disciples a mantra to recite.
For the past ten months, my life has been turned and jostled in ways I never would have imagined- inability to procure a full-time job, no more school (thank GOD!), diagnosis of PCOS, move to St. Louis (PRAISE, PRAISE GOD!!), and still no full-time job. There have been many days when I literally did not know if I would be able to eat, let alone pay bills. There were days I had to repent to the Lord for various things, forgive someone in my heart. There were days I was tempted- to despair, do something I shouldn't, or to believe lies that Satan was trying to feed me.
I have had to learn the hard way to look to the Lord for provisions and grace, literally moment by moment. So many times this year I didn't have food in the kitchen and no money to buy more. Just last week this happened and as lunchtime was nearing, my brother called and invited me out to lunch. On Sunday, I was $35 short of being able to pay a bill. I had been telling God about it all weekend, but when it came time to pay the bill, I was still short, so I paid as much as I could and just said, "Well, somehow God will still take care of me even if I can't pay it." Then I checked my email and a family from church had last minute asked me to babysit for them that night. I did it and was paid exactly $35. NO ONE had any idea that I needed $35 by Sunday, so it was all God. Through these moments this year-too many to recount- God has made himself present in tangible ways, always reminding me to hope in Him, trust Him, and most of all, thank and praise him in all circumstances.
After months and months of praying, seeking God's face, stepping out in faith when he gave me any glimpse of a direction- or even when he didn't- the Lord's prayer has become most profound. All of my prayers are encapsulated into that one. Everything God has taught me, everything that I have found REALLY matters in life are described in that prayer.
In the Christian world, we often remind each other that "we are not promised tomorrow" and that "we should not worry about tomorrow," but how often do we let those truths change our worldview completely? The Lord's prayer is profound because it is a prayer for "today" and states the most important things about life in such a succinct way:
Praise God
Desire His kingdom
Desire God's will
Look to God for what you need today
Have a repentant heart
Have a forgiving heart
Desire to follow God's way
Ask God for protection
Acknowledge who God is
So, the most important things in life that Jesus encapsulates in this one prayer have to do with our relationship with God, our relationship with others and provisions that are necessary for survival in the moment. It kind of puts everything I have ever worried about or let dominate my thoughts and prayers look a little piddly to say the least.
Here is my version of the prayer I wrote out in my journal while lying happily in the warm sun:
"My dear heavenly Father, I praise and honor your Holy name! Please bring your kingdom. May your will be done in my life and on the earth just as your will is done in heaven. Please provide food for me on this day and please forgive me in the ways I wrong you. Just as you forgive me, please help me to forgive those who wrong me. Keep temptation far from me today and just plain keep me from evil altogether because the kingdom and all power and glory are yours forever."
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