Today’s scripture: Luke 11:1-4 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message)
As you read, consider: What might God be saying to me in this passage? Summarize your thoughts in a sentence or two.
My thoughts (Keith Phillips):
As much as I love to pray, I really hate typical church prayer meetings.
I know that the usual prayer requests are made with the best of intentions, but ninety percent of them have to do with physical illnesses. Why is it that the people of God seem to care so much more for Aunt Tillie’s aches and pains than for broken relationships, or for our inability to trust God enough to take care of us and direct our future, or for the lust that’s so common among us? We worship and serve a God who is so amazing, so gracious, that God certainly cares about our lives well beyond these mortal bodies.
The Lord’s Prayer, as presented in Luke’s Gospel, is for the community of faith, for the people of God together. There are three petitions in Luke’s version, and they are very interesting when looked at from a corporate perspective, rather than individualistically.
The first is: “Give us this day our daily bread.” This has to do with the maintenance of our physical bodies, it’s true; but it’s more than that. One, I think there’s a justice issue here. I believe that God can provide enough food on this planet for all of us, and this petition requests that; far more than just my daily bread. And two, the request is simply for enough for all of us today; no reason to hoard even for tomorrow.
The second petition is: “Forgive us as we forgive.” It’s more than me forgiving so that I will be forgiven. What will happen when we all forgive? We’ll all be forgiven! Just think about it.
And the third petition is: “Lead us not into temptation.” If we’re to be protected from temptation, we’ve got to lean on God to do the protecting. And it’s not a problem of some Christians being weak and others being strong. This is the prayer of the Christian community; we’re in this together. And anyone who knows anything about Twelve Step programs knows the power of community in resisting temptation.
In a way, the Lord’s Prayer is a reminder to me of how much I must both depend on God and depend on the Christian community I belong to.
Thought for the day: Pray the Lord’s Prayer, and emphasize the plural pronouns, remembering that it’s about us, not just me.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.