Today’s scripture: Matthew 6:9-15 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Cheryl Stonestreet):
In the verses leading up to the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus admonished those who pray only to bring attention to themselves, calling them hypocrites. Jesus tells us God prefers to have a quiet and more a personal relationship with us. Then he gives us an outline for prayers.
In his instructional prayer Jesus teaches us into how to approach God, what we are to ask for, that we are to acknowledge God’s power, and how we are to behave toward others. It’s a full plate. In brief, it breaks down something like this:
Our Father,
Notice it’s not “my father”. God is father to us all. That makes us all brothers and sisters, which puts us all on the same level.
Who is in heaven
God is in the beyond, seeing the big picture, not the snapshots we see from our perspective.
Hallowed be your name
God’s name is sacred, by any name we use.
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Your will, not ours be done, whether we understand it or not, let Your will be done. We resign ourselves fully and trust in Your knowledge.
Give us this day our daily bread (or our bread for tomorrow)
Day by day, each and every day, please see that we have what is necessary and sufficient for our bodies.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors
People have offended us, but we forgave them. Forgive them also. And forgive us for offending You.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
Given bread for our bodies, give us the necessary and sufficient strength for our souls to carry out Your will.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
A doxology, a conclusion, and an ascription that we once again recognize our humble standings in realm of God’s world.
Then Jesus reiterates that we must forgive others if we expect God to forgive us. It is the first item he comments on. Of all the lines in his prayer, this is the one that always stands out to me. And Jesus makes it very clear that forgiving each other is essential in the eyes of God. Ouch!
Most of us have been deeply wounded by another at some time in our lives. That, too, seems to be part of the human experience. Some offenses seem so extreme and so totally unprovoked that it would make sense that we shouldn’t have to forgive the perpetrators. Yet that is not what Jesus taught. Whenever Jesus healed someone, he first forgave the injured their sins. And in his final moment on the cross, Jesus asked God to forgive us for not knowing what we do.
I am not so spiritually intelligent or adept that I can immediately forgive some of my offenders. Often it is a process. Sometimes the best I can do is be willing to be open to the idea that someday I will need to forgive. And that again is where prayer comes into play. I can always ask God for willingness.
Thought for the day: What phrase or concept from Jesus’ prayer lesson speaks most to you?
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.