On Prayer ~ The Lord’s Prayer

Greetings Dear Reader,

In case you do not know what I mean by the Lord’s prayer, I will give you the text here:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread.  And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.  (Tyndale Translation)

The reason that I am beginning my thoughts and questions on prayer with this is that I have of late been steeped in reading about it, translating it, and praying it.  For many years as a youth, I was made to recite it without understanding what it meant.  When I did understand it, I was taught it was a model prayer.  The combination of rote and resignation to a model caused me to neglect something very valuable.

The pastor of the church I attend has been teaching through the Lord’s Prayer.  This has benefitted me greatly as I have embraced a new depth of understanding of it.  As I have been praying this daily, multiple times per day since this series started.  I have been careful to do so thoughtfully; avoiding the rote of my youth.

In this practice, I have discovered some applications that I would pass on to you, Dear Reader.   First, I have noticed that phrases from the prayer have begun to come to mind when I am in a situation where that phrase applies.  This is a powerful tool in seeking to be lovingly unoffendable.  It reminds me of who I aim to be in following Christ.  

Second, it calms me.  It gives me a moment of pause to make sure that I have the right perspective on a situation.  It flows through my mind for the twenty seconds it takes to think it through.  That is enough to remind me that I am to be in the moment with Christ and not embroiled in anything that is not at that center.  This further allows me to allow the Father to be my sustenance and for me to hold my peace. 

 The third application I will share is that when I see someone else in trouble, I take the time to pray this prayer for them.  I ask the Father to guide them into all things contained in the prayer, focusing on what I observe to be his or her need.  I may not be able to solve the problem but it puts me in the right mind regarding my obligation to love others as the Father loves them.

 I would love to hear your thoughts on this, Dear Reader.  I long to learn more and deeper ways to draw closer to the heart of the Father through this prayer.  I can spend the remainder of my days increasingly learning the simple irresistible power of these 71 words.  They are not all that I pray but they will always be a deep part of it.

Wishing you joy in the journey, 

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

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The prayer we hear when formal prayer is required has much more to it.