The Lord's Prayer: In your words (8 of 8)

For a long while, I had a discipline every morning of praying the Lord's Prayer - but in my own words.  I would encourage you to try this!

First, I picked out a bound journal that I would enjoy writing in every morning.  This is was a very important step for me :-) because it gave me incentive to fill it up with prayers!  Standing at Barnes and Noble going through all the journals picking out just the right one (a leather one?  one that was bright and colorful?  the one with textured flowers all over it?  the one that was made from recycled paper?)  Hmmm... it seemed to be a holy activity!!  But you might want to write yours out in a private blog or in a Word Document on your PC.  You don't have to write them out at all, but writing them out has the benefit of returning to them and remembering what God has done.

Next I found a quiet place where I could take 5 minutes and write out my prayer every day.  My place became sitting at the piano and I stored the journal in the piano bench where it would be safe from prying eyes.

In the front of the journal, I wrote out the prayer in the stages we have just dissected in my last 6 posts.  I would use these stages to formulate my prayers:

1. Our Father in heaven --Identifying the Relationship
2. Hallowed be your name -- Offering praise to God.
3. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven -- Seeking the way of Jesus
4. Give us this day our daily bread  -- Asking for daily needs 
5. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. -- Seeking forgiveness
6. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. -- Seeking protection

Then I wrote a prayer each day... in my own words - based on what I was feeling and seeing and facing that day.  Nothing elegant.  Just words from my heart.  A typical prayer went like this:

(1) "Dear Father of all who loves everyone - you love those who love you back and those who do not. 
(2) You are not just loving, but you are love.  And you have expressed your love for me in ways that I can not fathom. You have given me a husband and children and friends and coworkers to love and be loved by.  I praise you for giving me purpose in life: to love!  
(3) I ask that this day will be spent living in the way of Jesus' truth and life.  I have read how Jesus's heart broke for those in need and pain.  May my heart be the same.  I have read how Jesus healed spiritual and physical issues and told his followers to do the same.  May Jesus work through me to heal where there is hurt and need today.  
(4)  Provide for my children at school this day - may their teachers use the time in the classroom wisely - especially Brent's science teacher.  May Brent grow by learning to deal with her and not by giving up when she is harsh with him.  Give me wisdom this day to deal with the meetings and decisions before me.  Please heal Sandra from the headaches that have been crippling to her.  
(5) Forgive me for my sins and help me to forgive others for their sins too.  Help me to deal with Tim (who has made mistakes which affect our release date) in a way that both offers forgiveness, but spurs him to do better.  Help me to deal with him in love and not un-forgiveness - give me wisdom if it is time to move him into a different job or continue to work with him in this one.  Forgive me for not being patient - for thinking with my own career in mind rather than thinking about his well being. 
(6)  Protect me from straying from your ways - protect me from putting myself before you - protect my family in the same way.  I trust you to lead me.  Amen.

Enjoy it if you decide to try it!  It is a wonderful way to grow closer to God.

The Lord's Prayer: Seek Protection (Luke 11:4b) 7 of 8

Next in the Lord's Prayer, Jesus teaches his disciples to ask for protection:

Matthew 6:13  And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.


Luke 11:4  And do not bring us to the time of trial.  

Most Christians, if you ask them what this means have no idea.  And yet they pray it every Sunday without thinking.  I think the best way to explain what it means is to jump ahead and tell the part of the story of Jesus right before he was arrested, tried, and crucified...

On the night that Jesus would be arrested, "Jesus went with the disciples to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."  He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated.  Then he said to them, "I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me."  And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want."  Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, "So, could you not stay awake with me one hour?  41 Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:36-41).


Jesus knows what his followers are made of... a willing spirit, but weak flesh.  We want to follow him, but it requires supernatural power - supernatural love - supernatural forgiveness - supernatural courage - supernatural faith.  Jesus is well aware of the intense emotional and physical pain that he and the disciples are facing in the next hours.  Jesus knows there will be defections - Judas will be first - Peter is a close second.  They are going to wish they had not signed up to follow Jesus.  Jesus tells them to pray that they will not face this trial because they aren't going to make it through unscathed... "Do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one"...  unless the supernatural power of God intervenes.

But Jesus also shows them an example of how one prays this prayer and faces the trial not allowing the evil one to win... "Again Jesus went away for the second time and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done."  Again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.  So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words.  Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand."  While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people.  Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him."  At once he came up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him.  Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you are here to do." Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested him"  (Matthew 26:42-50).  Hours later Jesus died on the cross.

Ask God for protection - for supernatural power that will help you stand firm and resist giving into the evil one.  There is no other way to overcome the trials in our lives.  

The Lord's Prayer: Seek Forgiveness (Luke 11:4a) 6 of 8

Luke 11:4 And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. 

Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our sins, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

We often pray this part of the Lord's Prayer way too easily.  Have we really forgiven those who have sinned against us?  How about those who owe us something?

I usually have my private prayer time just after my husband leaves for work and before I start writing.  But this morning I had jury duty.  It is Monday as I write this.  I write my posts a day ahead of time to give me time to think about them before I publish them.  So on the way down here to the court house, since I didn't have my list of things people have asked me to pray with them about, I prayed the Lord's Prayer instead.  I stepped through each sentence holding my life up next to them and considering how God was speaking into my life.

When I got to this "asking forgiveness" part of the prayer, immediately a person that I know popped into my head.  I haven't thought of them in years.  They were an angry, but rather feeble-minded person controlled and manipulated by their extended family who cared very little about them personally, but often used them for their own agenda.  In fact, their extended family would make fun of them and speak ill of them behind their back.  I thought back to a situation where their family had pointed them at me (the new pastor in town) in order to intimidate me.

It was sort of like sending Stanley Tucci's character, Muerte, in "Undercover Blues" after me.  Except not nearly as entertaining.  This person couldn't reason their way through even simple situations so all they knew how to do was to lash out.  Kind of like a mafia thug.  Hurling threats.  Shaking a finger in my face - slamming their fist against a table.  Acting as angry and as mean as possible.

As I prayed this morning, I thought about this person's spouse and children - how they probably have had to deal with quite a lot on a daily basis.  There had been stories of this person killing the family pet during a fit of rage and of forcing slow driving strangers off the road causing serious harm.

I also thought about the time they had run out of work and I prayed with them about finding a job - and they found one the next week.  How excited they were that God had answered their prayer.  I thought about their loved one who has an incurable disease and how they told me once that they think God made this happen to their loved one as a punishment.  And yet, they were mad at God because they felt that, all in all, they were a good person and didn't deserve God's punishment.  There were so many problems in that logic that it was hard to help them understand how much God loves them and their loved one.

And then I remembered how they had created lies and spread them about me.  I knew it wasn't their own doing - their extended family had purposed it - encouraged it - rewarded them for it with attention and praise they never got otherwise.  The lies were thinly veiled and easily debunked - there had been plenty of witnesses to the situation in question - so the lies really didn't matter.  But it was unsettling.  The intermediary sent to intervene commented afterward that they had been afraid to look this person in the eyes during the meeting for fear of them becoming violent.

Had I forgiven this person?  Had I forgiven their extended family?  Could I really pray: "Forgive me my sins, for I have forgiven them."  What does forgiveness look like?   Do I need to tell them that I have forgiven them?  You know in order to tell someone that you forgive them, you have to at least insinuate that they have done something wrong.  How is that going to go over?  I'd be putting myself in danger!

How did Jesus demonstrate forgiveness?  On the cross, Jesus, who is in excruciating pain, said, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing."  He forgave these people who were hurting him by asking God to forgive them.  And it wasn't just saying the words - Jesus meant it completely.  So I prayed that God would forgive this person and their family - asking God to help me mean it too.  Immediately, I became grateful for all the times that God has forgiven me.  And for all the people who have forgiven me.  I felt humbled that I live in God's grace - not because I deserve it,  but because God is merciful and loves me.  I felt hope in God's transformative work in the world.  I had seen it at work in my life (it still is!) - I knew it could work in other's lives too.

We aren't following in the way of Jesus if we have un-forgiveness in our hearts. But we are never following Jesus closer than when we offer and receive forgiveness.

The Lord's Prayer: Ask for Needs (Luke 11:3) 5 of 8

Luke 11:3  3 Give us each day our daily bread. 

Now comes the place in the Lord's Prayer where most of us start our prayers: asking for what we need.  Actually, most of us are asking for what we want - not what we need.  But now is the time to ask - after we have focused in on who God is and who we are in relationship to God - after we have offered God praise - and after we have considered how the Kingdom of God might reign in our lives this day.  Now is the time to ask.

It is interesting to me - that the focus is on daily needs too.  Not the long term ones.  And even more interesting is that it isn't just a personal request - it says "give us" - it is a request that everyone will be fed - that everyone's daily needs will be met

What should you be asking God for today?  And how is that informed by the earlier parts of the Lord's Prayer?

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The other gospels weigh in...

Matthew 6:11   11 Give us this day our daily bread. 

The Lord's Prayer: Seek God's Way (Luke 11:2b) 4 of 8

Luke 11:2  Your kingdom come. 

Jesus talks about the Kingdom of God (which is the same as the Kingdom of Heaven) throughout his ministry.  It is a mysterious thing.  It is any where and any place and any time where God reigns.  It can be among us and in us.  It was present in Jesus - in his teachings, in his acts of compassion, in his miracles.  It is present in us - noticeable when we are the hands and feet of Jesus.

Some things it is not:  It is not where one goes when they die.  It is not an earthly government or political system.  It is not a democracy.  It is not a form of government.  It is a way of being where we give up ourselves to let God reign within us.  It is not a list of rules of rules to follow, theology to believe, or a list of good works to do.  It is God reign within us and around us.

Jesus teaches us to ask for God's Kingdom to be present in our lives right now - for God to reign over all that we do - over all that we are.

Where are all of the places that you can invite the Kingdom of God to be present in your life today?

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The other gospels weigh in...

Matthew 6:10  10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 

The Lord's Prayer: Offer Praise (Luke 11:1-2a) 3 of 8

Luke 11:2b  "...Hallowed be your name..."

"Your name is holy!"  This is a moment of praise offered to God.  There are many ways of offering praise to God in our prayers.  Many things we can adore about God.  But why his name?

Throughout the Old and New Testaments, a person's name reflects who they are or who their parents want them to become. God often changed a person's name when they entered into a relationship where he transformed them (Abram became Abraham; Saul became Paul, Simon became Peter, etc).  Likewise, God's name reflects who God has revealed himself to be.  And he has revealed to us that he is holy - perfect and flawless - perfect in love, truth, and righteousness.  Morally and Spiritually pure.  He is wholly and completely separate from all evil.

This moment of praise sets the tone for our relationship with the Father.  We are coming before a loving Father who is holy.  A Father who is perfect and flawless.  We come before him as children who trust and admire him.

How would it change your relationship if you approached God with praise and admiration - refusing to question his love, his truth, his righteousness?  How would it set the tone for your prayers?

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The other gospels weigh in...

Matthew 6:9b "hallowed be your name."

The Lord's Prayer: Identify the Relationship (Luke 11:1-2a) 2 of 8

Luke 11:1-2  He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples."  2 He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father..."

God is our Father. This is earth shattering news when you think of it.  The Old Testament refers to God as Father (and Mother) by way of analogy - not direct address.  Jesus is the one who is bold enough to first address God as his Father.  And he teaches his followers to do it too.

I can remember on a long family vacation - my younger brother, who was very very young at the time, looked out the car window as we passed by farms and businesses and began to point out, "My Father owns that."  And "My Father owns that too."  And "Over there - My Father's stuff."  I imagine he was repeating what he had learned in Sunday School the week before.  It took the rest of us a while to catch on.  But this is the magnitude of what Jesus is teaching.  We are children of the God who is Sovereign over everything.

But do we live like it?  What if you look around where you are sitting - and claim the people, places, things, and situations as belonging to your Father?  "My Father owns this boss who isn't fair."  "My Father owns the food that could feed the homeless and hungry."  "My Father owns this relationship with my spouse that isn't going well."  How does it change the way you will live your life today.  As God's child what power and authority and responsibility does it give you?

It is uncomfortable for the Jews to hear Jesus call God his Father - it seems sacrilegious - too informal.  It isn't the way they think of God - God has become a rule-giver who judges us accordingly.  But Jesus is introducing us to God in a new way - teaching us that we can have an intimate relationship with God.  One where God cares deeply about us and is interested in our personal well being.  Jesus will develop this relationship further when he tells us the story of the Prodigal Son in which a Father offers mercy and grace to a wayward child.

Jesus begins the prayer this way so we will remember who God is and who we are:  Children of the creator who wants to love us like the perfect father would love his children.

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The other gospels weigh in...

Matthew 6:9   9 "Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven..."