Praise the Lord!! It is Sunday again and our fourth Feast Day!! On this Lord’s Day, enjoy worshiping with your church family through songs and hymns, through the reading and teaching of God’s Word, through giving cheerfully, and enjoying the blessed gift of food, chocolate, social media, or anything you may have set aside for your Lenten promise. Don’t you love these weekly glimpses of what we are journeying towards - freedom, peace, and rest!
Moments of Prayer
“Lord, teach us to pray…” (Lk 11:1) Jesus was praying, as He did regularly. The Twelve who followed Jesus closely were not invited into the sacred prayer space when Jesus communed with His Father, but noticed the consistency, the intimacy of Jesus’ prayer time. There was a dependent nature to it, as if time with God provided sustenance for Jesus. All good Jewish men wore prayer belts around their waists and these men were no different. Their belts held tassels of varying lengths with small knots made along each thread grouping, reminding them of what to confess, proclaim and remember. Sometimes they focused on what they were praying, but often it was just a rote and obligatory routine, like washing one’s face or brushing their teeth at the start of the day.
Jesus’ times of prayer were nothing like those of His followers, at least from what the apostles could observe. It was intimate and familial, anticipated and prioritized, clarifying and energizing. One of them finally got up the nerve to ask on behalf of the group, “Lord, teach us how to pray like that.” (from v 1)
Read Luke 11:1-4
Here are some take aways I gleaned from reading and studying the Lord’s Prayer, in preparation for #LentenDaily 2025, The Kingdom of God Drawn Near:
Father, your name be honored as holy - we are to pray intimately while reverently; they can and should coexist.
Your kingdom come - we are to humbly submit our will, our best laid plans, and our kingdom to Father God’s.
Give us each day our daily bread - we are to count on Him to deliver everything we need for life and godliness for today.
And forgive us our sins - we are to confess daily the ways we have sinned against Father God in thought, word and deed, as well as receive His forgiveness as a fresh cleansing.
For we ourselves also forgive everyone in debt to us - we are to forgive those who have sinned against us, trusting God to take care of the situation, then walk in the freedom that forgiveness affords.
And do not bring us into temptation - we can ask Father God not to bring us into temptation’s way, while trusting that if He does He will provide ways of escape so that we will be able to bear up under it. (from 1 Cor 10:13)
The music for today should be no surprise - “The Lord’s Prayer” - performed by Yolanda Adams at the 2010 National Memorial Day Concert in Washington, DC. Enjoy!
Yolanda Adams - The Lord's Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer
Public domain, taken from Luke 4:2-4 (King James Version)
Our Father
Which art in heaven,
Hallow'd be Thy Name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our debts
As we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory
Forever
Amen.
