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- Apr 25, 2006
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THE RIGHT STUFF (1)
'Therefore, pray ... Our Father in heaven...' Matthew 6:9
Maybe the disciples felt they couldn't pray. They looked at the holy-rollers in the temple with their booming voices and clever words and felt a bit hopeless. Give us a formula, Jesus, they thought, something we can sound impressive with. Or maybe they genuinely wanted to get as close to God as possible, and they knew Jesus would hold the key. Whatever their reason for asking, the request inspired Jesus to create the most beautiful prayer ever.
Although sometimes we treat the Lord's Prayer as a formula or a mindless chant without thinking behind the words' meaning, the heart of this world famous prayer is to trim the fat and get to the meat. It starts with us reminding ourselves that God is our bloodline (our Father) and we are loved by Him; as a good dad dotes on his newborn. He wants what is best for us. It tells us that we can take our requests no higher (in Heaven) - we've gone straight to the top. It reminds us to pray not about petty wants but to get us locked into God's will (Your kingdom come...) Praying the Lord's Prayer switches our thoughts from the insignificant to the everlasting.
What now? There are lots of versions of the Lord's Prayer but all carry the same heart. Create your own version using words that best reflect how you want to communicate with God.
written by Bob Gass
'Therefore, pray ... Our Father in heaven...' Matthew 6:9
Maybe the disciples felt they couldn't pray. They looked at the holy-rollers in the temple with their booming voices and clever words and felt a bit hopeless. Give us a formula, Jesus, they thought, something we can sound impressive with. Or maybe they genuinely wanted to get as close to God as possible, and they knew Jesus would hold the key. Whatever their reason for asking, the request inspired Jesus to create the most beautiful prayer ever.
Although sometimes we treat the Lord's Prayer as a formula or a mindless chant without thinking behind the words' meaning, the heart of this world famous prayer is to trim the fat and get to the meat. It starts with us reminding ourselves that God is our bloodline (our Father) and we are loved by Him; as a good dad dotes on his newborn. He wants what is best for us. It tells us that we can take our requests no higher (in Heaven) - we've gone straight to the top. It reminds us to pray not about petty wants but to get us locked into God's will (Your kingdom come...) Praying the Lord's Prayer switches our thoughts from the insignificant to the everlasting.
What now? There are lots of versions of the Lord's Prayer but all carry the same heart. Create your own version using words that best reflect how you want to communicate with God.
written by Bob Gass
