LIVING THE LORD’S PRAYER

Pray the Lord’s Prayer Intentionally

Too often I recite the Lord’s Prayer hardly paying attention to the meaning of the words. I mouth words like hallowed, thy, and thine–words no one uses outside of church. And the word trespass means something different when I use it in conversation. That’s why this close study of the Model Prayer in the modern language used by the Voice translators and writers has meant so much to me.

Matthew 6:9 begins [Jesus said,] “Your prayers, rather, should be simple, like this…” Jesus didn’t tell his disciples to recite the prayer he gave them; he gave that prayer as an example of how we should pray–simply, asking God for what we need the way we would ask a loving parent. The example prayer covers all our needs–physical (food), emotional (forgiveness–receiving and giving), and spiritual (to be led away from temptation and protected from evil).

Make Prayers Specific to Each Day

As I put the Lord’s Prayer into practice this week, I turned the petitions into questions:

• What do I have to praise God for today?
• What can I do today to bring about a bit of God’s kingdom?
• What do I need to get through today?
• How did I sin yesterday?
• What wrongs done to me am I carrying around today?
• What temptation do I face today?
• What evil do I need to be protected from today?

Most answers were different every day; a few carried over. No matter–the answers made me realize God wants into every nook and cranny of my life. What a blessing! What a challenge!

Living the Lord’s Prayer

Prayer is more than talking, of course–it’s also listening to God. As I pray in the context of each day, I “hear” God’s side of my life. Some days I know there’s a phone call I need to make. Some days I know I need to put away my to-do list. Some days I remember a grudge I need to (a) ask forgiveness for harboring and (b) forgive the person who hurt me. Praying the way Jesus taught us is less about begging and more about receiving instructions, less about meditation and more about living. As we learn to pray the way Jesus taught, we learn to live the way Jesus wants.