Revisiting The Lord’s Prayer

by: Sally Meadows

Sometimes when life has gotten crazy busy, I have found it a struggle to connect with God in a meaningful way. One such morning as I was lying in bed trying to pray, I just couldn’t seem to find the words to bring me into the Lord’s presence

I had been recently studying the Book of Matthew. As I mentally reviewed some of the stories in that book, I remembered that Jesus Himself told us how to pray in Matthew 6:9-13. This passage is often referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer”.

Many of us know The Lord’s Prayer by memory, but have you ever really dug into what each line or element means? That morning as I struggled to pray, I decided to break down The Lord’s Prayer, phrase by phrase, and use each as a jumping off point for my prayers. Of course, God will speak to each one of us differently as to what to pray, so the guidelines below are just that – guidelines. When you hear each phrase, perhaps you will think of other questions to help you pray your prayers. The important thing is that you now have another tool in your toolkit with which to praise the Lord.

So here we go.

*Our Father**

What does it mean to you to know that there is a Father in heaven who has perfect love for you? Thank Him for being your heavenly Father and providing all good gifts to you.

in heaven

Do you know that He has prepared a place in heaven for all those who believe? Picture in your mind what heaven will look like – the Bible gives us clues. What words would you use to describe heaven? What will it be like there? Thank Him that you will have a forever home in heaven.

Hallowed be Your Name

Another way of saying “hallowed” is “holy”. Proclaim out loud that God is holy. Think of other words that describe God, and speak them out. Think about all the names He is known by, and speak those out too. Praise Him for who He is.

Your kingdom come

What does this phrase mean to you? Paraphrase it in your own words and thank Him that we have so much to look forward to with His coming kingdom!

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven

Praise God that He is sovereign in heaven and on the earth. Thank Him that your life is in His hands and that He has a purpose and a plan just for you. Thank Him even if you are currently in difficult circumstances.

Give us today our daily bread

Thank Him for His provision. Ask Him to forgive you for the times that you have not trusted Him to take care of you. Thank Him for sending His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins so that we could live in eternity with Him.

And forgive us our debts

Thank Him, that despite the fact that we will never be able to pay back the incredible debt we owe Him, He has wiped out our debts and our sin to join Him in our forever home.

As we have also forgiven our debtors

Ask God to help you forgive others who have hurt you. Ask Him to grant you grace and mercy in your interactions with others.

And lead us not into temptation

Thank Him that He provides a way for us to resist the things that tempt us to sin. Thank Him for leading us in the way we should go. Ask for forgiveness for those times when you have given into sin.

But deliver us from the evil one.

Thank God that He protects us at all times. Ask Him to help you to become more like Him every day.

In those times when you may lack words, your prayers can now become meaningful, even prolific! This strategy will yield different prayers depending on what you are going through at any given time. For that reason, this process will always remain “fresh”.

Happy prayer time!

Sally

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Sally Meadows is a singer/songwriter and freelance writer from Saskatchewan, Canada. In addition to being a two-time national award nominated singer/songwriter (for her CDs “Red & White” and “Turn the Page”), Sally’s first two short stories in two separate anthologies (“Chicken Soup for the Soul: Christmas in Canada” and “Organized Obstacles: An Underdog Anthology”) were released this fall (October 14, 2014).

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To connect with Sally, please go to:

Website: http://sallymeadows.com

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Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @SallyMeadows