Lord”s prayer

Prayer Lessons – Day 3

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Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Matthew 6:11 KJV

Imported from phone 248

Going for walks around the neighborhood with our grandchildren is one of the highlights of our visits with them. Whether we are examining leaves together or stopping at the corner store for ice cream; what matters is that we are doing it together.  Praying for daily bread and forgiveness is just the same. Though they appear to be totally unrelated items they are both part of our daily walk around the neighborhood with Jesus.  P1040060

When we are praying for daily bread we are simply showing our Heavenly Father that we are depending on Him even for the simplest of matters. Then when we stumble and fall down while we are with Him we can immediately turn and ask forgiveness. He is willing to freely give but He also reminds us that forgiveness given comes with His gracious expectation that we learn to be forgiving as well. Through each line of this prayer Jesus wants us to know that our relationship to Him is what matters most. Whether we need daily bread or forgiveness of sins He wants us to trust in His care and discover the joy of an childlike dependence on Him.

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Prayer Lessons – Day One

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Prayer Lessons: Day One

Now Jesus was praying in a certain place and when He finished one of His disciples said to Him “ Lord teach us to pray… Luke 11:1 ESV

My step father was a concert clarinetist and when I was entering first grade he decided it was the perfect time for me to begin to learn to play. Lessons were every Saturday and I was expected to practice every day after school. Now I confess I never liked clarinet but the lessons taught me the discipline of music and later I fell in love with singing.

No one; not even my very strict step-dad expected me to just spontaneously begin playing one of Beethoven’s Symphonies for a while.

man performing on stage

Photo by Gabriel Santos Fotografia on Pexels.com

So why do we think that praying is any different? Jesus wasn’t angry that the disciples didn’t know how to pray. He welcomes us to ask Him to teach us and He began by teaching what we call The Lord’s Prayer.

Pray then like this: Our Father who is in heaven hallowed be your name. Matthew 6:9

Lesson one in prayer is that we can only begin as a child of God. Jesus didn’t tell us to pray to the creator of the earth; the king of heaven or the master of the universe. Jesus invited us to come as children. We must accept His invitation to join His family before we can pray as we should. And as a part of a family we say “Our Father” humbly accepting that we are a brother or sister to everyone who comes to Him by faith. Are you ready for your prayer lesson today?

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Things that are Seen

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If when Paul tells us that he chooses to live by focusing on things he cannot see it seems mysterious remember the prayer which Jesus taught us.

Our Father – the invisible God

Who is in heaven – an unseen place

May Your name be Holy- an unknowable purity

Your kingdom come – a government we don’t see yet

Your will be done – while all the world rejects its invisible laws

Give us this day our daily bread- His unforseen miraculous provision

Forgive us our trespasses- an unexpected mercy

Lead us not – a loving guidance

Deliver us from evil- an astonishing rescue

For Yours is the kingdom power and glory – just 3 of the limitless riches of our Father

Forever Amen- an unimaginable eternity!

Almost everything He taught us to pray for is invisible. The only two things we can see are our daily bread and our sin. How wonderful a Gift He has given when He became the living bread so He could take away our sins!