17th. July. 2020. Daily Devotion
This, then, is how you should pray:
‘“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one”
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Matthew 6:9-15
The Lord’s Prayer is not primarily a child’s prayer, or a prayer to convert nonbelievers, or a family prayer. It is primarily a prayer for the devout, for those who have been reborn in Christ. In other words, it can only be effectively prayed by those who understand what they are saying, both in their mind and in their heart. It is densely worded and, in several spots, difficult to understand fully.
The prayer has three parts. The first deals with God Himself and our wish to be united with Him in proper relationship. The second is intercessory, for our own needs to be met, and itself has three subparts. If you examine them closely, you will notice that each seems to invoke a different person of God. Our daily bread, implicating the earth and its creation, speaks to the Father, the Creator; our forgiveness, to the Son; our resisting temptation, to the Holy Spirit.
The last section also divides into thirds, each addressing a different aspect of God’s greatness: God as King, that is, the maker of laws and the judge of all persons; God as Creator, by whose will all thing were made and are sustained; and God the object of our adoration, the God who is worthy of praise above all else in the world.
In the short footnote Christ references and reiterates the difficult teaching earlier: “love your enemies, bless those who curse you . . .”
The men who have done the most for God in this world have been early on their knees. He who fritters away the early morning, its opportunity and freshness, in other pursuits than seeking God will make poor headway seeking Him the rest of the day. If God is not first in our thoughts and efforts in the morning, He will be in the last place the remainder of the day.
~ E.M. Bounds.
Prayer for the Morning
Father, as I face this new day, let me be aware of the work you have done for me as I slept. I praise you that your loving care never ceases but has been with me while I was least aware of it; and that you renew me and the whole world, fresh every day, preparing your plans for me.
I pray that I may seek your will this day, your plan for my life, and carry out your plan in my every action. I lay my hopes and fears on an altar before you, that your Holy Spirit may guide my hopes toward the light of your holiness, and may quiet my fears with the knowledge of your infinite peace, in total confidence that your grace will save me from the evils of this world. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
For God’s Peace
Drop thy still dews of quietness till all our strivings cease,
Take from our souls the strain and stress and let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of thy peace.
Amen.
~ J. G. Whittier.
Coronavirus Prayers
God of compassion,
be close to those who are ill, afraid or in isolation.
In their loneliness, be their consolation;
in their anxiety, be their hope;
in their darkness, be their light;
through him who suffered alone on the cross,
but reigns with you in glory,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For those who are ill
Merciful God,
we entrust to your tender care
those who are ill or in pain,
knowing that whenever danger threatens
your everlasting arms are there to hold them safe.
Comfort and heal them,
and restore them to health and strength;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
