Verse of the Day 1/15

 

Matthew 6:9-10   Pray then like this:

"Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.^[a]
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,^[b]
    on earth as it is in heaven.  English Standard Version (ESV)

 

Continuing on in the Sermon on the Mount we come to some of the most familiar and the most quoted words in the Bible.  Today's verses are the beginning of the Lord's Prayer.  Jesus is teaching the disciples, his followers how to pray.  The prayer is commonly stated as a liturgy but it is much more than that, it is a model for us.  It is brief, simple, reverent and yet comprehensive and profound.  Prayed in earnestness it will reveal the state of the heart.

 

There are six petitions within the prayer, three of them towards God and three toward basic human needs.  The focus is on God, His sovereignty over our lives, and submitting to His will.

 

There are other simple three word prayers that can be said in the same kind of way.  Help me Lord!  Save me Lord! and Change me Lord! They reveal that we are not in charge of our lives, they recognize our need of Him and they reveal our faith, hope and trust in Him.

 

When we pray today, whatever we pray, may we hold it up to this model prayer.  May our hearts be in the same place whether reading the Lord's prayer directly or if it is one of those simple three word prayers said from the heart.

 

Our Father in heaven, reveal who you are, set our hearts right, do what's best!   (from The Message).

 

Blessings,
Mike
Follow the verse of the day at http://www.mikesvotd.blogspot.com/

Matthew 6:9-13

The Message (MSG)

^7-13 "The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:

Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what's best—
    as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You're in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You're ablaze in beauty!
    Yes. Yes. Yes.