Verse of the Day 3/26

Verse of the Day 3/26

Matthew 6:9-10 Pray then like this:

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

In the middle of "The Sermon on the Mount" in Matthew 5-7, Jesus gives His disciples and the audience the model prayer, it is timeless, it is repeated word for word every day all over the world.  It is a model prayer that doesn't need to be offered word for word, but the format and content are a good model for our prayers.  I like the way The Message starts the passage in verse 7 ""The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant."  Most of us would heartily agree with this statement about the world but how would we look at our own prayers?

There are many "keys" in this prayer, it begins with "our Father", He is Lord, He is in control, and He is the One that we need to come to with our prayers.  He is to be revered, respected, and trusted.   Our prayers are for His kingdom to be established here in our world and more importantly, in our hearts.  It begins with the knowledge and understanding that our lives and our hearts need to be aligned with His, "Your will be done" is at the core.  How common is that in our prayers.

I heard a prayer that was given by an Christian athlete.  He stepped forward and said, "Your will Lord, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else", then he sat down.  What more needed to be said?

James MacDonald gives a good example of how "Your will be done" would be reflected in our lives, he writes:

"The ultimate test of lordship is not the crisis of your deciding that you believe, but the process of submitting your will to His at the point of pressure—the place where you and He disagree on what to choose. Whose will wins: yours or His? "Jesus is Lord" is chosen in a dozen daily decisions, each one taking your life to a better place.

If I were in charge, I would do __________ with my life. But Jesus is Lord, so I choose His plan for my life.

If I were in charge, I would do __________ with my finances. But Jesus is Lord, so I choose to give, save, and spend according to His priorities.

If I were in charge, I would do __________ right now in my marriage, but I'm not in charge. He is Lord, and I will do what His Word says.

If I were in charge, I'd storm into work and tell my boss __________. But Jesus Christ is Lord, and as His representative, I'll only say what my Master wants me to say. "

May we be reminded today in our prayers and in our lives of just who is in charge, may we be able to pray, "Your will Lord, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else" Amen

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

Matthew 6:9-13The Message (MSG)

^7-13 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.