The Lord's Model--The Lord's Prayer

After this manner therefore pray:
Our Father which are in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done in earth,
as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power,
and the glory,for ever
Amen.
-Matthew 6:9-13

Many of us have, at one time or another, memorized this prayer that Jesus taught His disciples. At least most of us have heard it recited or read in some media.

For many, it has become a meaningless recitation of words, rather than the powerful prayer it is. The beauty of the prayer is not disputed. Most will acknowledge it lifts up and comforts those who pray it from their hearts as well as their memories.

However, Jesus taught this prayer, not as the end all for prayer, but also as an example to follow.“After this manner therefore pray,” He said. He meant this prayer to be a model for our ongoing conversations with God. So how do we pray?

First, we start by addressing our Heavenly Father with respect and reverence, and to praise Him for who He is.

Second, we are to indicate our willingness to do as God directs. (Why bother asking if we plan to ignore His guidance and do things our way anyway?)

Third, we need to honestly share our needs and desires with God. This includes our hurts, feelings, good or bad, and even our disappointment of, or questions to Him. (Share what is on your heart and mind. Don’t worry, He knows what you’re thinking anyway.)

Fourth, we need to make certain our hearts and lives are right before God. (Again, He already knows, but wants us to acknowledge our bad choices, thoughts, behavior to ourselves and Him. Reality check.) Here we humble ourselves with confession (admission of) and repentance (turning away) from things we know are not right in our lives and relationships.

Fifth, we live in a world growing more dangerous. When praying, we need to ask God’s safety and protection over ourselves, our families and others on a daily, sometimes moment-to-moment basis. Prayers for wisdom and healing also fit this pattern.

Finally, prayer is more than making demands. Prayer is also about gratitude, praise and giving thanks for what God has done in our lives, is doing and will do in the future.

The end of prayer is the beginning of leaving things in God’s hands and trusting Him for the results. Sometimes we need to ask God to help us do that as well.

Help me, Lord, pray with a willing heart and mind, not just when things are going badly, but daily and even throughout the day. Help me realize prayer is my direct line to Your help and to my relationship with You and to access it often. Help me also pray with the full expectation that You can and will answer, though, sometimes, not in the way I may expect. That’s OK, too. Amen.

Meditations:
Monday: Proverbs 15:8, 29; 16:3
Tuesday: Psalms 70
Wednesday: Ephesians 6:18; 3:14-21
Thursday: Philippians 4:4-9
Friday: Romans 12:9-21
Saturday: I Thessalonians 5:12-28

(C) 2018, 2022 Carolyn R Scheidies

From Listen! Who Me?
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Poetry His Special Gift

Photo by Jess Bailey on Unsplash

It’s all a gift, all that I have
However I strive to earn or get
If I am honest,
So much is not me at all
Some call it Good Fortune, Luck, Serendipity
Not willing to face the truth
Of a God interactive in time and space…and in our lives
Who loved enough to come and live and die,
Loved enough to sacrifice His life
For yours and mine and why?
That we might see our need and come to Him
Acknowledging what we hate to admit…our sin
We’ve goofed up more than lifted up
Hurt more than helped
We’d rather pretend self-confidence
Boasting of self-esteem on ephemeral things
Rather than basic truth—God exists
He loves us
He died for rebellion, mistakes and sin,
He conquered death, that you and I might live
Asks in exchange for comfort, peace and hope,
My trust, my will—so hard to give up,
But as I choose to do just that,
My Savior Jesus Christ
Turns luck into blessings,
Pain into promise,
And fortune into a sure future with Him
For Jesus offers forgiveness and salvation
Fills our hearts with compassion and caring,
And the realization that it isn’t my striving,
But His love that rescues me—freely given
All a gift
Because of His love.
I bow.
(C) 2021 Carolyn R Scheidies
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Devotion Staying on Track—Don’t Be Misled

Satan doesn't care how He gets God's people off track as long as he does so. One way he trips us up is to get us entangled with details of life and faith that take time and energy, but that leads others away rather than to Christ, divides rather than unifies, and makes us more concerned with format and legalism than a living relationship with and faith in Jesus.

Timothy 1:3c-5 ...charge some that they teach no other doctrine, Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. Now the end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of true faith:

We need to be wise to Satan's tricks, and always, always realize we are saved by God's gift of grace not by works which we do. It's about allowing Jesus Lordship in our lives, not about earning our way. About following Him, not “me.”

I Timothy 1:15 (KJV) This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

(c) 2016, 2020 Carolyn R Scheidies
From First I Bow
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Poetry Loving Lord, Living Faith

Because He lives...Christ Jesus gives
me love and life
hope and peace
not only for today
and tomorrow, but also,
for all eternity.

(c) 2020 Carolyn R Scheidies
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Devotion Live Brave and Bold

For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Do not therefore be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be a partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;... --II Timothy 1:7-8

Want to be brave and bold? Ask Jesus to take control. There is no fear in love, because God is love. So, when we fear, we're trusting, depending upon ourselves, our experiences, our rationalizations, our intellect and not on Christ or His power within.

Help me, Jesus, stand against fear and chose to trust You and connect with you--even if I do so one baby step at a time.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. —Philippians 4:6-7 NASB

(c) 2017 Carolyn R Scheidies
From The God Connection

Blog Liar, lunatic or Lord

Easter eggs proclaim new birth, spring heralds a new beginning, but what we all need is not just a celebration, but hope. Easter is about hope, about truth, about love—about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the embodiment of hope, of truth, and most of all of love.

The story is simple yet profound. Because we as God’s creation keep making a mess of our lives, often determined to “do out own thing” even when it leaves us empty and unfulfilled, God made a way for us to have a new beginning.

When the time was right, he sent his son Jesus into the world as a baby—this is Christmas—to experience everything we experience. There was one difference, unlike the rest of us, Jesus chose to always do those things that were good and right. He shared a message of hope, love and forgiveness. He healed the sick, even raised the dead, showing that He was exactly who he proclaimed he was—God.

That was too much for certain leaders in his day. They demanded Jesus’ death, a death that had been foretold hundreds of years earlier. Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection fulfilled so many prophecies; the odds that anyone could have faked the fulfillment are astronomical.

Many believe Jesus is a good man, but not God. Yet, we have three options. Either he was a liar, a lunatic or, exactly what he claimed, Lord. A good man would not try to deceive people by saying, “"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 NIV That would make him a liar.

He could have been a lunatic, except his message was simple and clear. He said he had the answer to people’s need for acceptance, forgiveness and hope. He died for his belief. If he deceived himself as well as others, he was tragic, but certainly not worthy of our admiration.

If he was neither a lunatic nor a liar, we have one choice. Jesus was who he said he was, God. We’ve all done those things for which we’re ashamed and for which we deserve punishment. Because he had done no wrong, Jesus was able to do what no one else could do, take on himself the punishment we deserve for the wrongs we’ve done. He died for our wrongs, but more, he rose again, conquering death and hell and sin. Because he lives Jesus can offer us hope. All we need do is to recognize we can’t make it on our own and accept his offer of forgiveness, a new start, a new life with Christ as our friend, our savior, our guide.

Jesus said it best. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29

May you come to know and follow Jesus this Easter.

© 2004, 2020 Carolyn R. ScheidiesFeel free to share