New Wine - Day 25

Matthew 6:9-13  “9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.  10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.  11 Give us this day our daily bread.  12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.  13 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.”

"Lord, teach us to pray." This is what Jesus' disciples asked Him when they wanted to learn how to pray like Him. They knew He knew how to pray like no one they ever knew before. Who else better to teach them how to pray. As disciples of Jesus in this current day, post-modern area, we too want to learn from Jesus how to pray.
 
Today we will be 'marinating' ourselves in what is know as The Lord's Prayer.  Some of us may be very familiar with this prayer and might even have it memorized.  It is a prayer I enjoy praying and contemplating several times a week.  I like to, slowly, pray and contemplate the phrases in this prayer before I get out of bed in the morning.  This discipline, if you will, invites me to make God, His Kingdom, grace, and new mercies my first thought and desire during my first waking moments of each day.  When praying this prayer slowly and allowing one's self to pause after each phrase, it also gives opportunity to listen to what God says back or through His Word/Prayer.

I've written previously about God's Kingdom now and to come, and in this prayer Jesus teaches us to pray, we see His desire for His Kingdom to come now and not only when He returns in person.  Jesus said, "The Kingdom of God is within you."  It is within us because it is in our heart, mind, and will that we allow God to reign or not.  God's desire, as seen in the life and teachings of Jesus, is for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven. This is God's desire and will for us, "on earth as in Heaven." And the way this happens is through a relationship with Jesus as His beloved sons, daughters, and apprentices . . . disciples.

JOURNAL

1. In this very moment, enjoy praying the prayer Jesus teaches us to pray.  Pray it slowly and in an unhurried manner.
2. What are you noticing as you pray this prayer slowly and unhurried?
3. If you have not memorized this prayer, consider memorizing it beginning today and take time to pause every morning at some point to linger in this amazing prayer Jesus teaches us to pray.