“I used to think the Lord's Prayer was a short prayer; but as I live longer, and see more of life, I begin to believe there is no such thing as getting through it. If a man, in praying that prayer, were to be stopped by every word until he had thoroughly prayed it, it would take him a lifetime.”
Henry Ward Beecher
This Sunday, Billy kicked off our series, Pray Like This, by looking at one of the most famous prayers in the world, straight from the mouth of Jesus Christ himself: the Lord’s Prayer.
With it being such a well-known prayer, however, it has also become a bit… cliche. I remember years of reciting the Our Father in the Catholic church in my youth, never reflecting on the words but simply learning to recite them.
The truth is, if we stay at that surface level, we never have the chance to experience the richness that lies just beneath. The Lord’s Prayer is directly from Jesus! So, regardless if you are completely comfortable praying to God or have no clue where to start, there is a lot to learn by looking at the Lord’s Prayer!
Here is my challenge to you: take a few minutes each day for the next week and reflect on the Lord’s Prayer. Read it slowly. Then, read it again. Ask yourself, “What is standing out to me right now?” Is there a word or phrase that is sticking out? Or maybe there is a specific prayer within it that is standing out to you? Meditate on it.
Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven;
may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
Give us today the food we need,
and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.”
Matthew 6:9-13 NLT
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