Devotional Messages

DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE

Luke 11:1 – He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” (NRSV)

A couple weeks ago, in the minutes right before I was about to turn out the light, I was struck with an urge to write a paraphrased version of the Lord’s Prayer.  So I did.  Then a couple days ago, it seemed that I should share it on Facebook, where people received it graciously.  Then it occurred to me that you might like to have it as well.  Here is what I wrote:

Our Loving God, alive in all places,
sacred is your mystery.
May all the universe become your realm.
May your will be manifest in all places.
Grant us what we need for each day,
and forgive us, even as you teach us to forgive.
Grant that we might not give into our fears,
but allow your truth to set us free.
For you are the Creator,
who animates all life,
and shines as the Light of the world,
forever and ever. Amen.

You are free to use this prayer as you are inspired to do so.  But here’s an even better idea: write your own! One of the best ways to connect with scripture is to put it into your own words.  And when the verses in question are a prayer, the experience can be even more powerful.

You know the structure of this prayer, by heart.  But sometimes, with this prayer we say every week, we can say the words without thinking too deeply about their meaning.  When you attempt to put it in your own words, you have to contemplate deeply what each of those phrases means to you.  Once you have some idea what it means to you, then you find the words that communicate that most effectively for the life you are living.

It's important to remember that one of the main lessons of the Lord’s Prayer is that we pray together.  That’s why it uses the words “we” and “us” instead of “I” and “me”.  So it’s vital to keep that communal aspect when you re-write it.  But don’t worry too much about making sure the words you choose would work for everyone. The important thing in this exercise is to re-shape the prayer Jesus gave us so that it best fits into your heart and helps you live God’s will with even more grace and confidence.

I would love to see your prayer if you write one!