It was late afternoon on Tuesday as the clouds rolled in and the temperature began to drop. I refused to believe we were in for yet another snowstorm in Colorado. It had been a beautiful spring day on Monday with temperatures near 70 degrees. Now the thermometer was dropping quickly and a chill was running down my spine. It wasn’t that I was so cold, but I could feel the cloud of worry settling in over me.

We had enjoyed a wonderful spring break visit from my mom who lives in Arizona. It was hard to see such a great time come to an end. As we dropped her off at the airport I silently prayed for God to keep the storm at bay until my mom’s flight safely took off. But that was not to be.

As is so typical here in Colorado, this storm came in with a vengeance. At 5:30 it was 42 degrees and lightly snowing and by 6:30 it was 31 degrees and we had three inches on the ground. Then the phone call came. I could sense the uneasiness in my mom’s voice. Her flight was delayed an hour.

As the heavy snow piled up outside, and the crawl came across the television announcing flights were being canceled at the airport, I sent up more prayers: safety for the passengers, Godly wisdom for the pilot, and God’s favor over this situation. I gathered my family and we prayed for Mom/Grandma and recited what I like to call the “worry” scriptures.

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” Luke 12:25 – 26

Good point.

“Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!” Luke 12:27 – 28

Are you saying I have no faith, God?

If He had spoken audibly to me in that moment, I believe He would have said, “Yes Child, that is exactly what I’m saying.” Here I was wallowing in my own fears, doubting the very one who holds the universe in His hands.

Upon that conviction from the Holy Spirit, my prayers changed. I confessed my sin of worry. I started praising God for who He was and thanking Him for His protection over my mom and her flight. Almost at peace about the situation, I read a little further in Luke chapter 12.

“But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.” Luke 12:31

You see I was laboring and spinning in my mind. I was trying to fix the situation, but all God called me to do was seek Him, rest in Him, and have faith in Him. Once I did, the worry lessened and my thoughts became clear again.

Four and one-half hours later, five de-icing attempts, and many phone calls back and forth, my mom was safely en-route to Phoenix.

Thank you God for giving our family this precious gift of protection over my mom. And thank you for giving me this much needed lesson on the foolishness of worry!

As a young child, I had to stand up each week and recite a short paragraph in front of 100 people.  Well, maybe not in front of.  With.  Everyone said it with me.  But I always felt like people were listening to me, eager to know if I’d correctly say the large words that made no sense to me.  It was a weekly exam with the strictest of teachers:  God.  I kept waiting for lightning to strike if I didn’t say the Lord’s prayer properly.  To this day, it still makes me nervous to say it out loud, pulling at the strings of this type-A personality.

Reading through Luke 11 this week made me see how far my perception of the Lord’s prayer is from what it was intended for.  It is the beautiful response to a humble question: “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11: 1).  We have the privilege of leaning in and eavesdropping as the Teacher demonstrated one form of talking to the Father.

Father,

a gentle reminder that I’m not addressing a genie in a bottle or someone so far off that he has  no concern for me.  Instead, I get to place myself in my Father’s caring arms

hallowed be your name,

Your name is holy.  You are holy. 

   your kingdom come.

There is a very real battle between good and evil, God and Satan. 

³Give us each day our daily bread.

I wear myself thin, putting away for retirement, college and more, thinking I’m somehow the reason ends meet.  This one currently hits below the belt as I’m reminded it is God who provides for me.
⁴Forgive us our sins,

Plural, yes.  My many sins, the so many ways I go against your will.

      for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.

I readily long for forgiveness, but to give it?  Please Lord, help me release my hurts, disappointments and pains to you.

   And lead us not into temptation.’

Be the light unto my path and keep me from the places where I shouldn’t go.

Lord, teach us to pray.