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.