Today, I thank God for His presence. I had been sitting in the last row of the church, thinking about how God has designed the church so that we can come together and encourage each other. To be honest, I was half-engaged in the service. My mind kept wandering off. I prayed God help me focus. A few amens and there I go again somewhere in my own thoughts. Do you ever have those days?
As the service was coming to an end, this wonderful lady asked me to pray for her knee. I told her, of course, especially since I had been contemplating the scripture: Pray ye one for another (James 5:16), I could not deny the opportunity! I confess I marvel at those who can pray beautiful prayers. I am not one! But I live by the principle “enter his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise! My stepmother walked us, as teenagers, through the Lord’s Prayer, explaining that it is a model for prayer, not a word-for-word recitation. When Jesus said “9 After this manner therefore pray ye:
Our Father which art in heaven, (This line clarifies whom we pray to)
Hallowed be thy name. (Hallowed set a part and holy is his name, so we start with praise! To our holy Father. Plus, Psalm 100:4 states, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name”.
Verse 10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.( above any desire we follow the example of Jesus and submit to God’s will above our own, no matter how hard that may be. Jesus prayed so hard that there were drops of blood on his brow when faced with his own death. He cried if there is any other way but not my will, but thine be done! (This line was never so true for me than the day my sister died of cancer, and it was my husband walking me through this very prayer because my emotions and pain were not allowing me to pray)
11 Give us today our daily bread. ( We serve a good father who is mindful of our needs, just read Mathew chapter 10! Never be afraid to ask, then know God will always do what is best for you! Because he is a good father!
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. (God never lets us forget we are not an island. Our lives send ripples throughout the lives of others. How can we expect compassion and not give compassion? The greatest commandment and most important is that you love God with everything, but the second most important is to love others!
13 And lead us not to temptation but deliver us from evil: (life is so much more than we can see, there is a spiritual battle that must be fought! We can never accomplish this by ourselves; we need our Father’s wisdom and direction!
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. (Then we end with Praise, I believe, to be one of our greatest weapons in this spiritual war! Let us Loudly Adore our father Until the day we Die.
So, there I was, nobody special, but I love my sister in Christ, and I would never refuse to pray for anyone. As I began to walk through the door of praise into my prayer, Jesus met us there. As I prayed, I listened to my friend weep before the lord. I just praised God because he was doing what needed to be done. It is never about who we are but who he is! Lord of Lord!! King of Kings!! The Maker of heaven and earth!! And chose to die for us to come home and live with him. We are not mistakes, we are his chosen children, and he is a Good Good FATHER!!
Written for the glory of God by Angela Dollar, post 26
Keywords: prayer, praise, presences
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