Devotion:
Read Matthew 6:9-15.
This week we have been focused on the prayer Jesus taught his disciples to pray. It is known as “The Lord’s Prayer” but I have often wondered why we do not call it “The Disciples’ Prayer.” It is a great model for how to pray. It includes praise and adoration to God and expresses a desire to see God’s way being lived by people here on earth as in heaven. There is expression of needs, but focused on one day at a time. It guides us to seek forgiveness, but connects it to our own need to forgive others as well. (Follow-up statements by Jesus reinforce the importance of this connection.) And it acknowledges our dependence on God, without whom we will be devoured by the evil one who rules this world.
However, this is not only a model for how to pray. It is a model for how to live. Your prayer life should be a reflection of how you live your life, and vice versa. In our worship times together, I often say (or pray) that we are not just to worship God in the church building (or other setting), but that the way we live our lives is to be worship of God as well. That also applies to your prayer life. Let your prayer life be an open-ended, regular conversation with God as you go through life each day. The prayer Jesus teaches here can be just as much a model for how to live each day.
Personal Worship Option:
As you pray through “The Lord’s Prayer” think about how you might apply each line to your daily life.
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