He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom comes. Give us each day our daily bread.’” vss. 3-4
Luke 11:1-4
The disciples had observed that prayer was an important part of each day for Jesus. Most of the time he did it in private early in the morning, but sometimes they could see what he was doing–and they were curious. John had taught his disciples to pray but so far Jesus hadn’t given them any instructions. When they ask, he gives them a few simple lines, which we have come to call The Lord’s Prayer. Obviously, Jesus didn’t limit his prayers, but the disciples were right in considering these petitions important. The introduction is like the password we use in connecting to our computers, not that we must get it exactly right or use all caps. We just use the name we’ve chosen, e.g. Jesus, Lord, Father, Christ, Mother. But the name is what connects us to the Divine and that sets this time apart as holy. And the first thing we say is, “Your kingdom come.” Wow! Here we are praying that the Peaceable Kingdom would become a reality in our world, and that all could experience it. And then we ask for daily bread, not just the food we eat, but all we need for daily living. It’s not that we don’t get it if we don’t ask, but in this petition, we recognize that all good things do indeed come from God.
Thought for the Day: Why do I need a password to pray?
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