Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Luke 11:10 (NIV)
God Bless You – Teach Us How To Pray – Part 7
Go to PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5 | PART 6 | PART 7
OBSERVATIONS and REFLECTION:
The Lord's Prayer.
It isn’t just a lovely group of words for us to recite whenever we feel the urge or need to pray. They’re not empty words, a structure or form of a prayer.
The prayer Jesus taught his disciples wasn’t just one they could say, but a prayer they could live. A prayer that would take a lifetime to live into.
It spoke to oppressive political government and defied it's dominance.
It spoke truth to power about poverty and equality and priorities.
It spoke of a subversive Kingdom that builds down into lives, rather than up into skies.
It teaches us how to reach out to others and how to invite healing into our own lives.
It includes our brokenness and transcends it with grace.
Prayer is more than words.
The Lord's Prayer is recorded in both Matthew and Luke's book. It’s buffeted by different stories, but the prayer itself is almost identical between the two accounts. In Luke’s account, Jesus went on to say:
“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Luke 11:9-10 (NIV).
Prayer is asking, seeking and knocking, and then receiving, finding, and opening, and then asking, seeking and knocking… for as long as we have breath in our lungs and our blood in our veins.
Prayer is silent and contemplative. It's noisy and messy. It's vulnerable and honest. It’s music, and it's water. It's bread, and it's wine. Our lives are prayers: moments of Divine connection and exchange.
More than anything, you’ll know you’re praying because it heals you, it leads you to reconciliation with others, and it expands your capacity for God. It brings heaven to earth through you, here and now.
Not long ago, we attended a conference here in Australia called SPARC (check them out online). And a new friend of ours, Paul Nevison, shared a devastating story around the refugee crisis. It completely broke my heart. You can read about it here: www.paulnevison.com/dispatch/marhaba
He then shared this beautiful benediction, which I now share with you.
A FRANCISCAN BENEDICTION
May God bless you with a restless discomfort
About easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships,
So that you may seek truth boldly and love deeply within your heart.
May God bless you with holy anger
At injustice, oppression, and the exploitation of people,
So that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom, and peace among all peoples.
May God bless you with the gift of tears
To shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.
May God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you really can make a difference in this world,
So that you are able, with God's grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.
And may the grace and peace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
Be with you and remain with you from this day and forevermore
AMEN.
Your turn… Leave us your comments below
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