FRIDAY JUNE 5 2020

JUNE 5 2020

Good morning friends,

In the early days after Pentecost, Acts 2:42 those who heard the gospel message,

“ ............devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread...........AND TO PRAYER”

I wonder how your prayer life in the midst of these changed days.

The corona virus has brought anxieties and grief to so many, and I know the news reports from America of the protests and violence following the death of George Floyd are causing me to feel dismayed, and it’s hard to know what to pray into such a volatile situation.

If you ever have days when you don’t know how to pray, then be comforted for you are in good company.

For there was a day when Jesus disciples asked him that very question; and Jesus, in turn, taught them to pray what we have come to call the Lord’s Prayer.

“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’ He said to them,

“When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.” (Luke 11:1-4)

We know these words so well, having said them over and over through the years.

Beginning with the disciples this simple and short prayer has encouraged, comforted, and challenged believers and non-believers throughout the ages. It has been recited in churches, catacombs, battle fields, school rooms, hospitals, prisons, homes, in public and in private.

Down the centuries the Lord’s Prayer has been faithfully spoken, sung, chanted, signed and translated from the original Aramaic into thousands of languages.

However we translate it, when we pray the prayer that Jesus taught, we ask that God will do the seemingly impossible – make the ordinary holy, make the reign of divine justice and peace a reality, lift up the voices of the oppressed, provide whatever is needed in the moment, forgive those who need to be forgiven (including ourselves), and save us all from the time of trial and temptation.

With each passing day in lockdown, my prayer life becomes increasingly important to my spiritual well being. For sure I am missing the 9am prayer meetings that formed the daily balance of life here, but I know that even though we are apart just now, the prayers of the fellowship continue, each person praying in their own wee corner.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 we read “Pray without ceasing.”

This morning, I encourage you to “pray without ceasing.” And when you’re not sure how or what to pray, I suggest you try the Lord’s Prayer. It comes from the lips of the Saviour, and is perfect.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 we read “Pray without ceasing.”

This morning, I encourage you to “pray without ceasing.” And when you’re not sure how or what to pray, I suggest you try the Lord’s Prayer. It comes from the lips of the Saviour, and is perfect.