Received: 2025-03-03 18:42:27

Praying that if it is God's will that I can be placed at a hospital in my home town for my next practicum coming in May, as well that it can be during the weekdays and not on a weekend. This will help to reduce a lot of stress, allow me to still work during the weekends, and save money, which I don't have a lot of right now. I pray all of this in Jesus's mighty name and know that with him anything is possible and worthy of bringing to him.

I want to invite you to pray with me right now. The Lord’s Prayer is familiar to lots of us. Maybe the one downside to memorizing scripture is that the words can become so familiar, we kind of ‘check out’ even as we’re saying them. Try not to do that; try to say these words as if you’re hearing them for the first time. Wherever you are right now, pray this out loud (or out quietly) with me:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. 

(Mt. 6:9-13 NIV)

Have you ever noticed there is no “me” or “I” in that prayer? So often our prayers are consumed with our own individual needs and lives. But when Jesus teaches us how to pray, it’s not “I, me, my” but “we, us, our.” It’s not “my Father” – it’s “our” Father. That tiny kickoff phrase establishes us as siblings, in this together, called to belong to one another, to pray for one another. So I don’t just pray that I would have my daily bread, but that we would. That all the needs in the community would be met. And “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” is a communal prayer, as much as it’s a personal one. So I’m praying for friends in the family who aren’t on speaking terms, for broken marriages, and betrayed trust, and grudges being held. Through prayer I get involved in the healing of all wounds and relationships in the community.

So let’s pray it again, this time more consciously from that “we” perspective. Hold in your mind the people close to you (friends, family, church community) as you pray – for “us”.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

(Mt. 6:9-13 NIV)

And finally, let’s pray it one more time, with our perspective widened even further. You don’t have to look very far – these days – to see a broken world in desperate need of the loving care of God. As you pray this time, hold that “we” in your heart, the one beyond even your immediate contacts and relationships. Pray for the world that we are a part of, together.

Guided Prayer
The Lord's Prayer | A Prayer for "Us"

Ready for what's next?

Activities
Gratitude #2

Today we want to engage in the practice of Gratitude. And to do this, you’ll need a physical piece of paper – and something to write with. In our day-to-day lives, it can be easy to focus on whatever feels like it isn’t going the way we want, and slip often into grumbling and complaining. And that behavior can have a very negative impact on our emotional and even physical well-being. 

Guided Prayer
Love Languages: Quality Time

Awhile back, a popular author categorized some of the ways we express and receive love into five different ‘love languages.’ But have you ever thought about the ways that God loves us? 

Reflection
Specific Prayers in Specific Places

I want you to take a minute right now to look away from this screen, to whatever is around you. Inside, outside, alone or with other people doesn’t matter. Where are you right now, and what do you notice about the physical space around you?