Making sense of The Lord's Prayer | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Making sense of The Lord's Prayer | Previous Challenge Entry
By vincent lyons
07/31/08
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“What are you doing?”
“I’m trying to pray”
Each night while lying on my bed I attempted to say the Lord’s Prayer and make sense of it. I remember that night in particular and my wife asking me this question. With the benefit of hindsight I believe the Lord was working to draw me to Himself, even though I was unaware.
“Our Father, Who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name”
Already my mind had wandered to football matches and friends and all the things I delighted in. How many times I found myself on the golf-course, playing a lofted wedge or sinking a twenty foot putt to win the Saturday competition. By the time I got to “Amen” I was a fair way from any communication with God.
I started over again, concentrating with my entire mind, but again never got any further than the first couple of words when my mind had wandered off to distant places and people.
“You’ll get to Heaven and I won’t,” my wife interrupted my wanderings.
I remember thinking that I couldn’t seem to get my prayers past the ceiling, so how could I ever make it to Heaven?
Was a lack of concentration my problem?
The short answer is yes.
Yet I am convinced that God in His mercy heard my feeble attempts and in time answered me, because within the following year I had come to saving faith in Jesus and my dear wife followed shortly afterwards.
He has healed my concentration problem. Now by His Spirit living in me, my mind is being renewed daily and with it my ability to dwell on God and His Word.
I now realize that because I was then by nature estranged from God and incapable of knowing Him I could do nothing of myself to reach Him. How great is His mercy, that in spite of my waywardness He reached down and answered me.

Now God is my Father,
He has brought Heaven to me.
Blessed be His great Name.
I rejoice in the prospect of Christ’s coming Kingdom.
One day all the earth will see His righteous rule as Heaven does now.
His Word is food for my soul and He provides for all my needs.
Through Christ, all my sins are forgiven.
God desires that I am merciful to others, pointing them to the Saviour.
Only Christ can keep me from stumbling. He lives in me and is greater than all.
All of God’s purposes find their fulfillment in Christ.
To Him are glory, honour and praise for ever.
Amen.

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