SAMANTHA ELLEY reflects on the Lord’s Prayer as a template for our daily relationship with God…
Northern Rivers, New South Wales, Australia
PICTURE: Kate Remmer/Unsplash
“This, then, is how you should pray:
‘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'” – Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV)
For the past two-and-a-half years I have been following a menu plan that has helped me not just lose my menopausal weight, but also have more energy and fitness throughout the day.
It’s a diet based on low amounts of carbohydrates with higher amounts of protein and small amounts of the good fats.
“There are so many ways that we can praise and honour Him. Some may sing it, others may speak it, others may just sit quietly. But we all honour Him.”
Each day I am emailed a daily schedule of what to eat for breakfast, mid-morning, lunch, mid-afternoon and dinner. While not always eating exactly what’s on the menu, it has given me a rough idea of what foods to include and tailoring it to my likes and food prepping abilities.
In a strange way, this is how I see the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus, in response to a question, starts with telling people, ‘here is the outline of how you should talk to God’.
For breakfast, often the suggestion is eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes and asparagus. I don’t like cooked tomatoes, so replace that with baby spinach.
In the outline of how to pray, Jesus said we should start with praising God. How that looks for each of us will always be considerably different.
“Our Father…Dear Dad…Holy Lord…”
There are so many ways that we can praise and honour Him. Some may sing it, others may speak it, others may just sit quietly. But we all honour Him.
When we ask for His will to be done on Earth as it is in Heaven, we are petitioning in so many ways for the people and circumstances that surround our lives. The bottom line is, we all want to see God working in the lives of those we care about and those whose paths we cross.
How we receive our daily bread, and the sins we have committed that need forgiving, are as varied as the weeds in my garden. But each of us has the same need to be fed and forgiven. How that will look as we pray to God will take on a personal tone, but God still receives it.
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Dinner on my menu plan will always contain meat, but there are also vegetarian and vegan options for those who choose that diet. I just can’t go past a juicy steak, crispy salmon or flavoursome chicken. Others just love their tofu.
There are,, of course, the bad foods that are hard to say no to. Mine is bread, chocolate, wine and a creamy cheesecake.
Each of us has our own temptations and again, this will look different for everyone.
The point is, just as my menu plan gives a backbone outline of what to eat to stay healthy, the Lord’s Prayer is the outline that helps us cover all aspects of what to chat to God about on a daily (perhaps more frequent) basis.
