Sunday 26th May
Read Matthew 6:9-13
“This, then, is how you should pray:
‘“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.” (NIVUK)
The three prayers that follow from the acknowledgement that God is King focus on our three greatest needs. The first, bread, asks for physical needs to be met. The second, forgiveness, seeks to assuage our spiritual needs. The third, deliverance, addresses our moral needs. Together they capture everything we need to live a godly life. We acknowledge our dependence on God for all our physical, spiritual and moral needs.
It is a strikingly Aramaic request to describe our sins as debts. An echo of the language in which Jesus taught. Our sins stand against us, creating something we must repay in some way. Yet when we repent and acknowledge our sin, God is gracious and will forgive them. John likely heard this prayer taught by Jesus and the implicit confession held therein. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) (NIVUK)
The early Christians, three times a day, confessed their sins and called upon the grace of God for forgiveness. Constantly calling upon divine mercy therefore builds within us merciful hearts.
