Thursday 30th 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)
Finally it is worth praying this prayer with an open mind. For many, many years in the West we have downplayed the spiritual realities opposed to us in the world. What we see is what we have to deal with. Jesus teaches us to pray for deliverance from the evil one, from evil personified – without and within. It is not a token prayer. The danger is real. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) (NIVUK).
The prayer encourages us to ask God to meet our physical needs (food), our spiritual needs (forgiveness) and our moral needs (freedom from the devil). All of them are important. Shutting our eyes to the unseen doesn’t diminish them, just like hiding under the covers never makes the monster in the corner of your room go away! The only true place of safety is in regular reliance on the One who has the power to meet all of our needs, even the ones we don’t acknowledge fully.
