Pastoral Reflection for Thursday, April 9th
Part 1 of a two part series reflecting on the Lord's Prayer.
“Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as is it is heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” Matthew Chap 6v 9-13
Prayer is at the very centre of our Christian lives, and along with the reading of His Word, is the most wonderful privilege God has given to us. Jesus has a lot to say to us regarding prayer; both by example and exhortation. In Matthew Chapter 6, before He gives us a great example of prayer, in what has become known as the ‘Lord’s prayer’, He emphasises the importance of getting alone with God. Secret prayer should be part of our lives. Of course we should pray with others, but being alone with God in prayer is essential for our own spiritual health, and the good of the church and society at large. Private secret prayer is at the heart of what we become as Christians. Our spiritual growth is largely determined by the amount of time you spend alone with the Lord. All the great giants of faith in the Bible were men and women who spent a lot of time in the presence of the Lord. The expression, “You get like those you live with,” can equally be applied to our quiet times in the presence of the Lord. The more time we spend with Him the more like Him we become. When Moses spent a long period on top of the mountain alone with the Lord, His face shone so brightly when he returned that he had to cover his face with a veil when speaking to the Israelites.
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