Thank You Father
for calling us
ever more deeply
into the safety
of Your arms.

Thank You
for purifying
the disposition
of our hearts
to more closely resemble
Your own.

Thank You
for inviting us
into the truth,
onto the path
of infinite love.

Thank You
for teaching us
to forgive,
to surrender,
to trust in You
above all things.

Writing spiritual poetry is part of my own calling from God and an essential component of my personal faith journey through life. But when it comes to my own prayer life, I rely on the teachings of Christ Himself to light my path every step of the way. With my writing, I can only hope to do my part to glorify Jesus’s name and contribute to His divine work of victorious love, bringing a little bit more of His Kingdom down to earth.

The Lord’s prayer contains an infinite wellspring of deep spiritual wisdom, which can continue to light our paths throughout our lives no matter how far we progress in our relationship with the Lord. Here is the context within which Jesus gave it to us:

Matthew 6:5-14

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This, then, is how you should pray:

Our Father, Who art in heaven
Hallowed be Thy Name;
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

As you contemplate these words from our Heavenly Father, I encourage you to open your heart to realize areas, where God is asking you to work on humility, forgiveness, trust, bringing heaven to earth and relying on God’s power, rather than your own.

What do you love about this ancient prayer, which was given to us directly from Jesus Christ?  How does it light your path as you continue along your spiritual journey through life?

Thank you Jesus for giving us the perfect prayer in the Our Father. As we contemplate it ever more deeply in prayer, help us learn to honor Your name, seek Your will and do our part to bring heaven to earth, gratefully accept the blessings of the present day and forgiving other, as we would like to be forgiven by you. Help us to realize how much we rely on Your mercy and how undeserving of it we really are. Help us to be grateful for all the ways YOU are present with us delivering us from evil and temptations. Help us to realize how powerful and trustworthy You are. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.

written by Nicky Gant for http://www.uniteinprayer.org 3/26/2020