 |
Living The Lords Prayer
Luke 11:1
And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
11:2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven...
Our Father which 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
For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory,
Forever, Amen.
I have a special place in my life for this prayer. When I close my eyes in meditation I always begin with this prayer, and when I lay down to go to sleep I usually do the same. Jesus taught his disciples this prayer as a guide to getting in touch with our inner peace, and open the door to communication with God the Father and the Creator. I believe that we should be praying to our Creator all the time, every moment of our lives; it should be a common practice. The Lord's Prayer is short enough to be an affirmation that is easily applied at any time.
I have used this prayer when I am afraid or unsure and one thing that always shines through is the Truth. That is what The Lord's Prayer is, how to be the Truth. In the dictionary Truth is also defined as "reality".
The Lord's Prayer is a special prayer asking that we may recognize Reality/Truth and eventually be that Truth, just as Jesus was the Way, the Truth and the Life.
My interpretation of The Lord's Prayer is not the only one, there are many others, but I am sharing mine with you in the hope that we can experience this prayer rather than just recite it.
Our Father who art in Heaven...
Where is Heaven? Jesus tells us that The Kingdom of Heaven is within us, and that special place is where we can go to connect with God our Creator. For me it is a wonderful place of peace and silence. Last summer I had a glorious experience; I spent ten days in my trailer parked in my mom's backyard. For those ten days I enjoyed listening to the birds and working in the garden. But most of all I learned how to enjoy the silence within. I discovered for myself how to go to this personal place and listen and feel the intense "peace".
There was one moment that I will always remember, it was a feeling of such happiness, so much Joy that I could not contain it all; at that moment I felt the most joy I have ever felt in my life.
God is within each and every one of us; He is the Light and the creative and loving urge in us that seeks expression. We only have to be still and know that God is in the silence within.
Hallowed be Thy Name...
The name of God is sacred. His "Name" is his Essence, it is in us - we are sons of God. What does that mean? That means that his Essence or Spirit is in our DNA, that is what makes us more special, and elevated above all other creatures. God created us in his image; he gave us his Name and that name is in our bodies, right down to the cellular level.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done
On Earth as it is in Heaven...
God's Kingdom is within each and every one of us. His Will, as Thought (in Heaven), is manifest on Earth (physical form). This verse teaches us that what we think becomes manifest here in this world. With our thoughts we can either make or create. When we use His Will we create; and only creation is real.
Jesus taught that sickness and poverty do not have to exist; we make these things and so they are not real; we need only recognize the Truth or reality and look away from the false appearances that this world shows us. It takes great faith to be able to do this, but Jesus assured us that if he could do it, so can we. This line in the prayer is an affirmation of reality.
Give us this day, our daily bread...
"...this day..." The only time that is real is NOW, there is no other time. The NOW is also Eternity. Eternity is defined as "no beginning, and no ending", "unchanging", and "forever". When you examine all these definitions you begin to see how each of these verses seem to have the same meaning - Eternity, Truth, Reality, NOW... When we look for evidence of God we have only to look at the trees and the flowers, feel the wind in our hair, and the warmth of the sun on our face. God exists in the Now, and we will only find his presence here.
The bread is our daily staple, it is a requirement. The Lord's Prayer is a daily requirement. And the requirement is experiencing the moment, the NOW, because that is all that we really have and that is where God is.
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
It is so important to let go of the negative feelings that keep you separated from God. Connected to God we shine, and when we harbor darkness such as thoughts of resentment, anger, and jealousy, we are disconnected. Likewise, we should not worry about others opinions or judgments of us, these are the things that this verse tells us is important to remember.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil...
"temptation" is not the urge to eat that whole chocolate cake, but rather it is asking our Father to help us to control our thought. It is our Thought that determines what we make or create in this world, and we have to be very careful what thoughts we focus on. We are continuously hearing our ego talk to us, and our ego has it's own agenda.
For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory...
So true, and so powerful a statement! Only in God do we have a kingdom, it is not here in the material world, it is in the Kingdom of Heaven which is within us. But don't think that the material world is not important! It is very important - we have a Divine Purpose for being here.
Forever, Amen...
Forever; eternity; NOW and always; Unchanging; No beginning and no ending.
Amen means "it is done", "so be it". This is a very powerful word. To affirm that something is already done is to proclaim its power.
Pray with reverence and meaning and you shall always be close to our Father. By using this special prayer that Jesus taught us we can learn to connect with the Universe and let our thoughts work for us instead of against us, because it has never been more true that our thoughts have the all the power of God's creation behind them.
Amen. Cindy DeJager is the owner of Rosetta Stone Press, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
http://www.RosettaStonePress.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Los Angeles Times |
A closer, faster walk with theeLos Angeles Times, CA - 18 hours agoPublishers and pastors are serving up God on the go via books, e-mails, even podcasts for busy Americans hungry for spirituality. By Duke Helfand So you're ... |
Science and spiritualityExpress Buzz, India - 4 hours ago“This is as much about spirituality, the inner space, as it is about what’s outside. Do we need spirituality in an age of Science? Yes, we do. ... |
JESUIT SPIRITUALITY NOW TAUGHT ON TELEVISIONCatholic Online, CA - Jan 6, 2009Fr Gallagher is an expert on St. Ignatius of Loyola's Rules for Discernment and how these core insights stimulate our spiritual growth today. ... |
Spirituality - Google News
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
10 Ways Your Dreams Can Enhance Your Life
The ultimate purpose of dreaming is to provide you with daily guidance in your Life Journey ? to help you find the best way to solve problems and open your eyes to new opportunities so that you can be happy and feel complete. In fact, dreams most often relate to your circumstances of the past 24 to 48 hours and can assist you in the immediate future.
Immaterial Gain
Among some of us who deem ourselves spiritual, the use of the word "spiritual" causes blushing and anxiety. What a pale word it is in the face of what earned spirituality actually provides.
Instructions... Guess Work or Gods Work?
I can't boast about my culinary skill, because I just don't
have the natural ability to get around in a kitchen and "whip"
something up. I am one of those people who lacks the
imagination to throw something together.
The Simple Plan of Asking and Receiving
The Question
Really picture this in your mind..
Working With The Light
I do not want curiosity seekers, who come for a novel experience. There is a phrase that has been used down through the ages for such people.
The Cuddlies
I finally went to the dentist today. I had been putting it off for a
long time.
Our King Complex
When King David was old and well advanced in years? Adonijah? put himself forward and said, "I will be king." I Kings 1.
Keeping The Faith
Well I had a website that I was posting on but have since decided my writing works should be meant for friends and family .I have been writing articles on and off for awhile now.
The Centre of Our Existence!
Most of us have heard talk or have read something about the seven centers of energies that we refer to as Chakras. I do believe these are very important centers of our being in terms of our energy field, our aura, and most of all our own balance that can manifest into our physical body.
The Truth of Reactions
In my life, I have tried to be Good and Pure and True. In these qualities, I have failed miserably.
Intuition
Did you ever get a feeling or gain notion of a specific situation without any logical explanation? Well, that is your intuition. When you least expect it intuition reaches out and hits you with information that you have no idea were it came from.
Pray Without Ceasing
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 16-18, NIVThroughout the long year of trying to figure out how I could joint venture with Saving Grace Enterprises I've just known it would eventually happen -all in God's time of course.
Belief, Designed For Life!
Liam says to Joe; "where is your God now, when life can be made in a laboratory"?Joe says to Liam; "it couldn't have happened, but for the presence of God".It was a short debate involving two non-scientific people, but wasn't it interesting?While Liam set out to demolish Joe's faith, he was left with a simple retort that quietened him.
Livin On A Prayer
When I was a child, I thought as a child, and I prayed as a child. Every night I closed my eyes tightly and said the words my mother taught me:"Now I lay me down to sleep,I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
Why Is Your Prayer Of Faith Lacking Results?
About a month ago I opened up my bible in boredom
trying to see if the lord had a word for me. Well, it
just so happened that I landed in first kings the page
with chapter three right there just staring me in the
face.
The Meaning of Life
Recently I was watching a re-run of "Everybody Loves
Raymond". This particular episode was about a life long
question we all ask.
Kundalini Awakening - Definition and the Path
Kundalini Awakening - the sure shot method for awakening of the kundalini.Before we discuss about kundalini awakening.
Dream As Big As God!
Sounds like a tall order doesn't it? But I think you'll see that it's what we're expected to do. But you might say, "I've tried that and it didn't work.
Dowsing - Using Divining Rods To Obtain Answers To Your Questions
Divining Rods, also known as Dowsing Rods, have been used since ancient times by water witchers, shamans, and wise-ones. Although the information obtained while using these tools seems to come from an obscure and esoteric source, in reality they simply measure energy patterns that occur naturally.
Spirituality: Impersonating Jed McKenna
"No man is a prophet in his own country."That line keeps running through my mind as I sit over lunch with my sister who I haven't seen in several years.
|
