PRAYER

As our prayer rises before you, O God, so may Your mercy come down upon us to cleanse our hearts and set us free to sing Your praise now and forever. Amen

READING

Matthew 6:7-13

“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. ⁸ Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! ⁹ Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.

¹⁰ May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

¹¹ Give us today the food we need,

¹² and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.

¹³ And don’t let us yield to temptation,

but rescue us from the evil one.

REFLECT

One of my favourite things to do is listen to children pray. When my kids were younger they would thank God for Thomas the Train, bubble baths and ice-cream. Praying doesn't always come naturally and sometimes we need to be taught how to pray. I was in a bible study once where a new Christian opened her prayers by saying, "Hello God, it's me Allison". I don't think it matters how we open our prayers, it just matters that we pray. God is a relational God and prayer is one of the ways we connect and grow in our faith. Jesus, the greatest teacher, gave an example of how we should pray. Its good to begin with a phrase of worship: God you are Holy. Next, give thanks. Sometimes we rush to our wish list of what we want from God, so slowing down and spending time in gratitude helps shift our perspective on what God has done for us will help us gain perspective on what we truly need. The Lord's Prayer is a great way to begin praying daily.

According to Bishop Stephen from the Diocese of Oxford, there are 7 Reasons to Pray the Lord's Prayer Everyday

1. To remember who you are

2. To find courage to live well in an imperfect world

3. To find the only way to be content

4. To learn to live with our imperfections

5. To learn to live with the imperfections of others

6. To be resilient in a changing world

7. To understand the end of the story

LENT CHECK IN

Try saying the Lord's Prayer every day

Consider learning how to sign the Lord's Prayer in Sign Language