Luke 11:2
Find a place and time free of distractions for the next 7-10 minutes. Take a moment to settle into your surroundings and then begin to recognize your breath. As you breathe in, call on the name of Jesus and become aware of his presence with you. As you breathe out, open your mind and heart to receive whatever Jesus has for you today.
Go back today to the opening lines of the prayer Jesus taught, and read Luke 11:2 slowly and thoughtfully.
The prayer that Jesus gives his disciples begins with an unprecedented way of addressing God. Up until this time the only one to call God “Father” (Greek: Patér) was Jesus himself, but now he instructs his followers to call God by this family name. Jesus is, in essence, inviting his followers to be part of his family, and they are encouraged to recognize that God is the Father of them all - and of all who will follow Jesus in the future.
When Jesus speaks of keeping God’s name holy, he’s referring not just to the name we use to address God, but to the totality of who God is. God’s very nature is holiness, and people must remember that though we were created God’s image, rebellion and sin have marred us. As our Father, God is both familiar and near to us, but as our perfectly holy Creator, God is also set apart from us.
The idea of God as Father may be challenging for those with faulty earthly fathers, but this prayer and this way of addressing God gives us the opportunity to allow God to fill the voids in our lives caused by imperfect or even toxic fathers.
Get quiet for a moment and allow the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, to make you aware of the presence of God. Picture God, the perfect Father, pouring unfailing love over you. Picture the love of God flowing into any wounds caused by your own imperfect father, and imagine these wounds being soothed and healed by God’s love.
Read Luke 11:2 again.
Jesus tells his disciples to pray that God’s Kingdom will “come soon.” In asking this they, and everyone who prays this prayer in the future, are asking God to reintegrate the world and make all things whole again. God’s Kingdom is the realm where God’s perfect will is done immediately and joyfully. It is the domain where all things are good just as God is good.
In giving us this prayer, Jesus calls us to reflect the goodness of Kingdom of God together – as the community of Jesus.
For the final moments of this time of reflection, meditate on the opening words of the Lord’s Prayer and notice anything Jesus might say to you through them.
“[Our] Father, may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.”
What is Jesus saying to you today?
What will you do about that?
Subscribe here to receive these guided meditations free by email Monday-Friday each week. If you find these meditations helpful, please forward them to a couple of friends.
The Everyday Jesus Follower’s Guide ebook can help you learn how to recognize God's voice, how to read and understand the Bible, how to develop deep spiritual friendships, and how to become the person you were meant to be. Use it alone, with a friend or in a small group.
