The Lord's Prayer!

For Wednesday, May 14, 2025:

Luke 11:1 NLT, Disciples: “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John (the Baptist) taught his disciples.”

Jesus: “When you pray, this is what you should say.” He then spoke his version of what we call “The Lord’s Prayer.”

Our Father is in heaven by definition. The rest of us have to achieve heaven. We get there through grace, forgiveness and faith. God is also holy or hallowed by definition. We pray that his Kingdom will come, and that his desires will be executed here on earth, as they are now in heaven.

We ask prayerfully for our daily sustenance, more than just food. We pray for Jesus’ eternal intervention in our forgiveness, using our forgiveness of others as an example. (We’d better get that part right!) And since we are forgiven, please don’t tempt us any further! Deliver us out of this evil planet. Father God, yours is the only Kingdom that matters. Knowing you have all power, we glorify your holy name! In the name of your Son Jesus, the Messiah, we pray. Amen.

Over the years, the spelling and language of The Lord’s Prayer have been updated, but the meaning hasn’t changed. The version we all know was published in the Book of Common Prayer (Anglican or Episcopal) in the late 1700’s. More modern versions have been penned, but no one seems keen on changing what we already have memorized!

I don’t believe Jesus was giving us an all-inclusive prayer that we should recite verbatim. I believe he was giving us bullet points, categories to be intentionally included as our prayers rise upward.

We should pray these things because Jesus did!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Don't Worry!

For Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Matthew 6:34 Phillips: “Don’t worry at all then about tomorrow. Tomorrow can take care of itself! One day’s trouble is enough for one day.”

Worrying really isn’t Biblical; trusting in the Lord is. He created you, He knows what you need and He will provide for you. Having said that, it’s prudent to keep an eye on our future. We’d be foolish if we didn’t!

There’s a Christian song, “One Day at a Time,” that accurately describes God’s care and provision for us. The Lord’s Prayer teaches, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Not next week’s bread, not next year’s bread, but we pray for God to give us what we need today so we can make it to tomorrow. Let God worry about tomorrow. He’ll take care tomorrow when tomorrow comes!

The Message explains it like this: “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

God of Provision!

For Thursday, August 26, 2021

Matthew 6:11 KJ21, Jesus, teaching his disciples to pray, from what has come to be known as The Lord’s Prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Include prayer for your daily provision. God is the great provider, Jehovah Jireh. Jesus said to ask today for the bread we’ll need tomorrow. Bread, yes, but we can extend that to include all our needs. It should be a prayer about need, not greed. It is for one day at a time, so we pray daily.

God may provide differently than we expect. Father knows best! Having Jesus and the Gospel is a big part of our provision. And God has provided for us in the next reality too!

God does care about everyday things!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406