After I make some coffee and feed the dog each morning, I head upstairs to the computer. The first site I go to is Loyola Press’ Three Minute Retreat. I know I’ve written about this great little prayer help several times, but it’s worth bringing up again.
Loyola Press has done a great job at giving us a simple, quick and meaningful way to start our day, and if you haven’t tried it out yet, please give it a look. You can even have the retreat emailed to you, which it how a lot of my friends and co-workers get the messages. Who doesn’t have three minutes to spare?
I am writing about it again because of a line that was included in today’s retreat. It struck a chord with me.
Although this morning’s retreat didn’t focus on the Our Father, there was a question asked about it. “What part of the Our Father means the most to me at this time?” What struck me about this question is that, over the last few weeks, I’ve been talking about the Our Father quite a bit. Just a reminder, you can find Jesus’ prayer in Matthew 6:9-14 and Luke 11:2-4.
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.
Lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil.
In answer to the question asked during my little retreat, the words that mean the most to me right now are thy will be done. My church is going through a major transition, and we don’t know exactly what the outcome is going to be. Plenty of speculation, but few answers. All of it is making the transition more difficult.
But in my prayer, I know it is the Lord, and not me, who is in control. His will is being done, even though I may not presently see it. I need to trust more, pray more, knowing “that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
So, my friends, what part of the Our Father means the most to you at this time?
