Prayer Meditation - from the Dec/Jan magazine

This is how I started last magazine’s article:

Martin Luther’s barber had some difficulties with prayer. The reformer advised him to use the Lord’s prayer as a kind of training manual and wrote for him a series of meditations on it. We could take Luther’s advice ourselves, especially so as we embark on a teaching series on prayer at the morning services.

Here is how I might use part of the Lord’s prayer in my praying. I change it from day to day depending on need and mood. I suggest that you adapt it to suit your own prayer life.

This month I look at how I might pray:
“Our Father . . . Hallowed be your name.”

Father God, what a wonderful name to call you. Along with ‘Almighty’, ‘Provider’, the ‘Seeing-one’, the ‘King of the angel armies’, you have allowed us to call you ‘Father’. Alongside ‘Jesus’ we can call you ‘Father.’ In Jesus’ name we can call you Father. May that name always be special to me as I pray. May that name never become ordinary to me. May I always sense the glory and privilege that I have to call you Father and so hallow that name.

Hallowed be your name in everything that I ask for. Hallowed be your name as I thank you for everything I have received.

Father, please open the eyes of religious people so that they may know how special the name of Father is. That is people who doubt your willingness to listen and to answer prayer. May religious people who only pray to God also hallow your name as Father.

Father, please help all people everywhere to so know you through Jesus that they too will hallow your name.

As I live and work for you today, help me to do all that I do in a way that hallows your name and to do nothing that would drag your holy name in the mud.

Father hallowed be your name as we pray our vision into reality:

How we run the church To develop the effectiveness of the Team Structure, Team Ministry and the Kirk Session itself.
Small groups To develop the role of small groups in strengthening our relationship
with God and each other.
Pastoral care To develop support structures that will ensure people within the Church Community are appropriately cared for.
Outsider focus To place our own needs secondary to those of outsiders and to encourage everyone to be an active witness for Christ.
Developing member gifts To identify, develop and utilise people’s gifts and in particular, gifts of leadership at all levels.
Men and boys To increase the number and involvement of men and boys in the life of the church.

Pastoral Care
Hallowed be your name Father, for all the caring that is done in our fellowship in your name. May we love as you love, give to each other with your generosity, and live up to the honour of being allowed to call you Father.

May we learn to care better and for more people. When we get things wrong, help us to say sorry and change. May everyone of us who prays to you as Father, be quicker to care for others than complain of not being cared for. Give to us all someone to pray for and care for.

Father help us to hallow your name by caring in such a way that we lead people to rest more in you than in we who care for them. Father help those who have to care for many people to be guided in their priorities and to be strengthened. Father, more than anything else give us more love.

How We Run The Church
Father, we want to run your church well, so that your name is hallowed in everything we do. You are the head and give us clear teaching on how to serve and to submit to one another. May our leaders take inspiration and instruction from you. May we do things well so that our organisation helps rather than hinders us achieve our goals.

Other Things
Father, with Micah we lament over the Church of Scotland. How broken it is. How fractured. How dishonouring to your name. Count our tears and consider them our prayers alongside our requests. We ask you, Father, as you invite us to in your word, for wisdom. Give hallowed, heavenly wisdom.

Father we have many events and activities going on especially so over Christmas and into the New Year.

Blessed be your name for all the blessings to come in and through these events.

John Ferguson