Template.
Let nothing upset you
Let nothing disturb you
Everything changes
God alone is unchanging
With God all things are possible
The one who has God lacks nothing
God alone is enough
~ St. Teresa of Avila
What would you think if I told you that the deepest desires of your heart could be expressed to God in 66 words? And what would you think if I told you that you are familiar with these 66 words…but probably use them rarely? Furthermore, what would you think if I told you that God gave us this template for this very purpose?
Any of this ring a bell?
Those of us who grew up outside the liturgical church often view written prayers with a touch of suspicion. If prayer isn’t spontaneous (we are sometimes led to believe), perhaps it’s rote or insincere or downright irrelevant!
Honestly, I love spontaneous prayer, and it is woven into my daily experience. But I have also developed a keen appreciation for prayers that have been crafted and honed by those who have vested their entire lives in the contemplative journey… prayers that have stood the test of generations before us… prayers that strike timeless chords of desire and mutual affection. (Like the one above from St. Teresa, one of my favorites.) Would prayers like these be worth including in your spiritual rhythms?
Apparently Jesus thought so because he gave us a very specifically worded prayer as a template for our inner communion with God. When is the last time you prayed what we commonly call The Lord’s Prayer? This simple handful of words conveys the essence of our heart’s cry and should not be casually dismissed.
And while it’s possible that these 66 words touch all the emotional recesses of your soul, it’s also possible that the words themselves now get in the way. If you’ve been in the church your entire life, as I have, sometimes we get dulled to the deep meaning woven into words we’ve heard a thousand times. Sometimes we need new language to access those parts of our soul again, so while I will offer the words themselves to consider afresh, I’ll break them up into six main themes. If you want to build new language around these timeless themes from Matthew 6:9-13, I think Jesus will get it. :)
Intimacy: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Jesus’ inclusion of us into his incredibly intimate relationship with Father offers us unprecedented comfort and confidence to approach God knowing that we utterly belong there (Heb 4:16). We don’t contemplate from afar; instead we gaze into Father’s eyes from his lap, our heart’s true home! Place yourself there now. (P.S. Your heavenly Father is also your heavenly Mother.)
Surrender: Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
The contemplative heart rushes to submit the desires of its will to the heavenly will, knowing that God’s agenda is infinitely better (and happier) than our own! When earth comes into alignment with the goodness of heaven—and when our hearts come into alignment with the goodness of God’s heart—everything comes into wellbeing. Can you feel that alignment now?
Trust: Give us today our daily bread.
God knows exactly what we need in every moment—physically, emotionally, relationally, and in every other way. Verbalize your trusting reliance right now in God’s abundance and generosity. This comes with an utter confidence that if it’s not being given to you now, then you don’t truly need it now. Open your hands to receive full provision for every need in this moment.
Humility: And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Forgiveness is a fundamental need in the human heart—both on the receiving end and the giving end! Not just as a one-time affair, but as a daily rhythm. Forgiveness entails no shame, and the only price for forgiveness is the humility to receive it freely. On the house. Every time.
Hope: And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
This line reflects a deep knowing, a deep assurance that sin and struggle are not our destiny. We are, in fact, created for deliverance and transformation! This petition flows from the conviction that change is both possible and available to us. That we can become our True Selves, to the joy of all.
Worship: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
While this doxology wasn’t included in the earliest manuscripts, it was a wonderful addition—wonderful because it brings us full circle to where we began the prayer: The essence of our relationship with Father is both immanent (relationally knowable) and transcendent (cognitively unknowable)…for which worship is the only fitting conclusion.
Interestingly, the three core needs of the human heart (articulated by Thomas Keating and explored in my book Gravitas) are all addressed in these short lines: Our need for Power & Control is met in surrender, our need for Safety & Security is met in trust, and our need for Approval & Affection is met in the humility of forgiveness. In short, we belong to God’s family and are the recipients of unfathomable affection, provision, and direction. Everything our hearts long for.
So if the Lord’s Prayer has felt stale in your practice, take a fresh look, give it a reboot, and see if these aren’t some of the most precious words in your spiritual lexicon! Yes, pray spontaneously by all means… and then sprinkle some of these ancient prayers into the mix, starting with Jesus’ template.
growing the soul
Scroll back up to the photograph at the top of this post. Can you see yourself there… in that lap? With that smile? Soaking up that delight? That’s really what the Lord’s Prayer is all about! Your soul grows in health and happiness to the direct proportion that you increase your capacity to receive God’s love, acceptance, and delight. Ponder that today, and try this journaling exercise.
serving the world
When our hearts align with God’s heart, then we are able to represent God’s heart accurately in our world. As we experience God as our good Father, we are then able to be a small but authentic version of the Father to others! Who needs you to model God’s heart toward them today?
takeaway
Pray. This. Way.