The Lord's Prayer, Pt. 2

Last week Sally began her meditation and breakdown of The Lord’s Prayer. This GraceNotes features Part 2.

Part 1 may be found here

Give us today our daily bread

Hope in the face of a world despairing. Peace—beyond the cessation of violence—in spite of circumstances that cannot be resolved, and deeper than merely ending the noise within and without. Peace that comes when I hear You walking in the still of my soul, holding my heart together, speaking in the silence. Love in a world that is loveless, that rarely shows kindness. In the face of fear, hatred, violence, and despair, Lord give me the capacity to love as You love. Faith that holds on and never gives up, believing Your goodness when almost every circumstance in life would seems to testify otherwise. Let my lips and life declare, You are good!

Forgive us

Deliver us, Lord! Bring us out from the heavy bondage of our sins. Cleanse us! Cover us in the folds of Your mercy and wrap us up in Your robes of righteousness. There is nothing in me deserving Your kindness. Naked in my uncleanness, I stand entirely permeated by the very nature of sin. Exorcize me! Break the bondage generations old, and destroy the chain forever, that not one link remains united to another. Sever—forever—any and all connection to my mind and heart! Release us from the hard shell of our shame. Wash away the stain of our sin and the reek of our uncleanness. You who see through us know too well we cannot save anyone, especially ourselves. Expose our delusions and illusions. Align our hearts to You who are Truth. Set us free!

Our debts (trespasses/sins)

Darker than the underbelly of a garden, and as ancient as Eden, lies that twist and writhe in my soul like a serpent. Some that originate with me, and others breathed, whispered, taught me by those before me. Weeds in the garden of my soul—unchecked, untended—their roots will choke off every good fruit that grows, until the soil of my heart lies still and barren, cold like stone, ruled by despair. DELIVER ME, O GOD!

As we also have forgiven our debtors.

I bow down and offer back what You have given at such great cost, freely to me. Who am I to withhold the kindness You have shown me? Am I pure? Am I without sin? Can I cast the first stone? Or am I made of the same dust and earth as the one who wounded me? I press my face to Your feet and worship You who are the Lover of my soul! And these are my only gifts to give, the very same mercy and grace You have extended to me I extend to all others, as You enable me by Your Spirit. This, then, is my sacrifice of praise, the evidence of my adoration! As I release those whom I have judged, I kiss your hand and wash Your feet, and pray, let Your love govern my heart all the days of my life!

And lead us not into temptation

Drinking to drown and eating to subdue the hunger in our souls. Returning one unkindness with another, no matter how justified, we begin walking a road of bitterness and distrust. Tasting vengeance, looking to lust, speaking lies, hating what the Lord commands we love—our God, ourselves, and each other. Keep me from these invitations to walk away from all that is good and holy. Lead us out from our tired orbits of earth and sin into the heaven-born radiance of Christ in us, the hope of glory

But deliver us from the evil one

Author of Lies, always seeking to kill, steal, and destroy all that is good, that comes from the only True and Living God. Loveless One, whispering into our weakness, igniting our darker longings with a hellish flame, causing my soul to crave what it should not have. Only You, my God, can save me from those darker undulations within! Only You can rescue me from the evil that would consume me. I bow down my soul and life to my Maker and Lord, recognizing Your absolute power and sovereignty over all things—including my life!

For Yours is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory

Forever

Amen

-Sally Klein O'Connor

1/15/24