Daily Devotional • October 26
A Reading from Luke 11:1-13
1 He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”2 So he said to them, “When you pray, say:
Father, may your name be revered as holy.
May your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
And do not bring us to the time of trial.”
5 And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ 7 And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything out of friendship, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
9 “So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 Is there anyone among you who, if your child asked for a fish, would give a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if the child asked for an egg, would give a scorpion? 13 If you, then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Meditation
Many of us memorized the Lord’s Prayer before we could understand it. By age 10 we might have associated “hallowed” with Halloween and wondered whether “debtors” had to do with bank loans.
As with many popular passages of Scripture, a fresh take can add a little bounce to our liturgical step. For example, at a time when Christians of all traditions are increasingly aware of the need for Christ’s power to infiltrate not only our individual hearts but also the brokenness in the systems of our world, “your kingdom come” can be a cry for social justice. The petition for daily bread can embody more than just a fear of famine, but instead be a recognition of the aspects of our life that are particularly difficult and a recognition that only Jesus can provide for our truest needs. We can remind ourselves that God never tempts us. God is never the origin of evil. Christ has already saved us from the ultimate trial our sin deserves, and God is faithful to come alongside us in challenging circumstances to help us grow more fully into the person he intended us to be.
Moreover, each time we recite the Lord’s Prayer, we’re heeding Christ’s wisdom in verses 9-13. We’re persisting in prayer, not necessarily expecting to change God’s mind, but hoping to be formed into who he’s always meant us to be and receive what we truly need.
Pieter Valk is a licensed professional counselor, the director of EQUIP, and cofounder of the Nashville Family of Brothers, an ecumenically Christian brotherhood for men called to vocational singleness.
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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
The Diocese of Karamoja – The Church of the Province of Uganda
Parish of Calvary-St. George’s, New York
Pieter Valk is a Guest Writer. He is a speaker, author, consultant, and licensed counselor.