The Lord’s Prayer
Lenten Learnings is a weekly reflection from a member of the leadership team at the Abbey on Lovers Lane.
The scripture today is for Tuesday of the First Week in Lent, Matthew 6:7-15.
Our guest writer is Neva Cochran, a member of the Abbey Council.
The Lord’s Prayer is among the first prayers I remember learning as a child after the tried-and-true, “Now I lay me down to sleep…” I said it every night before bed when prompted by my mother to, “Say your prayers” and, of course, have recited it by memory every Sunday in church forever and ever.
But how does the Lord’s Prayer really work in my life? Do those words recited by rote tens of thousands of times over the years actually have a place in guiding my thoughts, words and actions on a daily basis? I think they can and do, even when I don’t consciously realize it.
I’d like to focus on two phrases in the prayer. The first is “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” or as I learned it and as it’s written in the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” I have found over the years that forgiving others doesn’t mean I am saying what they did or said was okay or that the person will be my best friend. I just won’t let the words or deed continue to consume me. I am able to move on and be at peace with the matter rather than remain agitated and resentful. And forgiving doesn’t require that I actually tell the person I am forgiving them unless they directly asked me to. I can simply forgive them in my mind, heart or soul just as God does when I ask Him to forgive me.
The second phrase I want to address in the Lord’s Prayer is “your will be done.” So often as a Type A, oldest child with an obsessive-compulsive nature, I want to hold on to and control situations in my life. This can lead to anxiety, fear and resentment when things do not turn out the way I expect or want. When I’m feeling this way, taking a step back and asking for God’s help can often relieve the stress. The key for me, though, is to say the words of the prayer every day and really mean them. That is, striving to accomplish what I need to as I go through my day and trusting by doing that, without the need to push my agenda or desired outcome, I will be more calm and less worried. The challenge is remembering to do it.