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Fervent Prayers > Prayer
Changes Things
The
Lord's Prayer Revisited
Our
Father who art in Heaven. . . .
Yes?
Don't
interrupt me. I'm praying...
But
you called Me.
Called
you? I didn't call you. I'm praying. Our Father who
art in Heaven.
There,
you did it again.
Did
what?
Called
Me. You said, "Our Father who art in Heaven..."Here
I am. What's on your mind?
But
I didn't mean anything by it. I was, you know, just
saying my prayers for the day. I always say the Lord's
Prayer. It makes me feel good, kind of like getting
my duty done.
All
right. Go on.
Hallowed
be thy name.
Hold
it. What do you mean by that?
By
what?
By
"Hallowed be thy name."
It
means... it means... good grief, I don't know what it
means. How should I know? It's just part of the prayer.
By the way, what does it mean?
It
means "Honored," "Holy," "Wonderful."
Hey,
that makes sense. I never thought about what "Hallowed"
meant before.Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on
earth as it is in Heaven.
Do
you really mean that?
Sure,
why not?
What
are you going to do about it?
Doing?
Nothing, I guess. I just think it would be neat if you
got control of everything down here like you have up
there.
Have
I got control of you?
Well,
I go to church.
That
isn't what I asked you. What about that habit of lust
you have? And your bad temper? You've really got a
problem there, you know. And then there's the way
you spend your money... all on yourself. And what
about the kinds of books you read?
Stop
picking on me! I'm just as good as some of the rest
of those phonies in church.
Excuse
me... I thought you were praying for My will to be
done. If that is to happen, it will have to start
with the ones who are praying for it. Like you, for
example.
Oh,
all right! I guess I do have some hang-ups. Now that
you mention it, I could probably name some others.
So
could I.
I
haven't thought about it until now, but I really would
like to cut out some of those things. I'd like to, you
know, be really free.
Good,
now we're getting somewhere. We'll work together...
you and I can have some victories that can truly be
won. I'm proud of you.
Look,
Lord, I need to finish up here. This is taking a lot
longer than it usually does... Give us this day our
daily bread.
You
need to cut down on the bread too... You're overweight
as it is.
Hey,
wait a minute! What is this, "Criticize Me Day?" Here
I was doing my religious duty, and all of a sudden You
break in and remind me of all my hang-ups.
Praying
is a dangerous thing. You could wind up changed, you
know. That's what I'm trying to get across to you.
You called me, and here I am. It's too late to stop
now. Keep on praying. I'm interested in the next part
of your prayer......Well, go on.
I'm
scared to.
Scared?
Of what?
I
know what you'll say.
Try
Me and see.
Forgive
us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
What
about Bernice?
See
I knew it! I knew you would bring her up! Why, she's
told lies about me, cheated me out of money. She never
paid back that debt she owes me. I've sworn to get even.
But
your prayer... What about your prayer?
I
didn't mean it.
Well,
at least you're honest. But it's not much fun carrying
the load of bitterness around inside is it?
No,
but I'll feel better as soon as I get even. Boy, have
I made some plans for ol' Bernice! She'll wish she never
did me any harm.
You
won't feel any better. You'll feel worse. Revenge
isn't sweet.Think of how unhappy you are already.
But I can change all that.
You
can? How?
Forgive
Bernice. Then I'll forgive you. Then the hate and
sin will be Bernice's problem and not yours. You may
lose the money, but you will settle your heart.
But
Lord, I can't forgive her.
Then
I can't forgive you.
Oh,
you're right! You always are. And more than I want revenge
on Bernice, I want to be right with You. All right!
I forgive her. Help her to find the right road in life,
Lord. She's bound to be awfully miserable, now that
I think about it. Some way, somehow, show her the right
way.
There
now! How do you feel?
Hmmm...
not bad. Not bad at all, In fact I feel pretty great.
You know, I don't think I'll have to go to bed uptight
tonight for the first time since I can't remember. Maybe
I won't be so tired from now on because I'm not getting
enough rest.
You're
not through with your prayer... Go on.
Oh,
all right... And lead us not into temptation, but deliver
us from evil.
Good...
good. I'll do that. Just don't put yourself in a place
where you can be tempted.
What
do you mean by that?
Quit
hanging around the wrong places, watching inappropriate
movies and television, listening to sinful conversations;
getting into compromising situations. Change some
of your friendships. Some of your so-called friends
are beginning to get to you. They'll have you completely
involved in wrong things before long. Don't be fooled.
They advertise they're having fun, but for you it
would be ruin. Don't use me for an escape hatch.
I
don't understand.
Sure
you do. You've done it lots of times. You get caught
in a bad situation, you get into trouble and then
you come running to me. "Lord, help me out of this
mess, and I promise you I'll never do it again." You
remember some of those bargains you tried to make
with me?
Yes,
and I'm ashamed, Lord. I really am.
Which
bargains are you remembering?
Well,
when the woman next door saw me backing away from the
neighborhood bar. I'd told my wife I was going to the
store. I remember telling you, "Lord, don't let her
tell my wife where I've been. I promise I'll be in church
every Sunday."
She
didn't tell your wife, but you didn't keep your promise,
did you?
I'm
sorry Lord, I really am. Up until now I thought if I
just prayed the Lord's prayer everyday, then I could
do what I liked. I didn't expect anything to happen
like it did.
Go
ahead. Finish your prayer.
Oh
yes... For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the
glory forever and forever. Amen.
Do
you know what would bring me glory? What would make
me really happy?
No,
but I'd like to know. I want to please You. I can see
what a mess I've made out of my life, and I can see
how great it would be to really be one of Your followers.
You
just answered the question.
I
did?
Yes,
the one thing that would bring me glory is to have
people like you truly love me. And I can see that
happening between us. Now that some of these old sins
are exposed and out of the way, well, there's no telling
what we can do together.
Lord,
let's see what we can make of me, OK?
Source: A
Good Friend
>
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