Reflection:
In times of great stress, many of us find ourselves returning to old, familiar Bible verses that we know really well, the ones burnt into our souls. My friend Caroline told me about a time like that. Her mother died of cancer when she was in her early twenties. Then, more recently, her father was diagnosed with dementia and admitted to hospital in Canberra. Caroline decided to go and stay near the hospital for 3 months, to care for him. It was a chaotic time, and the coldest winter they’d had in 30 years. The hospital was very busy, and Caroline missed her husband back in Sydney. She said the only thing that got her through was the Scriptures. She prayed the Lord’s Prayer, over and over again, every day. She said that in her exhaustion, she found it hard to think straight, but she could pray the Lord’s Prayer. As she did, she slowly began to see that God was using the truths in that prayer to direct her decisions and give her hope. It calmed her, and her father. It changed her thinking and her perspective. Now, four years later, Caroline has her own health issues. But she still loves to pray the Lord’s Prayer a couple of times a day, and the routine of daily prayer and dependence on God continues to change her life.
Prayer:
Lord, I long to honour you today and so I too pray, Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven …