30 August | EVERYONE
«In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.» Matthew 6: 9
One of the secrets of happiness, according to Jesus’s teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, is to be a source of peace, a source of comfort and tranquility where the agitated pilgrims of this world find relief from the turbulence of their hearts. It is not only a matter of living in peace, but of working for it, of promoting it and spreading it like a ray of light in the midst of darkness. To reach that ideal we need to learn to pray. In living with the Master, we reflect His character and become springs of peace.
In the model prayer, Jesus taught us the right way to address the Father. This prayer reminds us of who we are and who God is. It defines our relationship with Him and also our relationship with other human beings. We are God’s children, but we are not alone in the world. The Lord’s Prayer teaches us to think of ourselves as part of a larger group, but it also teaches us that God is in heaven. It reminds us of our insignificance and at the same time His greatness. We are great in Him. Without Him we are just the dust from which we were made and to which we will return.
Ricardo Bentancor, an exquisite writer, and personal friend, told me one day that when he was a child and misbehaved, he would leave the house and hide by climbing on the roof for fear of punishment; but then, gazing at the infinite sky, he felt sure of God’s love and fell asleep watching the stars.
Maybe that is why Jesus taught us to address God as our Father in heaven. His power is supernatural.
Take Action
Your Father is the King, a king of love. There is nothing definitive that human beings can do to you if He is your Father. The winds will blow, they will shake your boat, but you feel safe because your Father is the God of heaven. Will you meditate today on the fact that you are the King’s child? Sing “Our Father” (if possible, with your family).