SCRIPTURE from Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV): This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’
THOUGHT Jesus never taught us to pray for personal safety, yet we do it all the time. I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with asking God to protect us, but when that ask becomes a fearful focus (such as during a worldwide pandemic, in which U.S. victims have now exceeded the numbers of China and Italy), we need to stop, think about it, and re-calibrate our prayers. When Jesus taught his closest companions about prayer, he said we should ask for bread for today. The other needs he taught them to express were much larger than the basics: Pray for God’s will! Pray for forgiveness after checking your own heart to see if you’ve forgiven others! Pray for deliverance from the evil one — and a heart that’s strong when temptation comes!
Jesus entrusted his personal safety to his Father, knowing that he would be kept until the moment it was time to lay down life. We can do the same — this is part of the glorious freedom that is given to us in Christ. Consider this powerful lyric most of us can sing by heart: No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the power of Christ in me. From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny!
SONG Lord, I Need You with Matt Maher https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuvfMDhTyMA
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