Morning Devotional

Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.

Prayer for the Morning

Lord, teach me to number my days aright, that I may gain wisdom of heart.

Help me do today the things that matter, not to waste the time I have.

The moments I have are precious, Lord, see that I count them dear. Teach me to number my days aright. Fill me this day with your kindness, that I may be glad and rejoice all the days of my life. Through Christ I pray,

A Prayer of Repentence

O Lord our God, good and merciful, I acknowledge all my sins which I have committed every day of my life, in thought, word and deed; in body and soul alike. I am heartily sorry that I have ever offended you, and I sincerely repent; with tears I humbly pray you, O Lord: of your mercy forgive me for all my past transgressions and absolve me from them. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your Grace, to amend my way of life and to sin no more; that I may walk in the way of the righteous and offer praise and glory to the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Blessing

The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make his face to shine upon us, and be gracious unto us. The Lord lift up his countenance upon us, and give us peace, this day and evermore.

Psalm 106:4-5

Matthew 6:7-13

The Lord's Prayer [Part 3] (New Living Translation)

When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! Pray like this:

Notes on the Scripture

"Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us"

Christ comments on this line, reinforcing its importance, in Matthew 6:14-15: "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

Since the forgiveness of others is a precondition to receiving forgiveness for our own sins, it is critical to pray and meditate on our own anger at others. This can be difficult. But no matter how hurt our feelings are, no matter how outraged we may be, we can always start by at least saying the words "Lord, I forgive so-and-so". Even if we don't mean it, we can say it in prayer, and keep saying it every day.

A second strategy I use, when forgiveness is difficult, is to simply think about the concept of forgiveness. It may take many, many repeated attempts to forgive someone in our heart. It might take years! A third method I personally find very helpful is to think or say "this person is God's beautiful and beloved child". For some reason, this works for me. It puts me in God's perspective, to some degree. I think about the person, not from my (angry) point of view, but as a human being who is loved by his or her father.