by PPL Board Member, Rev. Lowell Avery
Dear PPL Family,
I find that I continually need the Lord to teach me to pray. The
following is part of what He’s been teaching me lately. Perhaps you
will find this expanded version of the Lord’s Prayer helpful.
Our Father, what a joy and comfort it is to know that You watch over us
personally and want each of us to have an earthly father who does the
same.
And because You are in heaven, You see the big picture, You know how we
fit into Your master plan for the salvation of the world.
May Your name be hallowed by all creation, for You indeed are holy. You
have made us in Your holy image, and we pray that all human beings be
regarded as such, including unborn babies and infants, people with
disabilities, the mentally ill, the old and weak.
May Your Kingdom come, both in the individual sense, as You are received
as the saving Lord in peoples’ lives, and in the cosmic sense, as Jesus
returns to reign over a life-affirming, new heaven and earth.
May Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, where there is no
more death, mourning, crying, or pain, and everything is done in
accordance with Your holy Word;
in our personal lives, as we strive to do our part to protect innocent
human life and to persuade others to do the same;
in the congregations of Christ’s church; lead us to work together to
establish justice and to help those in need wherever we live;
in the lives of the women and their families who are facing crisis
pregnancies;
in the hearts, souls, and minds of those who influence and set policies
for health care and adoption, including government officials, insurance
company boards, doctors, nurses, and hospital administrators.
Give us - including the weak and vulnerable - this day our daily bread,
the necessities of life: food, clothing, shelter, and protection from
the destroyers of life. Move Your people to provide for those in need
to the very best of our abilities.
And forgive us our debts, for we have failed repeatedly to do Your will
and protect human life. We have chosen to identify with and to act
according to the will of this world, our own self-centered flesh, and
the devil, who seeks to kill, steal, and destroy. We have sought our
own comforts instead of looking after the necessities of the vulnerable.
We have guarded our own power instead of helping the weak.
Yes, by Your grace, forgive us our debts as we, in Your grace, forgive
our debtors: those who have harmed us and hardened our hearts; those who
have been our models of self-centered living; those who have stolen the
joy of having new-borns and children and older brothers and sisters in
our lives
And lead us not into temptation, for it is easy to hate enemies, those
who hate us. It is easy to fall into self-righteousness. It is easy to
do the easy thing and not pay the price to love our neighbors as
ourselves.
Instead, deliver us from evil and the evil one behind it all. Protect
us from his temptations, baseless accusations, and attacks by his
followers. Train us to use the armor You provide for us to prevail and
remain standing in spiritual battles. And in Your perfect time, “come,
Lord Jesus,”
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.
Interested in joining the PPL Life Support Prayer Team? Learn more.