I believe that when Jesus gave us the Lord’s Prayer to pray, there were actually blanks that we were supposed to fill in. I bet he had more in mind than the words he gave and we are supposed to add to this prayer.

Bear with me. Think for a minute how you “say/sing” the Lord’s Prayer. I can say it very quickly, and in groups, like at church, it comes out in a rhythmic tone almost like a nursery rhyme. I can even say it without thinking about what I am saying. But if I would be asked, “What comes after…” I might have to go through the whole prayer to figure it out. It is sort of like the alphabet. I can sing or say it, but don’t ask me what comes after “q”. I have to hesitate and say a few letters before I can tell you the answer. I know the rhythm but I can’t say it without going through part of the alphabet to remember individual letters. Why is that?

Perhaps it is that I learned it that way at a young age and seldom give the individual lines any serious thought. I used to think the Lord’s Prayer was only good if said in its entirety. It sort of covered all the bases, so to speak. But lately I have been saying it slowly and filling in the blanks. Here is how I do it: 

Our father who art in heaven
     You are my Lord and my creator, without you, I would be nothing
Hallowed be thy name
     You are wonderful and I praise you for all the blessings that you
     have given me today
 Thy kingdom come
     I look forward to being with you Lord and hope you are returning
     soon because we need you
Thy will be done
     I know that you have a plan for me and I ask for patience and strength
     to do your will and not my own
On earth, as it is in heaven
     I pray for your church to grow and be stronger against those who hate us
Give us this day our daily bread
     Thank you Lord for fulfilling my needs and seeing that I have enough
And forgive us our debts
     I know I have sinned today lord and have not pleased you. I specifically
     ask for forgiveness of these sins.
As we forgive our debtors
     Help me Lord to forgive the people who have wronged me today, help me
     to love them and move past the hurt I may feel
And lead us not into temptation
     Lord, you know my weaknesses and I call on you for strength
But deliver us from evil
     You are the one who can protect me from Satan and the entrapments of
     this world. Please help me.
For thine is the kingdom
     This world belongs to you, Lord, and so do I
And the power
     You are the one and only true God
And the glory
     I praise you. All that is good belongs to you, Lord
Forever
     Eternity God, I want to be there with you
Amen.
     Let it be so.
And Amen.

Your blanks could be different from mine. In fact, mine could change, daily.

But pray. He did. And that is what he wanted us to do. We can take his model and make it our own. Just fill in the blanks.