The Lord's Prayer
Trying to understand the words27 total reviews
Comment from Writeaway...
A very analytical understand of the Lord's prayer, I always feel more relaxed just saying the prayer over and over again whenever I am stressed. This is a well deserving piece, Spiritual Echo, your writing is strong and powerful and I cannot suggest anything for improvment, an excellent job, keep writing!! :)
reply by the author on 25-Feb-2011
A very analytical understand of the Lord's prayer, I always feel more relaxed just saying the prayer over and over again whenever I am stressed. This is a well deserving piece, Spiritual Echo, your writing is strong and powerful and I cannot suggest anything for improvment, an excellent job, keep writing!! :)
Comment Written 25-Feb-2011
reply by the author on 25-Feb-2011
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Thank you for your generous bouquet of stars.
Comment from Razz
Very well written. The sincere emotions of hope and love come through clearly. Your friend Maria is not dead, she's home; and happy. We miss all our friends and loved ones, but if we could truly know, I mean really know, just how happy they are, we would smile an envious smile for them.
"Hallowed be thy name."
You hit the nail on the head with this one.
"Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven."
All He wants from us is our pure, unconditional love.
It's that simple, and His will seems to come to life when we sincerely love Him above every one and every thing.
"Give us this day our daily bread."
Christ is our daily bread. Maybe that is why Maria received communion every morning, and although it is admirable and devoted it is not necessary. Jesus himself was, in many places within the scriptures, referred to as the bread of life. His words, His grace, His love. Jesus himself is the living bread.
"Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those that trespass against us."
Well isn't that a mouthful!
Yes, it is.
Forgiveness is a key to total peace. There is only one mediator between God and us that is the Lord Jesus Christ.
We do not need anyone else to hear our sins. The instant Jesus died on the cross the veil on the Temple was ripped from...top... to bottom. That was our sign from God that we no longer needed to confess our sins to a priest.
In the days before Christ became our sacrifice, the priests would once a year go to the sacred Temple to offer a sacrifice for the sins of the people. And the priest had to be the most holy and learned priest of the land. Aron was the first priest, a Levite. Only he was permitted by law to enter the holy of holies. In the mose specified of garments. A goat(Scapegoat) was slaughtered and its blood was sprinkled and offered to God withinn; behind the silk veil. And only under the explicit directions of God.
So when Jesus died on the cross and the veil was rent from top to bottom and the need for priests to take our sins to God became null and void. Christ himself became our sacrifice and most holy of high priest. We can go to God on our own; just us and our heart.
You asked about forgiving oneself. That is the hardest to do, but in reality when we ask God to forgive us straight out, and then we still hold it against ourselves, we have failed to believe that God took that sin from us. When we know that He will forgive the sin is gone. Totally! As though it never existed.
As to someone who tries to wound you spiritually, I know of this one personally too. We should just imagine the soul within them. It is perfect and loving. It was created by God. It is the persoanlity that gets in the way. Theirs and ours. Yes, it is true, some souls are just evil, there were others besides Satan. And we are never asked to forgive anyone who is not seeking forgiveness, however, it is always in our best interest to silently forgive all.
Forgetting is not advised. We should remember to the extent that we protect ourselves from further troubles.
"Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil.'
This is just a plea for God to keep us on the right path, and when we sincerely look for Hid guidance, He will.
Thank you God.
As to the faith you spoke of. I believe that you do not give yourself enough credit. Faith only the size of a mustard seed can help you move mountains. All we have to do is aske God to restore or give us faith. He is always there waiting for us to just love and trust him.
All in all I enjoyed your story tremendously. Very unique and loving to weave in every line of the Lord's Prayer.
I loved this work.
Great job
Matt.7:7
Be blessed.
Razz
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2011
Very well written. The sincere emotions of hope and love come through clearly. Your friend Maria is not dead, she's home; and happy. We miss all our friends and loved ones, but if we could truly know, I mean really know, just how happy they are, we would smile an envious smile for them.
"Hallowed be thy name."
You hit the nail on the head with this one.
"Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven."
All He wants from us is our pure, unconditional love.
It's that simple, and His will seems to come to life when we sincerely love Him above every one and every thing.
"Give us this day our daily bread."
Christ is our daily bread. Maybe that is why Maria received communion every morning, and although it is admirable and devoted it is not necessary. Jesus himself was, in many places within the scriptures, referred to as the bread of life. His words, His grace, His love. Jesus himself is the living bread.
"Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those that trespass against us."
Well isn't that a mouthful!
Yes, it is.
Forgiveness is a key to total peace. There is only one mediator between God and us that is the Lord Jesus Christ.
We do not need anyone else to hear our sins. The instant Jesus died on the cross the veil on the Temple was ripped from...top... to bottom. That was our sign from God that we no longer needed to confess our sins to a priest.
In the days before Christ became our sacrifice, the priests would once a year go to the sacred Temple to offer a sacrifice for the sins of the people. And the priest had to be the most holy and learned priest of the land. Aron was the first priest, a Levite. Only he was permitted by law to enter the holy of holies. In the mose specified of garments. A goat(Scapegoat) was slaughtered and its blood was sprinkled and offered to God withinn; behind the silk veil. And only under the explicit directions of God.
So when Jesus died on the cross and the veil was rent from top to bottom and the need for priests to take our sins to God became null and void. Christ himself became our sacrifice and most holy of high priest. We can go to God on our own; just us and our heart.
You asked about forgiving oneself. That is the hardest to do, but in reality when we ask God to forgive us straight out, and then we still hold it against ourselves, we have failed to believe that God took that sin from us. When we know that He will forgive the sin is gone. Totally! As though it never existed.
As to someone who tries to wound you spiritually, I know of this one personally too. We should just imagine the soul within them. It is perfect and loving. It was created by God. It is the persoanlity that gets in the way. Theirs and ours. Yes, it is true, some souls are just evil, there were others besides Satan. And we are never asked to forgive anyone who is not seeking forgiveness, however, it is always in our best interest to silently forgive all.
Forgetting is not advised. We should remember to the extent that we protect ourselves from further troubles.
"Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil.'
This is just a plea for God to keep us on the right path, and when we sincerely look for Hid guidance, He will.
Thank you God.
As to the faith you spoke of. I believe that you do not give yourself enough credit. Faith only the size of a mustard seed can help you move mountains. All we have to do is aske God to restore or give us faith. He is always there waiting for us to just love and trust him.
All in all I enjoyed your story tremendously. Very unique and loving to weave in every line of the Lord's Prayer.
I loved this work.
Great job
Matt.7:7
Be blessed.
Razz
Comment Written 24-Feb-2011
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2011
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I appreciate the time you took to read and respond.
Comment from koneart
*Choke*! Like I had said before, you ask the best questions! I'm so impressed.
It's hard to lose someone special. That loneliness! But, remember Jesus said there would be a resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous, so we can rest knowing Maria is safe. [John 5:28, 29]
The Lord's prayer is loaded with information and introducing incredible ideas about who our God is. If you don't mind, I'd like to share what I know about the first line.
Our Father who art in Heaven, Holy be thy name. [Matthew 6:9]
Jesus was teaching his followers how to pray. Hence, the Lord's Prayer is often labeled the 'model prayer'. It was not meant to be used in rote but as an example as to what to present to God in heart-felt prayer. [See Matthew 6:5-7 but especially verse 7]
So, the first thing Jesus says to pray for is that his Father's NAME be holy. Yes, God does have a name. In most Bibles, it's preserved at Psalm 83:18. His name is Jehovah. If you don't find it there, just do a little research. The FORWARD in the Bible usually has this information. You'll find [sadly] that this special name was originally in the Bible over 7000 times but removed by many modern translations due to superstitions and lack of respect.
Now, I'm going to stop there as I don't want to bombard you with a lot of information. Just remember to test my words out. [*1 John 4:1] Plus, I'm not sure how interested you are in learning, but I'm here and love to talk Bible.
Now, about this piece you wrote. I found it gracious, gentle, candid and searching. It generated peace. I love your thinking powers and word choices. And, the Art thingee was funny. I did find something to look at grammar wise as noted below. Wonderful, thought provoking writing. It won points, too, because the prayer is one of my favorite scriptures. So, you did okay here. I love the innocence of it.
When we were allowed to paint on easels in elementary school [you might want to put a comma here] I was sure I was creating a masterpiece.
*Just an FYI: There are four books titled JOHN. 1st John is at the end of the Bible by Revelations. If you already know this, forgive me.
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2011
*Choke*! Like I had said before, you ask the best questions! I'm so impressed.
It's hard to lose someone special. That loneliness! But, remember Jesus said there would be a resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous, so we can rest knowing Maria is safe. [John 5:28, 29]
The Lord's prayer is loaded with information and introducing incredible ideas about who our God is. If you don't mind, I'd like to share what I know about the first line.
Our Father who art in Heaven, Holy be thy name. [Matthew 6:9]
Jesus was teaching his followers how to pray. Hence, the Lord's Prayer is often labeled the 'model prayer'. It was not meant to be used in rote but as an example as to what to present to God in heart-felt prayer. [See Matthew 6:5-7 but especially verse 7]
So, the first thing Jesus says to pray for is that his Father's NAME be holy. Yes, God does have a name. In most Bibles, it's preserved at Psalm 83:18. His name is Jehovah. If you don't find it there, just do a little research. The FORWARD in the Bible usually has this information. You'll find [sadly] that this special name was originally in the Bible over 7000 times but removed by many modern translations due to superstitions and lack of respect.
Now, I'm going to stop there as I don't want to bombard you with a lot of information. Just remember to test my words out. [*1 John 4:1] Plus, I'm not sure how interested you are in learning, but I'm here and love to talk Bible.
Now, about this piece you wrote. I found it gracious, gentle, candid and searching. It generated peace. I love your thinking powers and word choices. And, the Art thingee was funny. I did find something to look at grammar wise as noted below. Wonderful, thought provoking writing. It won points, too, because the prayer is one of my favorite scriptures. So, you did okay here. I love the innocence of it.
When we were allowed to paint on easels in elementary school [you might want to put a comma here] I was sure I was creating a masterpiece.
*Just an FYI: There are four books titled JOHN. 1st John is at the end of the Bible by Revelations. If you already know this, forgive me.
Comment Written 24-Feb-2011
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2011
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Thankyou. I am always pleased to hear how another heart searches for the soul of his spirit and what tools he depends on to define his journey.
Comment from Econ Teacher
I liked this one. It brought meaning to the Lord's prayer. It was well planned out. It had a nice beginning, middle and end. I also liked how it was brought back to remembering Maria. It brought good closure to the piece.
I have a couple of other comments:
That is funny about thinking God's name was Art.
It is so true about if we only had our daily bread, then we could solve hunger problems. However, in America we have pantries that could feed whole villages. Americans throw away more food than some countries eat.
Overall, a well-written thought out piece.
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2011
I liked this one. It brought meaning to the Lord's prayer. It was well planned out. It had a nice beginning, middle and end. I also liked how it was brought back to remembering Maria. It brought good closure to the piece.
I have a couple of other comments:
That is funny about thinking God's name was Art.
It is so true about if we only had our daily bread, then we could solve hunger problems. However, in America we have pantries that could feed whole villages. Americans throw away more food than some countries eat.
Overall, a well-written thought out piece.
Comment Written 24-Feb-2011
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2011
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Its interestingyou liked this piece and yet you punched fictitious view numbers into my Rebuttal.Okay, for your amusement another member suggested that as a child he thought God's name was Howard (Hallowed be Thy name) Peace.
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You were mistaken that views had meaning and I showed you otherwise. This piece is well-written. The other wasn't. It had typos, misspellings, irrational arguments and misrepentations of facts (i.e. the view to review ratio having meaning). This piece has been thought out. It has purpose. It is a much stronger piece of writing and deserves a higher score. I wavered on giving it a six, and now I see that I can't go back and change it to a six, so it will stay at a solid 5 stars.
Comment from Judian James
I am so sorry you lost your dear friend, Maria but this piece as a testimony to all she was to you is truly superb.
Quoting the Lord's Prayer and breaking it down with commentary between lines was a stroke of brilliance that made your point so effectively. So often, we rattle the words off by rote and completely dismiss what we're actually saying. I have no sixes left and for that I am sorry. Oh, and when I was a child, I thought the Lord's name was "Howard" until my mom heard me and corrected it: " Our Father, who art in heaven, Howard be thy name"!
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2011
I am so sorry you lost your dear friend, Maria but this piece as a testimony to all she was to you is truly superb.
Quoting the Lord's Prayer and breaking it down with commentary between lines was a stroke of brilliance that made your point so effectively. So often, we rattle the words off by rote and completely dismiss what we're actually saying. I have no sixes left and for that I am sorry. Oh, and when I was a child, I thought the Lord's name was "Howard" until my mom heard me and corrected it: " Our Father, who art in heaven, Howard be thy name"!
Comment Written 24-Feb-2011
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2011
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You and another member! I thought Art was crazy, but heu mayber Howard was his brother!
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no kidding? Hilarious!
Comment from gerry26
Very moving and sometime funny. I often have tried to interpet some parts of the prayer, I did not do as well as you did. The saddness come thru. Good Job.
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2011
Very moving and sometime funny. I often have tried to interpet some parts of the prayer, I did not do as well as you did. The saddness come thru. Good Job.
Comment Written 24-Feb-2011
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2011
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Another member told me he thought God'd name was Howard (Hallowed be Thine Name) Thanks.
Comment from Seraphim Delphinium
Too funny and too witty! Ok, so "What is God's name?" "Andy. Because Andy walks with me, Andy talks with me. Andy tells me I am His own." whoo hoo
Really enjoyed reading this. Loved the riddle, too!
Seraph~
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2011
Too funny and too witty! Ok, so "What is God's name?" "Andy. Because Andy walks with me, Andy talks with me. Andy tells me I am His own." whoo hoo
Really enjoyed reading this. Loved the riddle, too!
Seraph~
Comment Written 24-Feb-2011
reply by the author on 24-Feb-2011
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Yes and one reader told me her thought his name was Howard (Hallowed be thy name)
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LOLOL!!
Comment from sgalletti
What an amazing piece of writing! I thoroughly appreciated your honest reflections on words that so many say without giving much thought. This is a six worthy piece and I am sorry that Eddie is stingy enough that I do not have the gold star to give to you. I found this very thought provoking. Sue
reply by the author on 23-Feb-2011
What an amazing piece of writing! I thoroughly appreciated your honest reflections on words that so many say without giving much thought. This is a six worthy piece and I am sorry that Eddie is stingy enough that I do not have the gold star to give to you. I found this very thought provoking. Sue
Comment Written 23-Feb-2011
reply by the author on 23-Feb-2011
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Who is Eddie? CLucus brought him up also and I don't understand.
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"Evil Eddie" is another name for "Tom." I don't like how the site is so limiting in the number of six star ratings we can provide in a given amount of time to any one writer or to exemplary piees of writing. Sue
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Thanks for the info.
Comment from c_lucas
Evil Eddie has introduced himself. Prayer is not by rote, nor is it words, seeking approval of your fellow worshipers. Prayer is heart to heart with the Holy Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Some times it can be in thought form. This is very well written.
reply by the author on 23-Feb-2011
Evil Eddie has introduced himself. Prayer is not by rote, nor is it words, seeking approval of your fellow worshipers. Prayer is heart to heart with the Holy Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Some times it can be in thought form. This is very well written.
Comment Written 23-Feb-2011
reply by the author on 23-Feb-2011
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Likely not, but my point was that I mouthed these words for decades and never paused to consider their meaning.
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Been there, done that. Yours and Razz essays influence my next post. Thank you.
Comment from bhogg
I remember telling my mother after vacation Bible School that I learned God's name, it was Howard. "Our Father, Howard in Heaven." Thanks for slowing me down and reflecting on this most beautiful poem of all. Warm regards, Bill
reply by the author on 23-Feb-2011
I remember telling my mother after vacation Bible School that I learned God's name, it was Howard. "Our Father, Howard in Heaven." Thanks for slowing me down and reflecting on this most beautiful poem of all. Warm regards, Bill
Comment Written 23-Feb-2011
reply by the author on 23-Feb-2011
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Thats just as funny! Do you think Art ad Howard are brothers?