About "Our Father"

[Febe]

I found this wisdom in the forum of Salvation Army:





"I cannot pray "OUR," if my faith has no room for others and their need.

I cannot pray "FATHER," if I do not demonstrate this relationship to God in my daily living.

I cannot pray "WHO ART IN HEAVEN," if all of my interests and pursuits are in earthly things.

I cannot pray "HALLOWED BE THY NAME," if I am not striving for God's help to be holy.

I cannot pray "THY KINGDOM COME," if I am unwilling to accept God's rule in my life.

I cannot pray "THY WILL BE DONE," if I am unwilling or resentful of having it in my life.

I cannot pray "IN EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN," unless I am truly ready to give myself to God's service here and now.

I cannot pray "GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD," without expending honest effort for it or if I would withhold from my neighbor the bread I receive.

I cannot pray "FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US," if I continue to harbor a grudge against anyone.

I cannot pray "LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION," if I deliberately choose to remain in a situation where I am likely to be tempted.

I cannot pray "DELIVER US FROM EVIL," if I am not prepared to fight with my life and my prayer.

I cannot pray "THINE IS THE KINGDOM," if I am unwilling to obey the King.

I cannot pray "THINE IS THE POWER AND THE GLORY," if I am seeking power for myself and my own glory first.

I cannot pray 'FOREVER AND EVER," if I am too anxious about each day's affairs.

I cannot pray "AMEN," unless I honestly say "Not MY will, but THY will be done, so let it be."

 

[Da_Funkey_Gibbon]

This deserves a thousand reps!

 

[TomUK]

Wow!!!!

 

[Febe]

This deserves a thousand reps!

Actually, I did rep the writer, and told him I would copy it here, telling what forum it came from...

 

[GraceInHim]

This deserves a thousand reps!

 

[Gwendolyn]

Wow, this is fantastic. Do thank the person who wrote it. I am going to print it off and keep it in my prayer corner as a reminder of the daily decisions that I have to make in order to choose Christ.

 

[JoshuaCh1v9]

The Lord's Prayer

(Rather cleverly done...)

Our Father Who Art in Heaven.
YES?
Don't interrupt me. I'm praying.
BUT -- YOU CALLED ME!
Called you? No, I didn't call you. I'm praying. Our Father who art in heaven.
THERE -- YOU DID IT AGAIN!
Did what?
CALLED ME. YOU SAID, "OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN" WELL HERE I AM. WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND?
But I didn't mean anything by it. I was, you know, just saying my prayers for the day. I always say the Lord's Prayer. It makes me feel good, kind of like fulfilling a duty.
WELL, ALRIGHT. GO ON.
Okay, Hallowed be thy name...
HOLD IT RIGHT THERE. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?
By what?
BY "HALLOWED BE THY NAME"?
It means, it means... good grief, I don't know what it means. How in the world should I know? It's just a part of the prayer. By the way, what does it mean?
IT MEANS HONORED, HOLY, WONDERFUL.
Hey, that makes sense. I never thought about what "hallowed" meant before. Thanks. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
DO YOU REALLY MEAN THAT?
Sure, why not?
WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT IT?
Doing? Why, nothing, I guess. I just think it would be kind of neat if you got control of everything down here like you have up there. We're kinda in a mess down here you know.
YES, I KNOW; BUT, HAVE I GOT CONTROL OF YOU?
Well, I go to church.
THAT ISN'T WHAT I ASKED YOU. WHAT ABOUT YOUR BAD TEMPER? YOU'VE REALLY GOT A PROBLEM THERE, YOU KNOW. AND THEN THERE'S THE WAY YOU SPEND YOUR MONEY -- ALL ON YOURSELF. AND WHAT ABOUT THE KIND OF BOOKS YOU READ?
Now hold on just a minute! Stop picking on me! I'm just as good as some of the rest of those people at church!
EXCUSE ME. I THOUGHT YOU WERE PRAYING FOR MY WILL TO BE DONE. IF THAT IS TO HAPPEN, IT WILL HAVE TO START WITH THE ONES WHO ARE PRAYING FOR IT. LIKE YOU -- FOR EXAMPLE.
Oh, alright. I guess I do have some hang-ups. Now that you mention it, I could probably name some others.
SO COULD I.
I haven't thought about it very much until now, but I really would like to cut out some of those things. I would like to, you know, be really free.
GOOD. NOW WE'RE GETTING SOMEWHERE. WE'LL WORK TOGETHER -- YOU AND ME. I'M PROUD OF YOU.
Look, Lord, if you don't mind, I need to finish up here. This is taking a lot longer than it usually does. Give us this day, our daily bread.
YOU NEED TO CUT OUT THE BREAD. YOU'RE OVERWEIGHT AS IT IS.
Hey, wait a minute! What is this? Here I was doing my religious duty, and all of a sudden you break in and remind me of all my hang-ups.
PRAYING IS A DANGEROUS THING. YOU JUST MIGHT GET WHAT YOU ASK FOR. REMEMBER, YOU CALLED ME -- AND HERE I AM. IT'S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW. KEEP PRAYING.
...pause...
WELL, GO ON.
I'm scared to.
SCARED? OF WHAT?
I know what you'll say.
TRY ME.
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.
WHAT ABOUT CAROL?
See? I knew it! I knew you would bring her up! Why, Lord, she's told lies about me, spread stories. She never paid back the money she owes me. I've sworn to get even with her!
BUT -- YOUR PRAYER -- WHAT ABOUT YOUR PRAYER?
I didn't -- mean it.
WELL, AT LEAST YOU'RE HONEST. BUT, IT'S QUITE A LOAD CARRYING AROUND ALL THAT BITTERNESS AND RESENTMENT ISN'T IT?
Yes, but I'll feel better as soon as I get even with her. Boy, have I got some plans for her. She'll wish she had never been born.
NO, YOU WON'T FEEL ANY BETTER, YOU'LL FEEL WORSE. REVENGE ISN'T SWEET, YOU KNOW HOW UNHAPPY YOU ARE -- WELL, I CAN CHANGE THAT.
You can? How?
FORGIVE CAROL. THEN, I'LL FORGIVE YOU; AND THE HATE AND SIN WILL BE CAROL'S PROBLEM -- NOT YOURS. YOU WILL HAVE SETTLED THE PROBLEM AS FAR AS YOU ARE CONCERNED.
Oh, you know, you're right. You always are. And more than I want revenge, I want to be right with you..., (sigh). Alright... alright... I forgive her.
THERE NOW! WONDERFUL! HOW DO YOU FEEL?
Hmmm. Well, not bad. Not bad at all! In fact, I feel pretty great! You know, I don't think I'll go to bed uptight tonight. I haven't been getting much rest, you know.
YEAH, I KNOW. BUT, YOU'RE NOT THROUGH WITH YOUR PRAYER ARE YOU? GO ON.
Oh, alright. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
GOOD! GOOD! I'LL DO THAT. JUST DON'T PUT YOURSELF IN A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN BE TEMPTED.
What do you mean by that?
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.
Yeah. I know.
OKAY. GO AHEAD. FINISH YOUR PRAYER.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BRING ME GLORY -- WHAT WOULD REALLY MAKE ME HAPPY?
No, but I'd like to know. I want to please you now. I've really made a mess of things. I want to truely follow you. I can see now how great that would be. So, tell me... how do I make you happy?
YOU JUST DID!

 

[redMountian]

On a class retreat in grade 9, two of my teachers made that one into a skit for us, it was great! The funny thing was that the female teacher played God the Father.

 

[Febe]

Our Father Who Art in Heaven.
YES?
Don't interrupt me. I'm praying.
BUT -- YOU CALLED ME!
Called you? No, I didn't call you. I'm praying. Our Father who art in heaven. etc...

Yes..... It is good to think about what You say!
As said: be careful about what You pray for... You might get it!

 

[Andy Broadley]

Our Father Who Art in Heaven.
YES?
Don't interrupt me. I'm praying.
BUT -- YOU CALLED ME!
Called you? No, I didn't call you. I'm praying. Our Father who art in heaven. etc...

Yes..... It is good to think about what You say!
As said: be careful about what You pray for... You might get it!

Indeed.

We say the Lords Prayer so often that it would be eassy to simply rattle through it without actually thinking about what we are saying.

First time I read this one it kinda stopped me in my tracks.

 

[Febe]

We say the Lords Prayer so often that it would be eassy to simply rattle through it without actually thinking about what we are saying.

Yes, indeed! And that is very impolite towards God, as well as stupid... as we might get what we ask for!
.........................................

 

[hannabl]

Sometimes we do pray out af habit... when I notice that I've just said the words without any concern for what they mean, I usually pray it agian - but this time in either English or Latin. It really helps to use a different language as you're somewhat forced to think about what it means.

 

[elm0]

Actually, I did rep the writer, and told him I would copy it here, telling what forum it came from...

Just thought I would clear up something. I was the person who posted this in The Salvation Army forum, but it is not my own work, but something I found online. Here are the details of where it's from:

"If God Talked Out Loud..." by Clyde Lee Herring pg.. 13-21.

1977 Broadman Press

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 76-27479.


God Bless.
elm0
=8~D