Sometimes I practice what is, I guess, a form of “free association” when praying. I pray a short prayer, then think of, and pray, other verses that support, explain, or expand the thought.
Today, I started praying the Lord’s Prayer, and was focusing on the third and fourth phrases. “Thy kingdom come.” Two verses came to mind: “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” [2 Chron 7:14-15] Or similar “But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey him. 31 For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath.” [Deut 4:29-31] It’s a necessary precondition of the fulfillment of “Thy kingdom come.”
The next phrase is “Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven.” This time, my mind concentrated on the interpersonal aspects of God’s will; we call it justice. It’s a theme that runs throughout the Bible. “Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you.” [Deut 16:20] Or one of my favorite proverbs, “By justice a king gives a country stability, but one who is greedy for bribes tears it down.” [Prov 29:4] Or the idea that Paul later would mimic in Romans, but said by Amos earlier, “Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts.” [Amos 5:15a] So much to say about justice! So little evidence it exists! So necessary our prayers!
Askance Eye Miniblog 