February 2: Insight Post by Kim Feld
Monday Insight Post
by Kim Feld
I’m excited to move into prayer as our practice focus for February and am working on integrating it into January’s practice of meditation. The Lord’s Prayer that we have as our first passage to reflect on is one I have often used for meditation. I love the way the Message expresses these verses. Take a look at Matthew 6:9-13:
Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best—
as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
As I read and pondered these words, the phrase “Reveal who you are” leapt off the page. I want to see and know God for who He truly is. For many of us, our life experiences may have given us a distorted view of God – we may see Him as angry, judgmental, impossible to please, etc. So, my prayer has and continues to be that God would reveal His true self to me and remind me of who He is when I may be deceived into believing a lie.
I am also praying that God would “set the world right” as He defines it, not necessarily as I may define it. He has given us His word to show what “right” looks like, but scripture can be misinterpreted and misapplied. I am praying that He guards us from that.
Jesus gave His disciples this prayer as a model that begins with recognizing the holiness of God. When I rush into prayer with my wants and needs without acknowledging who God is, I tend to focus more on myself than Him. Honestly, many of my prayers are like that – a “help me!” thrown up to Heaven as I rush from thing to thing. I believe God hears those prayers and often strengthens me through them, but my perspective changes when I first acknowledge that He is my all-powerful God and nothing that comes my way is bigger than Him.
When we say that prayer should begin with praise, it’s not because God is some kind of egomaniac who needs to be puffed up all the time. It’s about setting our perspective. The Creator of the Universe has invited us to come to Him whenever we want. He doesn’t give us a distracted “uh-huh” while looking at something else when we call out to Him. He turns His face toward us and listens. He weeps with us, laughs with us, and carries us when life is too heavy to bear. Our Father in heaven, reveal who You are.
Kim Feld
Executive Director of Education and Outreach
New Hope Church
Lorton, Virginia
www.newhope.org