The Phil Files

Last Thursday, our church family was shocked at the untimely death of a dear friend and houseparent for a children’s home. She was in her early 50’s! I haven’t taken time to share my heart or my meditations around the Lord’s Prayer since then — not enough energy with several other emergencies and not a lot to say. One overwhelming conviction, however, has rule my heart: “Give us today!”

I can’t even get to the “daily” part. I am stuck on the, “Give us today!”

Not only is today all we have, it’s all we can handle. So I encourage you to pray the Lord’s prayer with me focusing upon this one simple word that should re-route our priorities and refocus our energies on what is most important:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.

For or yours is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.”

O God, please give me the focus and the motivation to live today to its fullest!

[Jesus said] “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.

For or yours is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.’”

“Give us today …”

As I go to bed tonight, my heart so full of complex things I must do and say tomorrow — some of them speaking for you and some just speaking stuff with your people, I am stressed about not messing up. As I watched our local sports tonight, they completely fouled up everything — camera, clips, cues — and I see all these complex things I just worry if I can do it without making a mess. But you told me to pray, “Give us today …!”

I know this is set in the context of my daily bread, the meal I need and not necessarily the meal I want. But you are also placing before me a strong call to live in today and not some other day that I can define.

Thank you for your gentle reminder that today is enough, and when it is not enough, the problem with us is not appreciating this day. I confess, I did revel in it today, taking in it’s pace, its soft feel in the air, and I realized that somewere you will connect ne to my placel