Think of one individual in your life right now.  In your mind, see that individual.  Now sit quietly before God with that individual in your heart.  What does he/she truly need?  What is most urgent for that person?  Now, pray about what you’ve heard.

You, Lord, are like the mountains.

You surround us, protect us, and inspire us.

You, Lord, make us like mountains.

You cause us to become strong, enduring, and unshakable.

Be my mountain today Lord.

Make me a mountain today Lord.

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When I look back over my life, I see one thing clearly: you are for us.  You are on our side.

There was that time when dangerous people made my life so difficult!

But you rescued me.

There was that time when all my carefully constructed plans suddenly collapsed!

But you saved me.

There’s not a single doubt in my mind.

You are for us.

You are on our side.

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The Heirloom of Prayer

During her sunset years of life, Kendra’s grandmother hand-stitched several colorful quilts for Kendra.  They are some of our favorite heirlooms—especially the double wedding band quilt.  The blankets remind us of Memaw’s generous love, fun-loving spirit and quirky personality.  I think of her every time we pull a quilt out of our hallway closet.

Perhaps you have an heirloom from a much-loved-one.  A family piano.  A treasured set of crystal.  A piece of framed art.  These items reflect that individual’s kindness and care.  They tell us something about the heart of that person.

Leaving an inheritance is a common practice.  We’ve come to expect it from those who are important to us.  But what about the One who is most important?  Did Jesus leave an heirloom?  If so, what was it?  What gift did Jesus bequeath to those who lived after he left?  If Jesus had written a will, what legacy would he have listed on its pages?

Perhaps with such questions in mind, George Buttrick writes this: “Two signs of Jesus abide, though all else be ignored or forgotten—a prayer and a cross…These are His memorial: not a tombstone or a moneyed foundation, but a simple prayer and a gallows set against the daybreak.”[i]

You may not be surprised to find the cross listed on Jesus’ Last Will and Testament.  Almost universally, when people think of the Christ they think of the cross.  The worldwide symbol of Jesus’ contribution to humanity is his cross.  The world-changing summary of Jesus’ challenge to humanity is his cross.  He died so we might live.  We die so that others might live.

But you may be surprised by the mention of a prayer.  A prayer is listed among his most prized possessions?  Buttrick is referring to a specific prayer—what we call “The Lord’s Prayer.”  Besides the cross, what captures the heart of Jesus is the heirloom bequeathed to us in his Lord’s Prayer.  As Jesus sought some way to pass down what most mattered to him, he chose to grant us the inheritance of Calvary’s cross and the Lord’s Prayer.  William Willimon and Stanley Hauerwas write, “So if you are asked, ‘Who is a Christian?’ the best answer you can give is, ‘A Christian is none other than someone who has learned to pray the Lord’s Prayer.’”[ii]  To be a Christian is to pray Jesus’ prayer.

What’s so valuable about this prayer?  Consider its wonderful words:

⁹  Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
¹⁰ Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread,
¹² and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. (Matt. 6:9-13 ESV)

The prayer, as Frederick Buechner writes, focuses primarily on God’s omnipotence and our impotence.  It is rooted in the belief that God can still do anything and that we still can’t do much of anything.  It is the ultimate declaration of dependence.  It puts God in his place.  It puts us in our place:

“We do well not to prayer the prayer lightly.  It takes guts to pray it at all…’Thy will be done’ is what we are saying.  That is the climax of the first half of the prayer.  We are asking God to be God.  We are asking God to do not what we want but what God wants…To speak those words is to invite the tiger out of the cage, to unleash a power that makes atomic power look like a warm breeze.  You need to be bold in another way to speak the second half.  Give us.  Forgive us.  Don’t test us.  Deliver us.  If it takes guts to face the omnipotence that is God’s, it takes perhaps not less to face the impotence that is ours.  We can do nothing without God.  Without God we are nothing.”[iii]

The prayer puts God in his place and us in ours.  It invites the tiger out of the cage.  Authors Mike Breem and Steve Cockram propose that everything Jesus taught about life in the kingdom of God is summarized in this brief prayer.  True discipleship comes only as we learn to pray this prayer.[iv]

The cross and this prayer.  These are Jesus’ greatest gifts.  In them we find all that is needed for a life of following in his footsteps.

I’m watching you, Lord.

My eyes are fixed on your hands.

The way a child looks to the hands of her father.

The way an athlete looks to the hands of his coach.

The way a patient looks to the hands of her doctor.

I’m watching you, Lord.

My eyes are fixed on your hands.

May they bring the mercy I so desperately need.

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Lord, you may be sought and found anywhere.

Wherever we are, you are.

But there are also special places for seeking and finding:

sanctuaries,

chapels,

monasteries,

mountains.

The places and spaces where your people gather for praise and petition are perfect for discovering the divine.

So, for these places and spaces, I pray for peace.  Peace among members.  Harmony between worshipers.

May the House of the Lord be filled with peace.

May I seek you today where you wish to be found.

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My son says, “Watch me!”

He wants whatever he’s doing to be the object of my loving gaze.

Like child to father, I say the same to you, Lord.  “Watch me!”

But before I get the words out, you make it clear to me that whatever I’m doing is already the object of your loving gaze.

You are already watching.

You watch me when the sun’s up and when the moon’s up.

You watch me when I come and when I go.

You watch me today and you will watch me tomorrow.

Even when my eyes close in sleep, yours do not.

Even when I’m not watching you, you are watching over me.

I’m thankful for many things, Lord.

But above all, I’m thankful that you watch me.

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Lord, this conflict makes me cry.

This war makes we weep.

This battle has become too great a burden.

Too quickly did the powerful move from words to war!

Too quickly did tongues send soldiers to serve!

Bring this war to an end.

Send a ceasefire.

Let there be peace on earth.

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Finding your Word Lord is like finding buried treasure.

Opening your Pages Lord is like opening a chest full of gold.

The deeper I dig, the richer I get.

Your Word overflows with a wealth of wisdom.

I’ve put an X on the map of my life to mark this spot.

It’s the place I’ll return to again and again.

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I’m hungry, Lord.

Starving for your statutes.

Drooling for your decrees.

I can’t wait any longer.

My soul craves your Scripture more than my lungs long for air.

So pile my plate with your Word.

Tie a bib around my neck, put a fork in my hand and step back–this is going to be messy.

I’m going to dig in like a dying man.

I’m not going to stop until I lick the plate clean.

And then I ‘ll ask for seconds.

Nothing fulfills me like your Word, Lord.

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