Bless Me Father, Bless Me!

Written by Ed Howes


Continued from page 1

"Your kingdom comes" points to a future event every generation of believers longs for, and it is our hope. Some of us know this kingdom is both at hand and within us. We know it is one of justice, tempered by mercy, without cruelty.

"Your will is done". It doesn't seem so to many of us and many are critical of this will and its possessor. Never-the-less, form demands this identification in our address. "On earth as in heaven" or even inrepparttar heavens, if you prefer. This completesrepparttar 126966 opening address or identification ofrepparttar 126967 One we wish to hear our prayer. It isrepparttar 126968 attention getter. What isrepparttar 126969 point in writing a letter and sending it torepparttar 126970 wrong address? Should we then expect any good result?

I realized this prayer works equally well as a daily request or a thanksgiving. I prefer it as a thanksgiving, morning and evening. I will treat it as a thanksgiving here: "We thank you for this day and our daily bread". Even without bread, another day is a wonderful thing to be thankful about. Our daily bread can extend far beyond our food to all our material needs. It is worth noting it isrepparttar 126971 first thing we ask for or give thanks for because air, water and food are critical to our life.

"And forgiving our offences as we forgive those who offend us". Forgiveness is conditional. We can expect it inrepparttar 126972 way we practice it. The blessing I began with implies forgiveness inrepparttar 126973 act of blessing all. I can bless those I despise and I can just as easily forgive them if I so choose, and receive it myself, as needed. Forgiveness brings peace in a way nothing else does. Is there little peace in your world? Then there is little forgiveness in your world.

"Lead us not into testing, (for this we do ourselves) but deliver us from trouble". Many confuserepparttar 126974 word evil withrepparttar 126975 idea of wicked. Wicked is always trouble but trouble is not necessarily wicked and in other Scripture, Father claims to create evil. We could sayrepparttar 126976 flood was evil but it was not especially scheming and calculated trouble for someone's personal gain, which we know as wicked.

In Scripturerepparttar 126977 formal close comes next and I decided this wasrepparttar 126978 point at which I would personalize this simple prayer, I had recited so often as a boy. "Thank you for helping us become instruments of your peace; blessing those we bless and those who bless us". This is an acknowledgement that my blessing may help no one at all, except it is backed by superior power. I paraphrased a small part ofrepparttar 126979 Prayer of Saint Francis because he was praying for himself and I am still praying for us.

"Thank you for daily increasing our wisdom, love, gratitude, reverence, healing, peace, joy, happiness, laughter and prosperity, especiallyrepparttar 126980 leaders and authorities of this world, a world transforming from one of fear to one of love." This isrepparttar 126981 gratitude I have forrepparttar 126982 increased power, as I see it, behind my personal blessing. I see it as a power multiplier. You might see it differently.

"Thank you for granting us wealth, prosperity and abundance, that our light so shines before others, they will see our good works and glorify you." Although this repeatsrepparttar 126983 last blessing, it isrepparttar 126984 very thing secular society teaches us to want and is worth repeating. It also reminds us there is one proper purpose for wealth and to pervert this purpose is asking for trouble. Just ask a few lottery winners.

"For yours isrepparttar 126985 kingdom andrepparttar 126986 power andrepparttar 126987 glory, forever. Amen." The close, in proper form, is confirmingrepparttar 126988 addressee andrepparttar 126989 equivalent of our Respectfully Yours, on a business letter. I never fully understood whyrepparttar 126990 Roman Catholic Church rejected this close, except some Pope decided it was understood and unnecessary. I will always feel it is an important part of form and properly closesrepparttar 126991 prayer.

When American children discontinued this prayer in school, one disaster followed another; not that we were free from them in earlier years. I think it is safe to say that some families may have recitedrepparttar 126992 prayer before breakfast each day, butrepparttar 126993 majority did not and this precipitated much negative change in America andrepparttar 126994 rest ofrepparttar 126995 world. I did not continue with it on my "own time" once it stopped in school. This was aboutrepparttar 126996 same time I leftrepparttar 126997 church and became agnostic, suspicious and resentful of all assumed authority.

My point is that if a great good torepparttar 126998 whole world could come from millions upon millions of Christians, Jews and Muslims, asking for and receiving these wonderful, magical blessings, through a few minutes of daily prayer and blessing, why don't we all do it? A unity opportunity. I can think of two reasons. We don't believe it makes a difference and we don't care if it does.

In Napoleon Hill's book, "Think and Grow Rich", he devotes at least a chapter to mastermind alliance. He says there is great power in many people working in common cause. An Aquarian idea for sure. I believe it. What ifrepparttar 126999 purpose of each and every one of us is only to blessrepparttar 127000 earth, in word and deed? What might berepparttar 127001 effect of each of us fulfilling this purpose every day of our lives? It costs us so little to testrepparttar 127002 idea andrepparttar 127003 result could just prove we can do something right after all. Surelyrepparttar 127004 deeds will followrepparttar 127005 words. Who can bless and remain fearful?

edhowes@hotmail.com Bedinghamstudio.com/view

Freelance writer published in websites and newspapers. edhowes@hotmail.com justanotherview.com


Words of Wisdom - Proverbs 10:1

Written by Stanley T. Crawford


Continued from page 1

This is not bad or good, but reflectsrepparttar difference between men and women. Also, it attests torepparttar 126965 differences in a mother and a father.

As your guide, ask yourself these questions:

As a man, should I show a little more concern, or am I atrepparttar 126966 right balance of concern forrepparttar 126967 situation?

As a woman, should I worry a little less, or am I atrepparttar 126968 right balance of concern forrepparttar 126969 situation?

Copyright 2002, Stanley T. Crawford, isrepparttar 126970 editor of, “People ofrepparttar 126971 Bible,” and webmaster of http://www.whatismyname.com. All Rights Reserved. Mailto:scrawford@whatismyname.com

Copyright 2002, Stanley T. Crawford, is the editor of, “People of the Bible,” and webmaster of http://www.whatismyname.com. All Rights Reserved. Mailto:scrawford@whatismyname.com


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