Check out all the previous Grab a Fork readings here.
Grab a Fork Reading Plan | Week 2 | Day 1
This week in our Grab A Fork Bible Reading Plan we are going learn about praying by looking at five different prayers in Scripture. We will use some of the Bible meditation methods we learned last week. Don’t worry if you missed last week, they will be explained as we go.
Prayer
Take a moment to be silent and still. In order to be fully present in body and mind, take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. Do this three times.
2 Corinthians 1:3, says “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.” As you come to spend time with God today, thank Him that He is the “Father of Compassion” and the “God of ALL comfort.”
Bible Reading: Matthew 6:9-13
We’re starting our medidations on prayer, looking at how Jesus taught us how to pray with His prayer (often called The Lord’s Prayer). When he was asked to teach his disciples how to pray, he prayed. There’s an important principle: We learn to pray by praying. We will be learning from the prayers of the Bible this week, but ultimately, there’s not a wrong way to pray. It’s been said, “If you’re praying, you’re doing it right.”
We’re going to use the Paraphrase It meditation method today. This method helps you to meditate on scripture by rewriting it in your own words. The only instruction is that as you rewrite it, don’t use the same words as are in the current translation (you may reuse simple words like “a” and “the”). Go ahead and grab some paper and something to write with, then rewrite the following verses using the Paraphrase It method:
“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.’
Reflection & Questions
- As you rewrote the prayer, were there words or phrases that particularly caught your attention? Why do you think?
- Were there words that were harder to rewrite? Why? Did you gain insight as you struggled to find a replacement?
- What did you learn about how to pray from Jesus’ prayer?
Prayer
Talk to God in response to the reading today. You might use Jesus’ prayer as a model, or the Temple Prayer Method that Pastor Brian explained in his message this weekend.
- The Outer Court – Praise and Thanksgiving
- The Brazen Alter – Sinners Restored by the Cross
- The Laver – Clean and Consecrated Hearts
- The Candlestick – A Life Open To The Spirit
- The Table of Showbreads -Nourished by God’s Promise
- The Alter of Incense – Reverence and Adoration
- The Mercy Seat – Intercession
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
Check out more Bible Reading Plans here.
Questions?
Ed Applegate
