The Lord's Prayer

The title perhaps reminds you of the prayer that begins "Our Father who art in heaven..." That is how Jesus taught His disciples to pray. But, that's not the prayer I am referring to here. This is a prayer that Jesus Himself prayed. What better way to learn about prayer than to listen to Jesus Himself pray?

We read about the prayer that Jesus prayed just before He was arrested and then crucified. He was very close to the culmination of His earthly mission. He knew He was about to bear the weight of all the sin on Himself. It was going to be an intense moment, when He would be deserted by dear friends, suffer physical pain, cry out in agony, and go through death. Just a little while before His arrest, here's what He prayed:

"My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." (Matthew 26:39)

Based on a Relationship

Jesus prayed because He was in an intimate relationship with the Father - He and the Father are one. Jesus was having a conversation with the Father.

Sometimes, I am tempted to pray at God, rather than praying to Him. At times, it seems easier for me to ramble a few familiar sentences rather than take the time to look at God and have a conversation with Him. But He is more interested in relating to us than going through our list of petitions.

Honest Prayer

Jesus preferred that the cup (perhaps, the cup of suffering He was about to go through) be taken from Him. Of course, He knew that was the very reason He came down to earth. But He was honest in prayer about what He thought and felt.

One night, I was angry. I didn't even want to talk to my husband. And I didn't feel like praying. Well, who else do I talk to? After a few minutes, I broke the silence by talking to God. This is how I started: "Lord, I am angry, and I don't even feel like praying". I had actually started praying already! A few moments into that conversation with God, my anger just melted away and the Lord's sweet presence filled me with His love. Not that I had to inform God how I felt. He already knew. But God loves a sincere from-the-heart prayer (even if it is just a sigh) more than a lengthy and great sounding prayer that is only from the lips. (Luke 18:9-14)

Submission

After Jesus voiced His desire, He brought it under the subjection of the Father. He did not beg that He would somehow get His way through, but He prayed that the will of God would prevail. I think that is how every prayer should end - by yielding to Him who knows the best!

As we pray, may our desires align more with God's!

I used to be scared of God

Growing up as a pastor's kid, I have been to many Pentecostal 'revival' meetings with my parents. I would come out of most of those meetings questioning my relationship with God. In those meetings, people looked excited about prayer - they would clap, shout and jump while praying. They sounded fluent and professional in their prayers. Many could even pray in different tongues. Often, I would stand there, unable to feel any of that, and wondering what is wrong with my faith in God. In many meetings, participants were encouraged to ask for the anointing of the Holy Spirit. I have asked for the Holy Spirit to fill me, but almost always, I never felt a thing. Others described different emotions, and I have often seen people fall down as they receive the Holy Spirit. None of that has ever happened to me, although that's not reason enough to question the genuineness of those experiences. I had voiced these questions to my dad, my spiritual mentor. He consoled me saying that we receive the Holy Spirit by faith, not by how we feel. God does give us spiritual gifts by His will. Dad also encouraged me to yearn more for the fruit of the Spirit than the experiences, which some people may be given as a sign.

Though I received the Holy Spirit by faith, many things I saw around me developed in me a fear of the Holy Spirit. Shocking, isn't it? The Holy Spirit is meant to be my Comforter, yet I was scared of Him. So scared that for a couple of years, I very carefully avoided asking for the Holy Spirit to fill me! I know I was foolish to think that way, but I felt as if Jesus is a good friend, but the Holy Spirit is a scary ghost. One night, I shared this with a good Christian friend. She asked if I had prayed about it. Um, well, may be... But then I started praying about my crazy fear. My attitude started changing, but not overnight.

“You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” (Luke 11:11-13) It was this passage in the Bible that reminded me to overcome my fear. He is the 'Holy' Spirit, He is a good Gift. And He is God.


As a child, I have often prayed, "Jesus, come into my heart." Essentially, I was inviting the Holy Spirit to live in me. The great thing about the Holy Spirit is that He is God in us. What a great privilege to have Him right with us, whispering to us and nudging us to walk in His ways! "But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you." (John 14:26)

I had to ask the Lord to forgive me for being scared of Him. After all, how would I feel if my son was scared of me? Of course, I would still be gentle and patient with Him. That's exactly how God dealt with me - patient, yet persistent. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7) The Lord doesn't scare us away, instead He gently draws us near.

After Much Anticipation....

It was a time of waiting. For what, you ask? For the birth of our baby – second baby, to be precise. Well, the doctors had estimated a ‘due date’ for the baby. But, three weeks before the due date, the baby is considered full term and he could be born anytime. I didn’t think much about the ‘waiting’ part till I was in it myself. (By the way, our first son John arrived four weeks earlier than his due date, much before I even started waiting.)

The anticipation peaked when I started noticing signs that the baby is getting ready for birth. Signs are supposed to make it easy, aren’t they? True, but I had been having false pains for about a month. May be, that’s not a good enough sign. How about the baby’s position? He was in birth position for about four weeks. When the due date was about 2 and a half weeks away, the doctor examined me and said the baby could be born any time. Now, that brings up a lot of things for me, and for us as a family. For one, I was excited that I am closer to holding my little one. Plus there are the preparations to be done. The hospital bag was packed. A day went by. I almost spent that day sitting in the couch waiting for signs of labor pain. No signs! May be, that’s not the way to wait. I decided to carry on with my regular chores – not that I could do much carrying a precious person inside my bulging belly.

That reminded me of how we should wait for the Lord’s second coming. We are not to sit lazily and keep looking at the sky, but we ought to work diligently. If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? The master will return unannounced and unexpected, and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 24:46 – 51)

The next morning, my husband Daniel had to decide whether to go to work or work from home. He can’t keep telling his employer that the baby is going to be born soon. ‘Soon’ could be anything from a day to a week, or even a couple of weeks! If he goes to work and I am in labor, it might take a lot of time for him to drive back home and then take me to the hospital. Reluctantly, he got ready to go to work. John and I waved him bye. As I was wondering what I would do if the baby arrives today, I just turned that thought into prayer, committing into His Hands who knows all! In a few minutes, Daniel came back, because the car wouldn’t start. Wow! That was a quick answer to prayer. Immediately, we felt it was going to happen today. But, we had to get the car working first. The battery had to be replaced, and it was done in an hour. So, Daniel ended up working from home that day. But no signs of labor. That was a little disappointing because of all the anticipation.

I had some pain in the evening, but I had read enough on the topic to dismiss it as false labor pains. Apparently, the main difference is that real labor pains are rhythmic, while false pains are random in intensity and timing. Soon, the pain subsided and I went to bed at night. I was woken up early in the morning by painful contractions. I did what I had been accustomed to do in the last few weeks. I noted the time of each contraction. One hour went by, and the contractions were exactly five minutes apart. I waited for a few more minutes, and did what the doctor had instructed me to do. “Call when the contractions are five minutes apart for one hour,” she had said. Soon, we rushed to the hospital – Daniel, John and I – in the wee hours of the day. We had to figure out our way in – because some doors were locked at that time of the day – stopping at a couple of places, asking for directions. Oh, but wait, the pains had subsided by then. False alarm?

Yes it was, as the doctor soon confirmed. But, how am I to know when it’s real labor pain? I followed the instructions, and I was looking for the signs. “Call when the contractions are five minutes apart for one hour,” the doctor confirmed. “We can examine you and confirm if it is the real thing or not.” We went back home with all the hospital bags we had brought! Daniel took the day off and we took a good nap.

The same evening I had some pain again, and we went to the doctor’s office. Again, it was false alarm. Next time, the doctor asked me to wait till the pain continues for 2 hours. By this time, I was getting embarrassed about creating a scene each time. Getting the three of us into the car to go the doctor in this cold weather, with so many winter clothes on, was no fun. I resolved not to wake up Daniel even if I have pain again, and I continued with my regular chores – cooking, cleaning, etc. I tried to ignore all about the ‘waiting’ and went to bed. Early in the morning, about 4:15 AM, I woke up in pain again. Not again, I thought!! But this time, I did not even get up from bed. I just picked up my phone and noted the time each time I had a painful contraction. They were about 3 minutes apart, and the pain was intense. Well, yesterday too, I thought the pain was intense. I didn’t want to look like a drama queen again. So I kept quiet, but Daniel woke up and caught me rolling in pain. After waiting for one and a half hours (the pain was getting very intense), we called the doctor and rushed to the hospital. The temperature outside was 2^o F – the coldest I had ever witnessed in my life!

I knew the baby would be born in a few hours, and we had to get to the hospital soon. Thankfully, the hospital is just a few minutes’ drive from home. I walked (yes, in the middle of active labor!) from the hospital entrance to the labor room. I needed no directions, for I had walked the same route just yesterday! Everyone who saw me on the way knew I was in labor – the look on my face was enough to say it.

I entered the labor room at 6:30. It was 6:59 when I was holding little Jeremy in my arms. The day was the 08th of January. What a joy it was to behold a little human being, handcrafted by God! It was as if there was a lot of wait, and just when I had given up the wait, he was born suddenly. The birth was so sudden that we didn’t even have the time to find someone to look after our first son, and he ended up being in the labor room to welcome his little brother!

One of the nurses who was helping me during the labor asked if we have a garage where we park the car. When I said no, she expressed surprise that our car had even started that morning, considering how cold it was. When I told her we had changed the battery just two days back, she was even more surprised and agreed that it was a miracle. Yes, it was! Though we didn’t understand all about the waiting, we later realized that God was at work.

Coincidence or not, one of those days, I came across this verse as I was reading my Bible: “For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape.” (I Thessalonians 5:2) I couldn’t help but notice the commonalities in waiting for the baby and waiting for the return of the Lord! Come soon, Lord Jesus!!

God, Are You Really with Me?

Last month, we walked out of our apartment leasing office praising God for a miracle. Yes, we had just received an offer to lease a 2 bedroom apartment, for almost the same rent we are now paying for a 1 bedroom apartment. The new apartment is in the same block we are in now (we hadn't even requested for it), so moving would be easier. Moreover, we have been offered to make the move in December. We don‘t have to wait till January when our current lease expires. That works for us, since we are also expecting our second baby in January. We hadn't toiled much to end up with this deal. We did one thing – we committed to the Lord in prayer, and asked for His guidance and wisdom.

On days like this, it is easy to "see" God’s Presence and guidance, isn’t it? But, you see, with all that life brings across our path, we are not always singing ‘Hallelujah!’

We walked out of the same apartment leasing office a few months back, praising God for a miracle. But that day was quite different.

It was the month of July. My husband Daniel, son John and I had arrived at the John F Kennedy airport in New York, from India, with at least 6 luggage bags. We had a reservation for a hotel in a locality where some of Daniel‘s colleagues resided. Waiting outside the airport, we handed the hotel address to the taxi driver, and he nodded his head in unbelief. “I can‘t go that far,” he said. “It‘s a different part of the state, and it is going to cost you a lot.” Well, we had no other option. So we requested him to go. Then he looked at our luggage bags, and decided they are not going to fit in the taxi. Finally, we ended up in another taxi. That driver was not a technology user, you see. So, he had no GPS or smartphone. We had just landed in the country, and we had no internet on our phones either. We went for a long ride in that taxi, not sure if he was headed in the right direction. The driver did stop in many gas stations (or petrol bunks) to ensure that. After many detours and returns, we ended up at the hotel. “Finally!” we sighed, only to find out that Daniel‘s debit card was not working, because we had been outside the country for a couple of months. How do we pay for the taxi now? We didn’t have enough cash on us. He called the bank to unlock the debit card. As the taxi driver was starting to get impatient about driving all the way back in the pouring rain, the payment just got through. We checked into the hotel room, which was to be our ‘home’ for the next few days. Grateful for shelter, we retired into a good night’s rest.

Now that we have arrived in the country, we had to look for an apartment to move into. After inquiring in a few apartment communities, the only available apartment was in Danbury, Connecticut. The earliest we could move in was after a week. The day came when we could move into the apartment. It was a Friday. We planned to rent a car, so that Daniel could go to work from the hotel (a 40-minute drive away), and then pick us up along with the luggage at noon and move to the new apartment in Danbury. We knew it was going to be a hectic day, but things didn’t go as planned, which made it all the more chaotic. Daniel got to the rental car center, but he was denied a rental car, because he didn’t have a credit card. He managed to get to work, because a helpful colleague offered a ride. In the afternoon, Daniel had a hard time finding a taxi to hire. When he was finally able to get one, it was about time for us to check out of the hotel. Our toddler son and I were waiting in the hotel room, as we kept getting calls from the hotel’s reception desk that it was time for us to leave! Soon, our access cards were deactivated too. Now, our next challenge was to find a taxi that could accommodate our luggage bags and take us to Danbury. And Daniel was still on his way to the hotel.

With all that going on, I began to wonder if we are even heading in the right direction. I mean, was it even God’s plan for us to come to New York? Or, did we miss something? I know God allows difficulties, but I wanted to be sure we are in the center of His will. I began to tell God that if we move into the apartment today, I would take it as a sign that we are walking in His will. Things didn’t get any easier after that. Daniel did arrive after a few minutes, and the hotel charged us for an extra day, because we exceeded the check-out time. But, the good thing is that the same taxi driver agreed to drive us to Danbury. We could fit all but one of our luggage bags (we had to leave one bag at Daniel’s colleague’s home and pick it up later) in the taxi.

Just as we were about to feel relieved, we got a call from the apartment community to let us know that they were closing the office at 5. It was already 4, and the place is about an hour’s drive away. So, if the drive is uneventful, we would reach just on time. Sitting in the taxi with all of our luggage in the trunk, we were wondering if we would even make it today. The apartment office would be closed in the weekend, and we would have to wait for two more days if we miss by a few minutes. That would mean a lot of expenses for the hotel room, food, taxi, etc. and we wanted to move into a ‘home’ we could call ours.

As were nearing Danbury, we realized we were not going to reach by 5. There was heavy traffic on our route. Daniel called the apartment office and requested them to wait for a little longer. After much pleading, the lady finally agreed to wait for 15 more minutes. But that didn’t seem sufficient too. She said she had to leave and told us to wait till Monday to move in. I almost decided that we are probably not heading in the right direction, and we needed some course correction. And, where will we stay for the night?? Meanwhile, Daniel was on the phone. Suddenly, his ‘please’ was replaced by ‘thank you’. What happened? The lady suddenly changed her decision and agreed to leave the keys with another staff who lived in the same apartment community. Praise the Lord!

That was when the Lord’s still small voice reminded that He is with us, no matter what! Oh, yes, He has promised that, and how can I forget it? “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” (Isaiah 43:2) It is easy to believe the Lord’s Presence when things are going great, but it doesn’t seem so real when life takes some unexpected twists and turns. But, inconveniences don’t change the fact that He is with us. Even if we had taken a wrong step – I mean, not a deliberate rebellion, but a mistake – His Presence is still something we can count on. I was reminded again of Psalm 23:2 - 4 (“He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.”)