PRAYER

Lord Jesus has framed a beautiful prayer:

Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors;
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom,
The power and the Glory,
For ever and ever, Amen

******If God’s Will is done here and His Grace alone fills and surrounds us on all sides, what are
we to pray for? Lord Jesus reminds you: “your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before
ye ask Him.” The prayer is, therefore for His Grace, for constantly remembering Him, for making
you a channel to do His Will, and for forgiveness. There is a mysterious power in the
universe—Satan—that tempts even the best of men, deludes even the wisest of them, and leads
even the greatest of them astray. Prayer is offered to the Lord to guard you against this.

*****The “daily bread” is not merely the physical bread or the food that we give the body to keep
it alive. For, the Lord assures you that God knows your need and, even as He clothes the lilies in the field with rich and delightful colour and feeds the fowls of the air, He will feed you and clothe you without your praying for them.

**** Meditate upon this and realise God’s Supreme Grace that gave you
and that sustains your life. You will clearly understand the meaning of His Immortal Utterance:
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where
thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither month nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.”By thus revolutionising the values alone can dispassion arise in the heart and the Kingdom of God realised in one’s own heart.

#### “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

****” Develop discrimination. Care not for the riches of this world; they are perishable and they cannot give you lasting peace and happiness.
Devote yourself to the acquisition of spiritual wealth by regular prayer, meditation and charity. This prayer to the Lord is, therefore, for spiritual bread, spiritual food,—in other words, for devotion to Him and for right discrimination. “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you,” said He.

#  TAKEN FROM DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY BOOK.