A Daily Devotion for Monday, August 31

Matthew 6:5-15

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“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.’

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

The Upper Room devotion for today was written by a father who regularly has Saturday breakfast with his adult son. He looks forward to it, and appreciates their time together. He wonders if our Heavenly Father looks forward to “alone time” with us? Again, this is difficult for me to wrap my head around. First of all, my prayer life is unpredictable, unscheduled and unplanned. However, by the same token, it is quite frequent. I am just not organized about it. For example, I frequently thank God when I recognize a special blessing, often on the move. But I know that more structure in my prayer life would benefit my relationship with God. And back to one of the original questions in the devotion: Does God appreciate it when we set aside a regular time for prayer?

Holy Lord, I know that I do not pray to you at any one regular time. But you know that I am seeking you, always. I am learning to have a more meaningful prayer life by reading the thoughts of others who have more experience than I do. I am trying to incorporate what I am learning into my daily life. Ultimately I want to live a life that is pleasing to you, treating others with respect and kindness, patience and good humor. Help me to do the next right thing, according to your perfect will for me. Amen

Becky, transforming