Sunday morning we are going to be looking at what many people throughout history have called “The Lord’s Prayer” in Matthew 6:9-13. But as we will see Sunday, it should better be called “The MODEL Prayer”, because it really is a model that Jesus gave us; it is not so much “His” own prayer, as it is OURS to learn how to pray from.
But there IS a prayer that we can rightly call “The Lord’s Prayer”, and that is found here in John 17. Many believe it to be the greatest prayer that has ever been uttered in human language, and I don’t know how you would dispute that. It is an amazing prayer, from the lips of Jesus Himself just before He went to the cross, with such incredible insights about Himself, and us, and the mission God sent Him on. We should probably spend a whole series going through this prayer together verse-by-verse some time.
But for now I want us to focus on just one verse that stuck out to me as I have been reading this chapter this week; it is :4, in which Jesus prays:
“I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given me to do.”
Jesus Himself prayed these words, and they were true for Him. But I also believe this is a great verse for ANY of us to make our own, for any day or for any span of time in our lives. We want to be able to pray to God: “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You gave me to do.”
There are several ways this verse applies to each of us, and can guide our prayers and our actions: Continue reading
were extremely proud of how well he did. He taught himself to play the guitar this past year and has been developing both vocally and in his playing. But I am actually as proud or more so of the lyrics he composed for the song he presented. Michael wrote gospel lyrics to the tune of Cohen’s “Hallelujah”. I believe they are worthy of your reading and meditation — and perhaps as alternative lyrics to the song in your church or gospel meeting: 
hospital to meet their newly born sister, Josephine Grace, the girls were filled with excitement and wonder. And pondering her little sibling for the first time, Corley made a poignant observation: “She has a nose; just like us!” That statement immediately made me think of another birth, over 2000 years ago — the birth of Christ. 
