"Our Father which art in heaven,"
--- Yes?

Don't interrupt me. I'm praying
--- But you called me

"Called you? I didn't call you. I'm praying. 'Our father which art in
heaven,"
  --- There you did it again

"Did what?"
--- Called me. You said, "Our Father which art in heaven." Here I am.
What's on your mind?

"But I didn't mean anything by it. I was, you know, just saying my
prayers for the day. I always say the Lord's Prayer.  It makes me feel
good, kind of like getting a duty done."
--- All right. Go on.

"Hallowed be Thy name."
--- Hold it. What do you mean by that?

" By what?"
--- By "Hallowed be Thy name?"

"It means. It means........ Good grief, I don't know what it means.
How should I know? It's just a part of the prayer.  By the way, what
does it mean?"
--- It means honored, holy, wonderful.

" Hey that makes sense. I never thought about what "hallowed" meant
before." "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in
heaven."
--- Do you really mean that?

" Sure, why not?"
--- What are you doing about it?

"Doing? Nothing, I guess. I just think it would be kind of neat if you
got control of everything down here like you have up there."
--- Have I got control of you?

" Well, I go to church."
--- That isn't what I asked you. What about your temper?  You've really
got a problem there, you know. And then there's the way you spend your
money-all on yourself.  And what about the kinds of books you read and
what you watch on TV?

"Stop picking on me!  I'm just as good as the rest of those people at
church."
---Excuse me. I thought you were praying for my will to be done.  If
that is to happen, it will have to start with the ones who are praying
for it.  Like you, for example.

"Oh, all right. I guess I do have some hang-ups. Now that you mention
it, I could probably name some others."
---So could I.

"I haven't thought about it very much until now, but I'd really like to
cut out some of those things. I would like to, you know, be really
free."
--- Good. Now we're getting somewhere. We'll work together, you and I.
Some victories can be truly won.  I'm proud of you.

"Look, Lord, I need to finish this up here. This is taking a lot longer
than it usually does. "Give us this day our daily bread.
--- You could cut out the bread. It would help you lose weight.

"Hey, wait a minute! What is this, 'Criticize, ME day?'  Here I was
doing my religious duty, and all of a sudden you break in and remind me
of all my hang-ups."
--- Praying is a dangerous thing. You could wind up changed, you know.

That's what I'm trying to get across to you.
--- Keep praying. I'm interested in the next part of your prayer. ---
(Pause) Well, go on.

" I'm scared to."
--- Scared? Of what?

" I know what you'll say."
--- Try me and see.

"Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us."
--- What about Ann?

"See? I knew it! I knew you would bring her up! Why Lord she's told
lies about me, spread stories about my family.  She never paid back the
money she owes me. I've sworn to get even with her!
--- But your prayer? What about your prayer?

"I didn't mean it."
--- Well, at least you're honest. But it's not much fun carrying that
load of bitterness around inside, is it?

"No. But, I'll feel better as soon as I get even. Boy, have I got some
plans for that neighbor. She'll wish she had never moved  into this
neighborhood."
--- You won't feel any better. You'll feel worse. Revenge isn't sweet.
Think of how unhappy you already are.  But, I can change all that.

"You can?   How?"
--- Forgive Ann. Then I'll forgive you. Then the hate and sin will be
Ann's problem and not yours. You will have settled your heart.

"Oh, you're right. You always are. And, more than I want to get revenge
against Ann, I want to be right with you.
But.......(Pause)................(Sigh)............All right. I forgive
her.  Help her to find the right road in life, Lord.  She's bound to be
awfully miserable now that I think about it. Anybody who goes around
doing the things she does to others has to be out of it.   Someway,
somehow, show her the right way.
--- There now! Wonderful! How do you feel?

"Hmmm. Well, not bad. Not bad at all. I feel pretty great.  You know, I
don't think I'll have to go to bed uptight tonight for the first time
since I can remember. Maybe I won't be so tired from now on because I'm
not getting enough rest.
--- You're not through with your prayers. Go on.

"Oh, all right. "And lead us not into temptation, but delivers us from
evil."
--- Good! Good! I'll do that. Just don't put yourself in a place where
you can be tempted.

"What do you mean by that?
--- Don't turn the TV on when you know the laundry needs to be done and
the house needs to be picked up. Also, about the time you spend with
your friends, if you can't influence the conversation to positive
things, perhaps you should rethink the value of those friendships.
Another thing, your neighbors and friends shouldn't be your standard
for "keeping up."  "And please don't use me as an escape hatch."

"I don't understand that last part."
--- Sure you do. You've done it a lot of times.  You get caught in a
bad situation. You get in trouble and then you come running to me:
"Lord, help me out of this mess, and I promise you I'll never do it
again."  You remember some of those bargains you tried to make with me?
 
 

"Yes, and I'm ashamed. Lord, I really am."
---Which bargain are you remembering?

"Well, there was the night that my husband was gone and the children
and I were home alone. The wind was blowing so hard I thought the roof
would go any minute and tornado warnings were out.  I remember saying,
'Oh God, if you spare us, I'll never skip my devotions again."
--- I protected you, but you didn't keep your promise, did you?

" I'm sorry, Lord I really am. Up until now I thought that if I just
prayed the Lord's Prayer every day, then I could do what I liked.  I
didn't expect anything to happen like this.
--- Go ahead and finish your prayer.

"For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen"
--- Do you know what would bring me glory? What would really make me
happy?

"No, but I'd like to know. I want to please you. I can see what a mess
I've made of my life. And I can see how great it would be to really be
one of your followers.
--- You just answered the question.

"I did?"
--- Yes. The thing that would bring me glory is to have people like you
truly love me. And I see that happening between us.  Now that some of
these old sins are exposed and out of the way, there is no telling what
we can do together.

"Lord, let's see what we can make of me, OK?"
--- Yes, let's see.
 

DON'T REPEAT THE LORD'S PRAYER, PRAY THE LORD'S PRAYER.