| May our Father daily increase our wisdom, love, | | | | name was changed and Jacob's. We are |
| gratitude, reverence, healing, peace, joy, happiness, | | | | acknowledging this Father's authority in declaring the |
| laughter and prosperity. In just about 15 seconds I | | | | sacredness of it."Your kingdom comes" points to a |
| declared my love for you by asking these blessings | | | | future event every generation of believers longs for, |
| for you. If you are one who does not know the One | | | | and it is our hope. Some of us know this kingdom is |
| as Father, I wish you double portions of | | | | both at hand and within us. We know it is one of |
| blessing.Deepak Chopra tells us in the Second Spiritual | | | | justice, tempered by mercy, without cruelty."Your will |
| Law of Success, the Law of Giving, that we should | | | | is done". It doesn't seem so to many of us and many |
| never visit anyone without bringing a gift; a card with | | | | are critical of this will and its possessor. |
| a sentiment, a flower, a silent prayer or blessing. In | | | | Never-the-less, form demands this identification in our |
| fact, he says, a silent prayer or blessing is the best | | | | address. "On earth as in heaven" or even in the |
| gift of all. He says we should make it a point to bless | | | | heavens, if you prefer. This completes the opening |
| everyone we meet, every day. He suggested a brief | | | | address or identification of the One we wish to hear |
| blessing like: I wish you peace, joy and happiness. I | | | | our prayer. It is the attention getter. What is the |
| thought that covered a lot but I asked what | | | | point in writing a letter and sending it to the wrong |
| blessings I would like to receive and my list grew to | | | | address? Should we then expect any good result?I |
| seven things. In a few weeks it grew to nine. In a | | | | realized this prayer works equally well as a daily |
| few more it grew to ten, where I thought it enough.I | | | | request or a thanksgiving. I prefer it as a |
| began with wisdom because I remembered a | | | | thanksgiving, morning and evening. I will treat it as a |
| proverb that said wisdom was the principle thing. | | | | thanksgiving here: "We thank you for this day and |
| With all my getting, get me wisdom. That pretty | | | | our daily bread". Even without bread, another day is a |
| much defines my quest for this life. Wisdom teaches | | | | wonderful thing to be thankful about. Our daily bread |
| the value of love and love springs forth from | | | | can extend far beyond our food to all our material |
| wisdom. To have some of each brings gratitude for | | | | needs. It is worth noting it is the first thing we ask |
| the gifts and reverence for all who provide them. | | | | for or give thanks for because air, water and food |
| This attitude facilitates healing for self and others. As | | | | are critical to our life."And forgiving our offences as |
| we become whole, we find peace. In peace we find | | | | we forgive those who offend us". Forgiveness is |
| joy, in Joy we find happiness and contentment. In | | | | conditional. We can expect it in the way we practice |
| happiness we find laughter. In the growth these | | | | it. The blessing I began with implies forgiveness in the |
| blessings generate, we find a natural prosperity | | | | act of blessing all. I can bless those I despise and I |
| unmeasured by material wealth. If I want these | | | | can just as easily forgive them if I so choose, and |
| things for me, so do I truly want them for you and | | | | receive it myself, as needed. Forgiveness brings |
| for presidents, all their counsel, dictators and evil | | | | peace in a way nothing else does. Is there little peace |
| doers. Who on this earth has no need of blessing?As | | | | in your world? Then there is little forgiveness in your |
| I began to apply this wisdom, I was blessed in very | | | | world."Lead us not into testing, (for this we do |
| unexpected ways. Yet I had much difficulty in | | | | ourselves) but deliver us from trouble". Many confuse |
| remembering to bless everyone I met every day. It | | | | the word evil with the idea of wicked. Wicked is |
| occurred to me that I could incorporate this blessing | | | | always trouble but trouble is not necessarily wicked |
| as a blanket blessing for the world during morning and | | | | and in other Scripture, Father claims to create evil. |
| evening spiritual practice. Everyone is blessed, even | | | | We could say the flood was evil but it was not |
| when I forget to bless an individual I meet. I still try | | | | especially scheming and calculated trouble for |
| to remember personal blessing and grow better at it | | | | someone's personal gain, which we know as |
| with time.I had nominal religious training in a | | | | wicked.In Scripture the formal close comes next and |
| Protestant denomination between the ages of ten | | | | I decided this was the point at which I would |
| and sixteen. I loved the ritual and not much else. I | | | | personalize this simple prayer, I had recited so often |
| left the church and the religious family to have all day | | | | as a boy. "Thank you for helping us become |
| Sunday for myself. I needed one day each week | | | | instruments of your peace; blessing those we bless |
| with nobody telling me what to do, for most of it. | | | | and those who bless us". This is an acknowledgement |
| About fifteen years later, fatherhood had me asking | | | | that my blessing may help no one at all, except it is |
| questions about the meaning of life and I began | | | | backed by superior power. I paraphrased a small part |
| finding answers wherever I looked, especially in the | | | | of the Prayer of Saint Francis because he was |
| Scriptures. I became a fascinated Bible student. I | | | | praying for himself and I am still praying for us."Thank |
| would soon learn that every answer raised more | | | | you for daily increasing our wisdom, love, gratitude, |
| questions and I would never know it all.I did a study | | | | reverence, healing, peace, joy, happiness, laughter |
| on what is commonly called the Lord's Prayer, a | | | | and prosperity, especially the leaders and authorities |
| prayer that already had a history in America and its | | | | of this world, a world transforming from one of fear |
| schools. In 1962, when the Supreme Court declared | | | | to one of love." This is the gratitude I have for the |
| that God had no business in government schools, I | | | | increased power, as I see it, behind my personal |
| could see how the atheist's children could be made | | | | blessing. I see it as a power multiplier. You might see |
| uncomfortable by this group activity. I did not protest | | | | it differently."Thank you for granting us wealth, |
| the loss of this daily ritual, or keeping the Pledge of | | | | prosperity and abundance, that our light so shines |
| Allegiance ritual, since I was clearly pledging allegiance | | | | before others, they will see our good works and |
| to the ones who operated the school that was | | | | glorify you." Although this repeats the last blessing, it |
| preparing me for a godless life.Less than two years | | | | is the very thing secular society teaches us to want |
| from the court decision, President Kennedy was | | | | and is worth repeating. It also reminds us there is one |
| assassinated. Less than two years after that, we | | | | proper purpose for wealth and to pervert this |
| were going off to Vietnam. Before that war was | | | | purpose is asking for trouble. Just ask a few lottery |
| over we were fighting a war on poverty. Before that | | | | winners."For yours is the kingdom and the power and |
| war was over we were fighting a war on drugs. I | | | | the glory, forever. Amen." The close, in proper form, |
| sensed a connection and my study of the prayer | | | | is confirming the addressee and the equivalent of our |
| confirmed it.Incidental to my study of this prayer, I | | | | Respectfully Yours, on a business letter. I never fully |
| learned it was a fitting prayer for those who see | | | | understood why the Roman Catholic Church rejected |
| theirselves in a paternal relationship to the Supreme | | | | this close, except some Pope decided it was |
| Power. Therefore, it could be prayed by Christians, | | | | understood and unnecessary. I will always feel it is an |
| Jews and Muslims. It is a prayer given to students by | | | | important part of form and properly closes the |
| a master, recognized by all three faiths, upon the | | | | prayer.When American children discontinued this |
| request of one student who thought it good to | | | | prayer in school, one disaster followed another; not |
| know just how to pray.It is important to note the | | | | that we were free from them in earlier years. I think |
| master did not respond saying, recite this prayer. He | | | | it is safe to say that some families may have recited |
| said to pray in this manner and then gave the form | | | | the prayer before breakfast each day, but the |
| which prayer should take. We are free to modify its | | | | majority did not and this precipitated much negative |
| content to our liking and it is a matter of respect to | | | | change in America and the rest of the world. I did |
| frame our content in the proper form, as with a | | | | not continue with it on my "own time" once it |
| business letter. The form is the thing of greatest | | | | stopped in school. This was about the same time I |
| importance to us and the content as given is | | | | left the church and became agnostic, suspicious and |
| secondary, but still important.The very first word, | | | | resentful of all assumed authority.My point is that if a |
| "Our", is plural possessive - a claim of possession. I | | | | great good to the whole world could come from |
| am not praying for me. I am praying for us. Who we | | | | millions upon millions of Christians, Jews and Muslims, |
| are depends on my worldview. We might be family, | | | | asking for and receiving these wonderful, magical |
| we might be the other people praying with us. We | | | | blessings, through a few minutes of daily prayer and |
| might be the nation in which most of the children | | | | blessing, why don't we all do it? A unity opportunity. I |
| prayed for us, five days a week. We might be all the | | | | can think of two reasons. We don't believe it makes |
| Christians of the world. We might be all the people of | | | | a difference and we don't care if it does.In Napoleon |
| the world. We might be every living thing in this | | | | Hill's book, "Think and Grow Rich", he devotes at |
| world. It is clearly a personal choice to define we/our | | | | least a chapter to mastermind alliance. He says there |
| or child of God."Father", the next word, puts to rest | | | | is great power in many people working in common |
| all arguments about the name of God. The master | | | | cause. An Aquarian idea for sure. I believe it. What if |
| shows it is our relationship that matters and the | | | | the purpose of each and every one of us is only to |
| proper address expresses this relationship. "Who is in | | | | bless the earth, in word and deed? What might be |
| heaven" distinguishes from a living biological father, | | | | the effect of each of us fulfilling this purpose every |
| but not one who has passed over. "Sacred is your | | | | day of our lives? It costs us so little to test the idea |
| name" does distinguish from any biological father and | | | | and the result could just prove we can do something |
| explains the ancient Hebrew custom of not publicly | | | | right after all. Surely the deeds will follow the words. |
| pronouncing a name. A sacred thing made common is | | | | Who can bless and remain fearful?Ed Howes sought |
| no longer sacred, as in common sense. Name in | | | | and found, knocked and entered. Now he sees things |
| Scripture also symbolizes authority. For example; | | | | differently. To see more of what he sees, please |
| Israel means rules with God. This is why Abram's | | | | visit or do an author search here at Ezine Articles. |