Our Father

In recent years I’ve been listening fairly regularly to the Daily Office Podcast based on the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. I used to think that the rote repetition of the Lord’s Prayer and other prayers was kind of a waste of time since it can be done without engaging our minds. However, my perspective is changing, in part because I noticed that my mom can still sing some hymns even though she can’t really communicate due to dementia.

As I mentioned in my last post, the things we think about repeatedly can literally reshape our brains. We need regular doses of truth and goodness to offset the many negative influences of our culture and habits. And when our thoughts start to slip away, the most-traveled mental paths will last longer.

There have been many times when phrases from the Lord’s Prayer have come to mind when I needed them, which has resulted in the following meditation.

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name,” You are the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer, and yet You invite us into Your family. You have supreme power, but we can call You “Abba, Father.” What a privilege it is to belong to You! Why would we ever want to turn to anyone else?

“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” In these troubled times and this broken world, we desire Your kingdom more than ever. We don’t know why You allow sin and destruction to continue, but we ask for You to change hearts and lives to follow You. Limit the impact of those who rebel against You and Your will. May we see how You are at work.

“Give us this day our daily bread.” Most of us don’t feel our neediness, because You have blessed us with the ability to earn a living to sustain us. Yet every good gift comes from You, and apart from Your provision we would have nothing. Keep us conscious of that fact so that we would be quick to share with those who need aid, whether next door or around the world.

“And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” It’s hard to admit when we’ve sinned or even just made a mistake, and yet we’re inclined to judge those around us for every perceived infraction. Help us to forgive everything from harsh words, rudeness, poor choices, emotional and physical attacks, to even persecution and senseless murder. While we were yet sinners Christ died for us, so we are enabled to forgive others as You have forgiven us.

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Thank You that You don’t just forgive us when we sin, but You actively lead us away from temptation. We don’t have the strength in ourselves to resist all the schemes of the world, the flesh, and the devil, but by Your Spirit we can find the way of escape. Remind us to look to You for that grace.

“For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.” It is not our kingdom or power that will prevail in the end. Help us to remember Who is really in charge. Because You are sovereign, we submit to Your power so that You will be glorified now and forever. Amen.

© 2026 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

Every Thought

It was once thought that by the time you reach adulthood, your brain does not change except that cells begin to die off. That has been repeatedly disproven, and neuroplasticity is the term for the constant change and rewiring that our brains do throughout our lives. Psychologists and theologians alike are realizing what implications this has for the way we think. Hebb’s Rule is that “the neurons that fire together wire together.” In other words, the more you think or behave a certain way, the more likely you will continue to do so.

In his book. The God-Shaped Brain, Dr. Timothy Jennings notes the profound impact our thoughts can have. He gives examples of those who have died of imagined diseases (such as a curse) or of diseases that the person thought were more serious than they really were. And in a recent podcast, Dr. Lee Warren advises that we need to rewire our brains by taming our self-talk, because we start to believe what we tell ourselves.

Scripture supports these concepts. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14). It’s not just what we say aloud that matters, but what we think about. In Matthew 5, Jesus says that it is not just outward behavior that counts as sin, but also the angry or lustful attitudes in our hearts. We can be enslaved to sin without it ever showing outwardly (Rom. 6:16).

We can also be incredibly unloving, not just to others but to ourselves as well. I know I am much harder on myself than I ever would be on someone else. And yet, I am just as much God’s beloved child as they are. If God has forgiven us and does not condemn us, we should not condemn ourselves either (Rom. 8:1).

The Apostle Paul wrote, “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5). He probably wasn’t thinking about neuroplasticity, but the concept still applies. When we notice the pattern of our thoughts, we have an opportunity to redirect them in ways that honor Christ as our Lord and Savior. It’s not always easy or quick, but over time we’ll see a change becoming embedded in our brains.

No doubt this is why we are told, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (Phil. 4:8-9). We need constant practice in monitoring what goes into our brains as well as what comes out of them. The things that we meditate on, either good or bad, impact our views of God, self, and others (Rom. 1:21).

Although I don’t generally make New Year’s resolutions, my hope and desire for the year ahead (and for the rest of my life), is to take every thought captive to obey Christ so that the meditation of my heart will be acceptable in His sight. That’s a path where ongoing growth is always possible because it is God’s desire for each of His children.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2).

© 2026 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.