Daily Devotion 17 November 2025

Be joyful always: pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5: 18

READING: Matthew 6: 9-10, Luke 11: 2

The Lord’s prayer is in two sections. This prayer was given to us by Jesus. In the first section as is in our readings today, we worship and honour God and pray that God’s rule will come and God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We want life on earth in all its dimensions to become more and more like heaven. In this section we pray about the glory and work of God. Jesus used the Aramaic form of Father, Abba or Daddy in English, or Papa in Afrikaans or Baba in Zulu. It is an intimate name for Father as used in our family settings. We are praying to the one who gave us life and who cares for us like a loving Father. He is our heavenly Father, which means that we are united with all believers in our worship of Him. He is not just faraway in Heaven but He lives within each of us through Jesus. This means that to be in heaven is to be with God the Father and His Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit. This is our primary relationship with God. In this first part of the Lord’s prayer, we are worshiping God our Father by hallowing His Name, by honouring and revering and praising who He is. The earth is full of kings, rulers, and leaders, many of whom are corrupt and greedy for power and who are not often able to bring justice and peace among the people. Hence, we pray that God’s kingly rule will come to be for all of God’s creation on earth and that His will, will come to be in every dimension on earth until the second coming of Jesus in all His glory.