One of the most beautiful pictures of the masculine aspects of God is found in The Lord’s Prayer. It is lovely and simple and takes us right to the heart of the matter regarding our conversations and relationship to God. The wounded masculine on our planet is probably as misunderstood as the wounded feminine. It is difficult for us to think of masculine or feminine qualities outside of gender since as humans with gender we tend to identify those characteristics to gender only rather than seeing them as character attributes or qualities.
One of the issues that some people have with God is viewing “Him” through the lens of the wounded masculine. They picture an overbearing, harsh, controlling, selfish God. Chances are their earthly father may have looked like this. Of course, God is not a wounded masculine. The character qualities that reflect the masculine in Source are healthy, balanced, and beautiful. They represent justice mixed with mercy. Power blended with love and compassion. Knowledge mixed with tenderness.
The prayer was given to the disciples by Jesus as an example of how they might pray to God. It is not the only way to pray, but it is a prayer that is lovely in its symmetry and simplicity. Because it calls God Father, it does not prove that the feminine qualities of God are not equally important.
It begins, “Our Father which art in Heaven”. “Our” is an inclusive word. It leaves no one out. No religion or “ism” owns God. Everyone has equal access to God. By addressing God as Father, one is coming to God as Provider or Source. It is a beautiful metaphor of the loving relationship between a child and parent.
“Hallowed be Thy name” is a statement of worship and adoration. It is an acknowledgment of the created to the Creator. It is recognizing and holding up the name of God as greater than any other. The statement that follows goes with it and aligns the one praying with the God of All That Is—“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven”.
“Thy will be done”—such an easy thing to say and such a difficult thing to do. It is a statement of surrender to Divine will and reveals an attitude of complete trust. When Christ was struggling with whether or not to take on the sins of all in the Garden of Gethsemane, surrender and trust of the Divine plan were the big issues He faced. Things are no different for us. Many of our greatest struggles are ones of faith and trust in a Divine plan for our lives and we wrestle with issues of surrender, moving through fear, and trust. It is an ongoing lesson.
“Give us this day our daily bread” is a simple statement of the belief that we will receive what we need one day at a time. This too, is difficult for most of us. We want to see provision for several years in advance, not just for today. We rush into panic mode if we don’t see the resources for more than one day. How many of us truly deal with this issue. It is a great lesson in faith—just enough for today is what is promised—but it is enough.
“Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors”. We seek forgiveness but are always struggling to give it. Others’ sins always seem so much more wounding than the ones we have committed. On the other hand, our worst sins seem impossible to forgive. Back and forth we struggle with this issue—constantly trying to find a truthful relationship with forgiveness. It is one of our major lessons in life. Freely we have received; freely give is the admonition of abundance.
“Lead us not into temptation—but deliver us from evil”. God never tricks or tempts. Life is about learning the lessons we are here to learn in order to develop the character and ministry that we are here for. Every experience in life can be viewed as an opportunity to choose and an opportunity to learn. This statement is about aligning our lives with all of the resources that are available to us to successfully complete our life lessons. It is about volunteering to be a light worker in the world.
“For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever”. Worship is the ultimate response when faced with the beauty of Source. A recognition of the sovereignty of God evokes a response of joy and love. When we understand the fact that God’s kingdom is a kingdom based on the principle of love, we are drawn to worship. In fact, true worship only happens in an atmosphere of love. There is no place for fear, no place for a picture of a harsh, un-accepting, demanding God. These misunderstandings about the character of God are all lies and represent the wounded masculine aspect within us and within our planet.
A simple prayer really, but includes so much: Loyalty, surrender, trust, gratitude, mercy, and worship. A beautiful template that helps us to understand all that God wants to be to us. If your earthly father did not give you a healthy picture of what the masculine should be, the picture of a Heavenly father who loves completely helps us to picture what is possible in us. It is healing and we can know that we always have the perfect pattern and model for our support and growth.
One of the issues that some people have with God is viewing “Him” through the lens of the wounded masculine. They picture an overbearing, harsh, controlling, selfish God. Chances are their earthly father may have looked like this. Of course, God is not a wounded masculine. The character qualities that reflect the masculine in Source are healthy, balanced, and beautiful. They represent justice mixed with mercy. Power blended with love and compassion. Knowledge mixed with tenderness.
The prayer was given to the disciples by Jesus as an example of how they might pray to God. It is not the only way to pray, but it is a prayer that is lovely in its symmetry and simplicity. Because it calls God Father, it does not prove that the feminine qualities of God are not equally important.
It begins, “Our Father which art in Heaven”. “Our” is an inclusive word. It leaves no one out. No religion or “ism” owns God. Everyone has equal access to God. By addressing God as Father, one is coming to God as Provider or Source. It is a beautiful metaphor of the loving relationship between a child and parent.
“Hallowed be Thy name” is a statement of worship and adoration. It is an acknowledgment of the created to the Creator. It is recognizing and holding up the name of God as greater than any other. The statement that follows goes with it and aligns the one praying with the God of All That Is—“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven”.
“Thy will be done”—such an easy thing to say and such a difficult thing to do. It is a statement of surrender to Divine will and reveals an attitude of complete trust. When Christ was struggling with whether or not to take on the sins of all in the Garden of Gethsemane, surrender and trust of the Divine plan were the big issues He faced. Things are no different for us. Many of our greatest struggles are ones of faith and trust in a Divine plan for our lives and we wrestle with issues of surrender, moving through fear, and trust. It is an ongoing lesson.
“Give us this day our daily bread” is a simple statement of the belief that we will receive what we need one day at a time. This too, is difficult for most of us. We want to see provision for several years in advance, not just for today. We rush into panic mode if we don’t see the resources for more than one day. How many of us truly deal with this issue. It is a great lesson in faith—just enough for today is what is promised—but it is enough.
“Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors”. We seek forgiveness but are always struggling to give it. Others’ sins always seem so much more wounding than the ones we have committed. On the other hand, our worst sins seem impossible to forgive. Back and forth we struggle with this issue—constantly trying to find a truthful relationship with forgiveness. It is one of our major lessons in life. Freely we have received; freely give is the admonition of abundance.
“Lead us not into temptation—but deliver us from evil”. God never tricks or tempts. Life is about learning the lessons we are here to learn in order to develop the character and ministry that we are here for. Every experience in life can be viewed as an opportunity to choose and an opportunity to learn. This statement is about aligning our lives with all of the resources that are available to us to successfully complete our life lessons. It is about volunteering to be a light worker in the world.
“For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever”. Worship is the ultimate response when faced with the beauty of Source. A recognition of the sovereignty of God evokes a response of joy and love. When we understand the fact that God’s kingdom is a kingdom based on the principle of love, we are drawn to worship. In fact, true worship only happens in an atmosphere of love. There is no place for fear, no place for a picture of a harsh, un-accepting, demanding God. These misunderstandings about the character of God are all lies and represent the wounded masculine aspect within us and within our planet.
A simple prayer really, but includes so much: Loyalty, surrender, trust, gratitude, mercy, and worship. A beautiful template that helps us to understand all that God wants to be to us. If your earthly father did not give you a healthy picture of what the masculine should be, the picture of a Heavenly father who loves completely helps us to picture what is possible in us. It is healing and we can know that we always have the perfect pattern and model for our support and growth.