My Toothbrush and the Lord's Prayer

Spring has arrived OFFICIALLY but before I share a sweet, spring/husband story about the birds but NOT the bees J

INTENTIONAL demands another visit as my Lenten prayers continue.

I sort of wanted to believe I knew all I needed to know about being intentional. I thought I was being INTENT. About my walk with God.

 It’s a hard lesson for me to learn and it just would not go away. At bedtime that week, I was reading Debbie Macomber’s book, God’s Guest List, and she got really specific about searching INTENTIONALLY for God’s gifts and HIS INTENT for our lives. *sigh*

So I tried harder. But, while trying to adjust to my new life of constant pain, in spite of my very own words on my very own blog, disgruntlement became a permanent uninvited guest *double sigh*

Next, a comment arrived from Craig http://www.deepintolove.com/ I found Craig's blog at A Holy Experience where Ann Voskamp keeps tract of A Thousand Gifts. I can’t encourage you enough to take time to visit Craig’s love blog. It is a serious time of delightful, soul-building worship.) And even Craig can get a little pushy….in his comment that you can read below, he mentioned TIME. Being intentional with--*really big deep sigh* time.

Funny how God will take the v e r y  l o n g way around to get my attention. You see, my dental hygienist is the best in the world, hands down, but she nags me every four months to work harder on brushing TWO MINUTES, three times, EVERY DAY. I think “work harder” is interpreted : “intentional.” Can you even guess how difficult it is for this Type A+ Miz-Fix-Everything to just stand at the sink for TWO WHOLE, LONG MINUTES—three times EVERY DAY and do NOTHING but let the toothbrush whir? ? ?

Well, it is DIFFICULT. Friday, March 18—the very day after I posted Intentionally Intent, even though I felt physically awful, I brushed my teeth!

As the brush whirred, suddenly I thought, “I could pray the Lord’s Pray while I brush; wonder how many times I can say it in two minutes?”

I memorized this prayer from King James himself way over sixty years ago but let me tell you!!!!! No matter how well your memory knows stuff, no matter how rote the exercise, no matter how well you can do something without thinking….

when you speak God's name and words, things change!!!!! Fast!

“Our FATHER.” Power bolt! “Who art in Heaven”

“Holy be Your name.” 'Nother BOLT!
Quickly, I began to speak as many of my Father’s names as I could remember. Next came:

“Thy will be done on earth…”  oops… Can I REALLY pray this???  His will?… here in my house, with my husband, with my daughter, my words, my thoughts, my actions….

“as it is in Heaven.”

“Give us this day our daily bread.” My friend Beverly who is as old as me was DRIVING from Texas to Kansas the next morning; that’s a right now, real, a today’s bread need. Then Father and I chatted a bit about Beverly and some other friends who had serious right-now-today needs.

Knowing what was next, I wanted to stop . But the toothbrush still whirred away.

And forgive us our SINS…” oh yes, Father, PLEASE. Oops. Uh… now I gotta think about this one. *REALLY DEEP BREATH* ---while brushing.

“As we forgive those who sin against us…..” naming MY OWN SINS against others just spilled over and I could honestly let go of THEIR mis-steps with me. WOW! Sometimes the power of the Holy Spirit certainly gets SPECIFIC!!

And. The. Toothbrush. Stopped.

 I finished the prayer with head bowed deep over my ordinary, bathroom sink.

It humbles and delight me at God'S overwhelming grace as He gives me new things to pray during my Tooth-Brushing-Lord’s Prayer time. Every day. Through the same old prayer. Through ancient words. Through speaking HIS NAME.

This is all very up-close and personal, but it excites me to find God’s Hand and Love and Patience and Understanding in the most mundane of human endeavors so I wanted to share it with you!

And my pain doesn’t seem to be a big deal any more.

Dearest Love from

Liz

With arms held high!
P.S. One place to find  where the Lord taught us to pray is Matthew 6:9-13.