Do you find it hard to pray the "Our Father"? If you don't then there is something wrong with you, and maybe you are not even aware of it! Please listen to this short story and you will find help to pray such a difficult prayer.
The Lord Jesus Christ chose twelve very ordinary men to be His closest companions and disciples, although He knew the one called Judas Iscariot "was going to betray Him". (verse 11.) He loved His followers, and had shown them the full extent of His love. (John 13:1.) While having a special meal with them all Jesus had taken a towel and basin and washed their feet!
In this way Jesus had taught them they would need to depend on Him to keep on cleaning them from their sins. (1st John 1:7-9.)
After Jesus had washed their feet, He said to them, "You call Me 'Teacher' and 'Lord', and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet." (verses 1 2-14.)
Notice what Jesus had just done. He had washed the dirty feet of His friends - But He had also washed and cared for the feet of His "enemy" who was about to betray Him to death! And having done that, He then said to His followers, "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." (verse 15. Matthew 5:44-48.)
Every true follower of Jesus soon discovers that other true Christians around him, as well as himself, have what you might call "dirty feet". Although they are the people who have asked Jesus Himself for forgiveness, yet they do not go on to live "absolutely perfect" lives. Yet Jesus is able and willing to forgive them, and to help them to do better - He is willing to "wash their feet" for they should want to be kept clean!
But what about these true followers of Jesus - will they find it easy to be ready and willing to show forgiveness and kindness? How will they respond when their fellow-Christian gets "dirty feet" by having slipped and fallen into sin? And what about when their "enemy" shows his "dirty feet" by having done some wrong against them? Will they find it easy to be like Jesus?
You see why I said it is difficult to pray the "Our Father". It is only a true born-again Christian who would pray and mean words like this: "Our Father....Forgive us our sins for we also forgive everyone who sins against us." (Luke 11:4.) It might be easy for many to "say" that but do they really mean it? It is a difficult prayer to pray and really mean it! You would certainly need to be depending on Jesus to forgive you often, and to help you to live like Him.
When the true Christian realises how often he dirties his own feet, and needs to keep asking Jesus to cleanse and forgive him, then it should help him to be kind and gracious to others. (Ephesians 4:30-32.)
Read of Jesus promising that you will "be blessed" if you live like this in John's Gospel chapter 13, verses 10-17.
John Nixon, Cork, Ireland. P31HD98. Contact: jnixonj@gmail.com
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