Voice: Doreen
Today is Wednesday, 3rd of June. We start by praying the Collect for Purity:
Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Psalm 147:1-11
1 Praise the Lord !
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
2The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
4He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.
6The Lord lifts up the humble;
he casts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre!
8He covers the heavens with clouds;
he prepares rain for the earth;
he makes grass grow on the hills.
9He gives to the beasts their food,
and to the young ravens that cry.
10His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
11but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and shall be forever. Amen.
Luke 11:1-4
1Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2And he said to them, “When you pray, say:
“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
3Give us each day our daily bread,
4and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Our Father
Daily fixed times of prayer had been part of Jewish life for centuries. Jesus and His disciples would certainly have observed them. The Shema, together with various prayers and blessings, shaped the rhythm of each day.
The early Church continued this same discipline of daily prayer. But there was a noticeable change in its content.
In the Didache—an early Christian catechetical document, something like baptism course notes—we read these words in 8.3: “Three times a day you shall pray thus…”
And what prayer was it?
The Lord’s Prayer.
It was to be prayed three times a day.
Why was the Lord’s Prayer given such a central place?
In Luke 11, one of Jesus’ disciples asked Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”
This was not a general question about how to pray. After all, these were devout Jews. They already knew the prayers of Israel and had long been shaped by the worship of the synagogue and Temple.
Rather, the question was deeper:
“Lord, what is the prayer that will mark us out as Your disciples? What prayer will identify us as those who belong to You?”
And so Jesus taught them this prayer.
It begins with “Abba”—Father.
God is not distant. He is not merely Creator or King. Through Christ we are invited to address Him with the intimacy and trust of children. This was striking and deeply personal. The disciples of Jesus are given the privilege of calling upon God as Father.
Then we pray, “Your kingdom come.”
Christians are a people of future hope. We long for the day when God’s reign will be fully revealed, when His will is done on earth as in heaven. This petition trains our hearts to look beyond ourselves and to live with expectation.
Then comes the familiar line: “Give us each day our daily bread.”
Curiously, if you check the ESV, there is a footnote suggesting “bread for tomorrow.”
In later Jewish thought, “tomorrow” could refer not merely to the next day, but to the great tomorrow—the age of salvation that God would bring.
Could Jesus be teaching us something more than a prayer for ordinary provision?
Certainly we ask God for daily needs. But perhaps we are also praying for the bread of the coming kingdom—for the life and strength of God’s future to be given to us even now.
That God’s provision, His grace, and the powers of His coming age may already be active in all we do and say.
Then we pray for forgiveness:
“Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.”
Through Christ there is no need for any other mediator. We come directly to our heavenly Father and ask for mercy.
And having received mercy, we freely extend forgiveness to others.
Forgiven people become forgiving people.
Finally, we pray:
“Lead us not into temptation,” and as Matthew records, “deliver us from evil.”
This includes the daily trials and temptations we face.
But it may also point beyond them—to the great testing, the fierce spiritual opposition that seeks to pull believers away from Christ.
It becomes a prayer of perseverance:
“Lord, keep us faithful. Preserve us from falling away. Deliver us from evil.”
Much more could be said.
But this daily devotion is not meant to be a Bible study or a theological treatise.
Enough has been said to remind us how central the Lord’s Prayer is.
The early Christians prayed it morning, noon and evening.
You may not be called to pray it twenty-one times a week!
But the next time you pray these familiar words, pause and remember what a gift they are.
This is the prayer Jesus Himself taught.
The prayer that marks us out as His people.
And so, we pray:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin
against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and
the glory are yours
now and forever. Amen.
Be blessed by this rendition of The Lord’s Prayer by the Bocellis.
Link to today’s Morning Office
About This Daily Devotion
This weekday devotion is drawn from the Morning Office and is part of a project initiated by Revd Canon Terry Wong, with contributions from clergy and members across various parishes. Each entry includes selected readings from the appointed Psalm and another Scripture passage, accompanied by a reflection and prayer. An audio option is also available, often ending with a hymn or song. We encourage you to both read and listen.
Our aim is to help Anglicans engage more deeply with our rich liturgical tradition, while meeting the devotional needs of today’s believers. This project began on Ash Wednesday 2025 and is offered on weekdays only.
For feedback, please write to us at terrywong@anglican.org.sg
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