Ours is not the kind of church where the pastor sets out a vision for the year ahead each January. Nevertheless, I have often felt a Bible verse impressed upon me and prompted that verse as ‘our verse for the year.’ This year, I felt we should join some of the other congregations in the Ignite Life family and focus on discipleship during the first half of the year. We had such a move of God last week that I didn’t get to introduce the series. Of course, that means I didn’t need as much time as usual to prepare my sermon for this week! The title slide is reproduced above.

Late last year, I felt moved to prepare a new slide for our pre-service prayer meetings that featured those words: Yahweh, have Your way. The wordsmith in me likes that.

Those four simple words have profound effect if they reflect a sincere heart. Jesus led the way with His own words of consecration: ‘My food is to do the will of Him Who sent me’ (John 4:34) and, ‘(N)evertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done’ (Luke 22:42).

I recall sitting in a meeting one afternoon a few years ago when, out of the blue, I felt a strong conviction that I had never taken personal responsibility for the Lord’s prayer. I’ve long ago lost count of the number of times I recited that prayer. Suddenly, that afternoon, I realised that I had always had a vague sense that some third party would fulfil verses 9 and 10. Now when I pray, Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:9-10), I pause and reflect on how my life hallows (honours) God, how available I am to God to use as an agent in bringing His kingdom to earth, and exactly how well I am allowing God (Yahweh) to have His way in my life. I reckon the editors of the Bible have given the Lord’s Prayer the wrong title. It should be The Disciples’ Prayer.

I am convinced that my heavenly report card reads currently, ‘Tries, but sometimes not hard enough, and could do better.’ I need to hear my own sermons on discipleship just as much as anyone in my congregation! By God’s grace, we will all do better this year.