"Hallowed be Thy name" (First Petition).
The First Petition. The word "petition" is itself a small devotion.
Of all the many books written about Luther and the Reformation, my favorite is the one written by his dog. The Luthers had a dog and his name was Tolpel, the German word for "fool." Dogs were used in that day to keep down the rodents. To hear Tolpel tell it, his job was seeing to it that the mice did not destroy Martin's papers.
God used Tolpel to teach Luther a very important lesson. Luther once said: "'Pray without ceasing' (1 Thess. 5:17). My dog taught me the meaning of this Bible verse. He believes that his good lord will give him what he needs, and therefore never stops begging. If we humans only had such faith in our Lord!"
The Lord's Prayer has seven petitions. "Petition" comes from a Latin word meaning "to beg." And one of the prayers in the Communion liturgy even says, in part: "...we beg You, O Lord, to forgive, renew, and strengthen us with Your Word and Spirit."
Let us not take such a "holy" view of prayer. The truth is, we would have nothing apart from God. We are utterly dependent on Him. We also love and trust in Him that He will do for, and give to us, all that we need. So we should never stop praying, begging, and scratching at His door. Even as He never gets tired of hearing, answering, and helping us in every need, body and soul.
Take it from Tolpel.
