Free Wonderstruck by Margaret Feinberg Page B

for the people of Jesus’ time who were hired on a daily basis. The petition for each day’s bread addresses one of the most basic human fears: scarcity. Left unchecked, our fear of deprivation distorts the way we see ourselves, others, and God. Jesus’ request for daily bread combats this fear with the loving reminder that all things come from God—and he wants to give us more than crumbs.
    We are also reminded that forgiving and being forgiven are intimately intertwined. A healthy relationship with God requires us to maintain healthy relationships with each other. To experience uninhibited daily fellowship with God, we must choose to forgive. If we harbor accusations in our hearts toward others, we’re not in a place to accept forgiveness from God. We cease to be a conduit of God’s mercy and grace. Any lack of absolution for others reveals we may have lost sight of all that God has forgiven us.
    Jesus concludes with the request that God lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. God never entices us with evil, but he does allow us to be tested and refined in our faithfulness. Sin will try to seduce us, challenging our fidelity and integrity. Though the presence of temptation in our lives is inescapable, through God’s grace, strength, and provision, we do not have to succumb to any taunts. We can live ready to flee temptations of the flesh, of the world, and of the devil, finding deliverance from them all.
    Such a prayer must have been shocking to pagans whothought they would be heard because of their many words. 14 Jesus suggests something stark and uncomplicated in approach yet unfathomable in breadth. In a handful of brief stanzas, Jesus awakens holy desires to draw us closer to God. Such a concise prayer is a powerful reminder that, at times, I need to say less in order to pray more.
    How often have I rattled on with God and said nothing at all? Relying on clichés, throwaway phrases, and high language I’d never use in everyday conversation, I took prayer for granted and lost sight of the wondrous opportunity to draw close to God.
    How much are you really saying to God when you pray? Where has “nonversation” replaced conversation in your prayers? What slight shifts in your own prayer life could reignite your relationship with God?
    We all need to become more intentional about prayer, selective about our words, ready to meet our Abba Father in the syllables and the silence that emerge. The wonder of prayer is rediscovered in
who
we’re speaking to. Prayer is a mystical event by which we get to talk to the Creator of all—the One who fashioned our world with a few words—knowing that God not only listens but answers.
    The months following Easter were marked by the temptation to forget Lent’s lessons and return to my old ways. Time coaxed me to pack away my resurrection reflections and newfound prayer life. But I resisted and continue resisting because I’ve rediscovered the wonder of prayer—more majestic than Iimagined. In those moments when I’m tempted to give in to my old ways, I recite the Lord’s Prayer and return to the discipline of three-word prayers. Holding tight to these spiritual treasures, I now count down the days until Lent comes again.

.006:
TREASURE HUNTING IN AFRICA

The Wonder of Restoration
    S TEPPING OUT OF THE A IRSTREAM TRAILER , I surveyed the office buildings filled with desks and computer screens. The energy of the city reverberated in the buzz of motorcycles, blaring car horns, and the barking of impatient taxi drivers. I took in a deep breath, imbibing the beauty of the skyline that is Cape Town, South Africa.
    Most visitors opt for a familiar hotel chain, but Leif and I booked an off-the-beaten-path adventure at a “trailer park in the sky.” The Grand Daddy Hotel, known for its innovative lodging options, hauled seven vintage trailers onto its downtown rooftop and invited the city’s top interior designers to give them a splash of hipster. The stylists