May is Go Month—a global call for every believer to pray, care, and share the Gospel. Before speaking, we listen. Before going, we pray. And this week, I want to invite you into a story that reminds us why.
Recently, my wife sat in the home of a woman I’ll call Lakshmi (not her real name). She’s suffered the death of her father. Her brother has spent all of her father's life insurance gambling. He is abusing his mother and constantly taking the little money she has. Lakshmi is in fear for her mother's safety and furious at her brother's behaviour. The pain is raw, and it’s real. To make it worse, she’s here in Australia—over 10,000 kilometers from her family in India. She feels powerless and wonders what she did to deserve such a terrible fate.
What do you say to someone like that?
More importantly—how do you pray?
Lakshmi was open to prayer, but when suffering is deep and tangled, we need the Spirit's wisdom to know where to focus. Thankfully, Jesus gave us a framework: the Lord’s Prayer.
Each line of that prayer speaks to her situation:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name”
Father’s Character – Does she need to know that God is holy, good, and trustworthy?
“Your kingdom come, your will be done”
Father’s Kingdom – In what ways do her family members need to change the way they relate to one another?
“Give us today our daily bread”
Father’s Provision – What about the very real physical needs of her mother?
“Forgive us... as we forgive”
Father’s Forgiveness – There’s brokenness and bitterness that only God can heal.
“Lead us not into temptation”
Father’s Guidance – Her brother is caught in destructive patterns.
“Deliver us from evil”
Father’s Protection – The whole household needs spiritual protection.
You won’t pray every line every time. But the Lord’s Prayer gives you six clear places to start. Ask the Spirit: Where do I press in today?
Go Month invites us to step into people’s pain—and to lift it up to the Father. This week, let’s do that. With prayerful listening, gentle courage, and Gospel hope.