Marilyn's Musings
August 18, 2026
As I sit here on another warm summer day, I am wondering how many of you think this summer is one of the more uncomfortable ones we’ve had in a long time. I’ve been trying to spend time getting ready for the Thrift Shoppe’s September sale and it’s been very warm down there. Don’t get me wrong, I love the change of seasons. I would miss the nice, warm days of summer if there was only one season. Living where we do, we get to see the flowers bloom in the spring when it gets warm after a long, cold winter. Now we can look forward to a beautiful, colorful fall season in the next couple of months. As you can, I am one of those that look forward to chilly, fall days. God’s plan for our world is definitely a beautiful one.
Since the end of June, Pastor Debbie has been talking to us about the meaning of The Lord’s Prayer and different interpretations of it. This week we learned about the deep meaning of “And Forgive Us Our Debts”. I have to admit I did take a few notes while she was talking, but then I got caught up in it and just listened. She said something that really surprised me because I never thought about it. “God can have a broken heart when we sin against him”. I never thought that God would have feelings like we do, but it shouldn’t be a surprise to me when I remember he made us in his image. I did a little research and found these 3 verses to share with you.
· Genesis 6:5–6 records that when God saw the extent of human wickedness, “the Lord was sorry he had ever made them” and “his heart was grieved”
· Psalm 78:40–41 speaks of Israel’s repeated rebellion and the “grieving” of God’s heart in the wilderness
· Isaiah 63:10 describes God as “grieved” and “indignant” over the sins of His people
When we read these verses and think about it when we ask God to “Forgive Us Our Debts as we Forgive our Debtors”, what are we really asking Him? We are asking Him for the wonderful love He shows us by forgiving us for our sins and, at the same time, we are promising God we will forgive others who have sinned against us. There are different words used in this part of the prayer, from debts, to trespasses, to sins. I have used two of them.
This week’s sermon gave me a lot to think about. I am still thinking about God’s being upset when we sin against Him. With Pastor Debbie reminding us that He wants us to call Him “Abba” or “Father”, it makes sense that He would be unhappy because of the way He loves us.
Think about it. I don’t know how many of us really think about what we are saying when we say The Lord’s Prayer, but I do know after this sermon series, a lot of us will be, including me.
Let’s sing “When Morning Gilds the Skies” this week. It is a wonderful hymn of praise written in the 1800’s. Here we are in the 2000’s and still singing this hymn to praise our Lord.
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=pCsC0CUH34I&si=vzOtPgku_t5LNuTK
