Blake Penson's Blog

I recently heard the testimony of a young man in prison in Cuba who was about to commit suicide. Another prisoner had passed a pair of scissors to him so that he could puncture his jugular. At the moment he was about to bring an end to his life, he suddenly heard a voice. The voice said: "Pray the prayer: 'Our Father'". He could only remember the first parts of the prayer, beginning with "Our Father who is in heaven...". Suddenly the darkness and complete despair disappeared and he was filled with an incredible joy and an overwhelming love. He began to cry as a deep peace swept over and through him. Then a guard was at his cell door. He opened the door and said: "You can leave. You've been released." Once he passed through the prison doors he discovered his sister outside. With tears in her eyes she embraced him. And then he told her of his encounter, the voice and the prayer. She said: "That voice was Jesus. My brother, I am a Christian and I have been here praying for you." That day changed his life forever. Unfortunately, for many the Lord's Prayer has been forgotten, even among Christians. For others it is a mantra to repeat endlessly without meditating on and experiencing the incredible spiritual riches of each phrase. The motive for writing the "7 Rooms of The Lord's Prayer" was to reawaken the wonder and the power of this prayer for faith in the One who gave us the prayer. Who better than Jesus Christ to teach us the prayer that enables us to experience personally the good news of what he has done for you and I - restored relationship with God. Through this prayer we can enter our true heavenly home, experiencing each room where our heavenly Father waits for us with an incredible life transforming embrace. The young man who heard Jesus' voice tell him to pray "Our Father..." continues to share about his encounter with many in his country. As a result, they too have had their own encounter, and are sharing their story about the Lord's Prayer. How about you?