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Welcome to our weekly Friday Check-in for September 26th, 2025 ✅
Let’s pause together and check in. Take the next few minutes to slow down and enter into intentional silence, reflection, and prayer.
Let's begin with,
Page: An Invitation to Reflection
Read Matthew 6:7-15 (ESV) three times.
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Spend a few minutes journaling in response to this passage:
- What stands out to you most? Is there a particular word or phrase?
- As you read through it a second time… ask God, “to what area of my life does that particular word or phrase connect?”
- And as you read a third time, be asking God, “Is there an invitation for me?” Is there a response of some kind that God is inviting you into?
This month’s theme is “consistency.” We’re continuing to meditate on this theme and Colossians 1: 9-12 alongside today’s reading.
Next up is,
Person: An Invitation to Connection
Take one minute of silence and ask the Lord to bring a person or a few people to mind. Allow their face(s) to surface in your mind’s eye. Holding them in your heart and mind, begin to pray the Lord’s Prayer on their behalf:
Our Father in heaven, may Your name be honored in ______‘s life. May Your kingdom come soon in ______‘s life. May Your will be done in ______‘s life on earth, just as it is in heaven. Give ______ the provision they need for today. And forgive ______, as they forgive others. Don’t let ______ yield to temptation, but deliver them from the evil one. Manifest Your glory forever and ever in ______‘s life. Amen.
Feel free to pray this in a way that’s comfortable to you, praying for them by name, for their needs and their relationship with God.
Finally we have,
Plan: An Invitation to Intention
The Lord’s Prayer was given not as a rigid script but as a living model of relationship and freedom: consistent prayer that is relational, spacious, and Spirit-led. Some of us have been taught to pray this ‘consistently,’ but in its familiarity, how can we guard against empty repetition and instead hold onto this prayer as a steady anchor in God’s presence?
Ask yourself:
- When I pray the Lord’s Prayer, do I approach it as a ritual to “get right,” or as an invitation to real connection with God who knows me and loves me?
- What word, phrase, or image in this prayer consistently draws me deeper into freedom and trust, and how can I linger with that today instead of rushing past it?
We’ll close today’s check in with a prayer from author Melody Beattie, from her book The Language of Letting Go:
“Help me, God, to let go of shame-based rigid rules. I will choose the freedom of loving, listening, and trusting.”
Enjoy and delight in the quiet freedom of God’s loving presence for as long as you can in this moment. Our prayer is that you carry this freedom with you throughout your day.
Amen.
Thanks for checking in today - Blessings!