The Lord's Prayer: The right way up

Following International Development Week, Major Kerry Coke reflects on the Army’s international work tackling injustice.

On a hot Paraguayan afternoon in 2017, I sat in the garden of a woman who had invited the local home league to lead a food and nutrition class. It was arguably the most Christ-filled experience of my life.

Children were fed, money-saving recipes were shared, stories of the love of Jesus were told, and joy was in abundance. I remember knowing that Heaven was being experienced on Earth.

As The Salvation Army marks International Development Week (19–25 October), I wonder: when we engage in international development – as a financial supporter, a pray-er, an on-the-ground responder or an organiser – are we turning the words of the Lord’s Prayer into a living, beautiful entity?

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name

'Our Father’ – never have we needed to understand the full picture of ‘family’ more than we do now. We are more than individual people created in the image of God; we are brothers and sisters.

When we right the wrongs of a particular situation, we do so for our family. Calling God ‘our Father’ reminds us we are under his care and within his love.

Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven

When we take our people or programmes into a place that is hurting, we’re often confronting systems and policies that have forced our ‘family members’ into poverty and despair.

When we distribute emergency vouchers or build toilets or provide education, we are overturning the world as it is and helping – by the grace of God – to see it become the world as it should be.

Give us today our daily bread

This speaks to us of sharing and of being content with what we have as much as feeding programmes for those facing starvation. International development work begins with each one of us remembering that when we take too much for ourselves, the rest of our family suffers. 

Our work will sometimes involve tough decisions about equitable distribution of resources – we need prayerful support to get that right so communities can look after themselves.

And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us

So much of our work is about forgiveness and reconciliation. Where there are members of our wider family weighed down by injustice, we play our part in addressing this and promoting reconciliation, inclusion and cohesion. 

And that’s not just about humankind either. Where there is drought and we are helping people access life-giving water, we are playing a role in reconciling people to Earth and, ultimately, trying to reconcile Heaven to Earth.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

For those at home, we pray that we learn to live with enough. For those involved in development programmes, we pray for protection to uphold integrity, accountability, ethical conduct and transparency.

For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen.

We do this work as an act of praise and worship to God. It’s God’s Kingdom we’re helping to build, not ours.

Reflect and respond

• The week’s theme is New Beginnings. Reflect on the example of Joseph in Genesis 37–50, who trusted in God as he worked through him for God.
• Pray the Lord’s Prayer over the Army’s international development work.

This article is based on a feature originally published in the spring 2024 Develop magazine, published by the International Development UK team.