I think it is significant that Jesus taught us to pray collectively, with plural pronouns: our Father, our daily bread, our trespasses. It helps us know that, at the very core of our being, despite all the differences, we are children of the same Father.  Each of us has daily needs, every one of us broken by our own sins and all living in a fallen world.

So when I pray for Douglas, I don’t pray as the one who is healthy and whole, but as one like him, needy and lost. I don’t pray as his mother with years of wisdom ahead of his, but as his sister, equally needing our Father’s provision and protection. In prayer I am not Douglas’ leader for him to follow, but a fellow sojourner along the way.

As I pray this prayer I am not so much interceding for Douglas as I am kneeling alongside him at the throne of mercy. Both of us in need of forgiveness, both in need of grace.

And in the end, for my life and for his, it is all about our Father’s kingdom (not ours), His power (not ours) and His glory (not ours).