Friday April 12, 2013

Read Matthew 6:11

Jesus has taught us about how NOT to pray and then models for us how we ought to pray. Notice that Jesus doesn’t do or promote anything He’s decried in His earlier teaching? He shows us how to pray in a way that is acceptable to our great and mighty God.

In seeking that our daily needs be met, we simply have to ask. There is no need to seek to manipulate God with babbling. Nor is there need for showy or lengthy prayers or for any hocus-pocus that seeks to magically conjure up that which we think we need. Our God knows what we need before we even ask. Thus we can faithfully and trustingly ask God to meet our daily provision by giving us the bread we require for sustenance.

But it’s hard for us to ask God for our daily bread when we know that we’ll be paid next week or fortnight. We know that there’ll be food on the table. We know that we’ll have enough. In a society as rich and blessed as ours, such prayers as ‘give us today our daily bread’ mean little, if anything.

But the Greek Text speaks of asking God to grant us the bread we need today to sustain us. We are asking neither too much nor too little but exactly what we need to be sustained for another day’s service to our Lord and Saviour.

Corporately such a prayer may mean little in terms of a gathered congregation. But as a family, the plural aspect can be kept. Imagine a family praying each morning that God would grant them their daily needs and sustenance. Imagine a family so devoted and committed that they diligently and lovingly seek God’s provision for their sustenance each and every single day. Such a family will be rejoicing and praising God for every meal they share together and even for those meals they take to work or school or wherever.

The word ‘today’ here in the Lord’s prayer suggests that we are to seek God daily and not to worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will have enough worries of its own so we are to concern ourselves with the here and now and seek God’s provision for today. Each and every single day is another day in which we can rely on and depend on our God.

Prayer:

Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.

 

Adoration:

 

Confession:

 

Thanks:

 

Supplication:

¥ What are the needs you have at the moment? Ask God to provide for these needs.

¥ What needs does your congregation have at present? Ask God to meet these needs.

 

Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. Even though we live in a blessed and rich land, why should we ask God to provide our needs each and every single day?

2. Is it wrong to list your needs to God and to ask Him about each one? Defend your answer.