Day 11

WEEK 2:  THE MODEL PRAYER

OUR NEEDS

SCRIPTURE

• Matthew 6:11-13 Give us today our daily bread.  Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'

 OBSERVATIONGIVE USWhen we submit ourselves to the Father’s care being passionate about His Name, His Kingdom and His Will, it gives us the privilege of asking confidently for our needs. A master cares for the food of his servant, a general of his soldiers, a father of his child. And will not the Father in heaven care for the child who has in prayer given himself up to His interests? UNDERSTANDINGGive us our daily bread is a prayer for all the daily necessities of life.Martin Luther suggested that the bread represents all that we need in the physical realm: food, drink, good health, good weather, a roof over our heads, good jobs, good government, and so on.He included the following sentence in his book for Peter the barber.Give us favorable weather and good harvest. I commend to thee my house and property, wife and child. Grant that I may manage them well, supporting and educating them as a Christian should.Jesus isn’t suggesting that we don’t work, and just pray for food. We do both. The old maxim applies here: “Pray like it all depends on God; work like it all depends on you.” This prayer is a reminder of our humble dependence on God. We are to live a day at a time, trusting our Father to care for us.And notice it’s not a “me-prayer” but a “we-prayer”—give us our daily bread. Most of us here have no shortage of daily bread; if anything, most of us have too much. So when we pray this, we must also pray for those who have too little or nothing at all. LIFE APPLICATIONLord, you know what we need. You know our daily necessities. Please provide for us. Lord, I have everything I need, and more; for this I humbly thank You. So I pray today for those in our church who don’t have what they need. I pray for those who need money, or basic necessities like food and shelter and heat—provide what they need. Provide jobs for the unemployed and better jobs for the underemployed.I pray these same things for the needy in our community. Help us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and shelter the homeless.I pray that no child would go to bed hungry in our town.I pray for all the single moms struggling to provide for their kids—bless them with everything they need.Bless us so that we can bless others. Bless our businesses so that we can provide jobs for those who have none. You said that if we have two coats we should share with those who have none. Help us share our abundance with those in need right here in our own church or community.And we pray this prayer for daily bread for the poor and needy around the world.Father, let what breaks Your heart break ours. We have everything we need—don’t let that become an excuse to be selfish, but let it become a reason to share what we have and work for the welfare of others.