LEARNING DAILY

Matthew 6:9-10, “In this manner, therefore, pray: 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,

The Lord’s Prayer is Kingdom Prayer regarding the Kingdom of God. It is a prayer about the future coming of His kingdom and also a prayer for the present time people live in. It is about honoring our heavenly Father and recognizing of dependency upon Him. The prayer is not to be just memorized and spoken quickly without regard to what it means.

“Give us this day our daily bread”.  The Listener Guide at Community Bible Church points out that God is our Father, Our King, and our Provider. He knows exactly what we need and what we want – even before we ask. When the statement “give” is made it is a recognition of the dependency each Believer has on his heavenly Father regarding “every aspect of his life; God is his source and his sustainer’, stated pastor Ed Newton. If the Believer recognizes and acknowledges that to be so, then Philippians 4:6 becomes reality to him, “Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God”.  Believers need not be anxious about anything because God knows their need and provides according to His will, in His way, and in His time.

Pastor Newton made it clear the use of “us” and “our” in this prayer lets each Believer know that he/she is not alone in what is being faced. He stated, “You are not alone in what you are facing – others are just as needy. When the Lord’s Prayer is prayed it is as if we are praying for others who have needs even when we do not know what they are”. “God blesses His children through the faithfulness of others”, he said. Psalm 34:9-10 is encouraging, “Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints, for those who fear Him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing” (Listener Guide). The Psalm is talking to Believers; can you related to it?

“This day” has an urgency to it doesn’t it! There are things that believers are praying for, that are needed today, “this day”. God knows. He sees what the need is. Pastor wrote on the Listener Guide Isaiah 58:11 to encourage you if you have this sort of need. “And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you will be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose water does not fail”. Those scorched places are those situations that may seem impossible without God’s direct involvement. He can make something out of nothing. Think about creation. Think about Jesus making mud from the dust of the earth in order for the blind to see.

“Daily”. God provided manna and meat “daily” for His people as they wandered in the desert. Pick it up and eat it that day because it would not last for tomorrow, But, when tomorrow came, there was the manna and the meat. Great is God’s faithfulness to all believers (Read Ephesians 3:14-19). Just as He provided for the needs of those wondering in the desert, He continues to provide for His people every day, today.

Bread”. Jesus, the Son of the heavenly Father, came to this earth to be the living bread for all who would believe in Him. John 6:15 Jesus Himself declares, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh”.

Believe in Him, follow Him by walking on the narrow way daily, depending on Him to be your provider and to change you into His image. Be diligent in following Him and “seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”! (Matthew 6:33).