Day 6 | The Lord’s Prayer: Part 2
Matthew 6:11 (ESV)
Give us this day our daily bread
Matthew 6:25-26 (ESV)
[25] “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? [26] Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
OBSERVATION
In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus teaches us how to pray. First, he urges us to acknowledge God and his good will. After this, Jesus shows us how to pray for God’s provision. Jesus tells us to request “daily bread.” Here’s the idea: God is going to provide what you need. Our lives are in his hands. He cares about the details of your life, and God cares about his creation. Sometimes, this can be hard to realize. Especially today, there is so much that is advertised as an “absolute need.” There’s so much that we think we need and we can often feel like we are missing something. But remember, later in Matthew 6, Jesus tells us that if God cares about the birds of the air, then he surely cares about us! We carry God’s image and his breath of life. He will not forsake us, and we can trust in Him to provide for us.
I love how Jesus uses the term “daily bread.” It reminds me of Exodus 16, the story about the Israelites wandering in the wilderness. The children of Israel had no food, and so God made bread rain down from Heaven, and he called it Manna. The people were told to take only what they needed for the day, not to store it up for the next day or the next week. God asked them to do this, not because there was a limited amount of Manna, but because he wanted the people to trust that he would provide for them each day, that he wouldn’t forsake them. God is over each day, he is involved and present. When we have God, we have everything we need.
APPLICATION
When you pray, look at what you have: food, clothes, shelter, and know that God has provided all these things for you. God gives you what you need, and he provides each day! Instead of letting anxiety overcome your mind, be overwhelmed with gratitude and watch how God provides for you each day.
PRAYER
Dear God, you are my provider. I know that you will not forget me because you made me and you care for me. Thank you for your grace and for your care. Forgive me for forgetting your provision. I trust that each day, you provide for me, so each day, help me to let go of my anxiety, to have gratitude, and to see your blessings. Amen.