Praying with Jesus
Give us today our daily bread
May 2, 2021
Matthew 6:9-13 NIV
"This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Give us …
Prayer brings us into a sacred community with others walking the same path with the same needs.
I’ve always felt this verse was redundant.
“Give us TODAY our DAILY bread.”
Why not – “Give us bread today.”
TODAY refers to “when” and DAILY refers to an amount.
God know when we need things, and He knows how much we need.
Exodus 16:16-20 NIV (An omer is about two quarts)
“This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.'" 17 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 18 And when they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered as much as he needed. 19 Then Moses said to them, "No one is to keep any of it until morning." 20 However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.”
1. He knows when.
2. He knows how much.
Matthew 17:24-27 NIV
After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, "Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?" 25 "Yes, he does," he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. "What do you think, Simon?" he asked. "From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes — from their own sons or from others?" 26 "From others," Peter answered. "Then the sons are exempt," Jesus said to him. 27 "But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours."
Can you imagine the crowd that started fishing at that spot once the news spread that the fish were giving out coins!
The resources we need may be found in unusual places.
1. He knows when.
2.He knows how much.
John 6:32-35 NIV (After the Sermon on the Mount)
“Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." 34 "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread." 35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”
He knows when we need literal bread, and he knows how much we need.
He knows when we need spiritual bread, and he knows how much we need.
We’ll never trust God for literal bread until we can trust Him for spiritual bread.
