WEEK 4 | PRAY FOR PROVISIONS

Matthew 6:11

“Give us this day our daily bread”

Give us…

Jesus did not mess up here, he meant to say us. There are no singular pronouns in the Lord’s prayer. Because when we come to God we begin to understand that our individual needs are similar to someone else’s needs. If you are tired or fatigued, pray that the Lord give you and others the strength and rest you need. We are apart of a bigger community and story. In prayer we are able to pray for our needs and the needs of the community around us.

… this day …

God cares about your needs in the future, but we can ultimately only change and focus on what we need today. Prayer is our way of coming to God daily to remind ourselves that He is the one who provides for us on a day to day basis. Matthew 6 ends with this verse, “therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” God wants to be apart of helping you through the trouble of today. In prayer we invite God into the process of our everyday lives.

… our daily bread.

God desires to walk with us on a day by day basis. He longs to care for our needs. Later in Matthew we read Jesus say, “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?” God wants to take care of us. We simple need to ask. In prayer, we are invited to bring all our needs before God. This verse does not imply that God will always give us what we want, but He will provide what we need.

Questions:

If you believed God could provide for you, what would you ask for?

What anxieties about tomorrow do you need to rest before God?