| The Lord's Prayer, Part 8, The Fourth Petition, "Give us this day our daily bread |
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| Written by David Lawrence |
| Monday, September 05 2011 00:00 |
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Scripture states in many places that we possess nothing that we have not received. Our salvation is a gift, including our faith. Every day we live, every breath we draw, every heartbeat…they are all gifts of God’s grace. We earn nothing from God; we deserve nothing from God. It is His love and mercy that sustain both just and unjust. The difference is that a regenerate person can discern this truth whereas the unregenerate give God neither credit nor glory. It is this truth that underlies Jesus’ statement. As we pray this petition, we are acknowledging that all we have is from God, and our dependence on him is both total and constant. It implies not only that we should request from God our daily needs, but that, being aware that God is the source of all we have, we be ever grateful. It was the apostle James who, in his letter, told Christians that they did not have because they did not ask. It is a simple truth: if we want something, we should ask for it. God wants His children to ask him for his gracious gifts; He receives glory when we acknowledge the reality of His sovereignty over all created reality including the minutest details of our lives. It certainly includes, thus, asking for the necessities of our lives. Of course, by the expression “daily bread,” that is exactly what Jesus had in mind. He is not saying that we should ask only for the specific food item of bread, but that bread is a symbol for all that man needs to sustain him. Bread has always been so important in the daily diet of people that it represents all we need for life. And as each day presents its own list of necessities, whether health, protection, shelter, clothing, or food, so we must ask regularly, on an on-going basis for our daily bread. Such then should be the daily consciousness and daily prayer of all who trust in Christ. |
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