TEACH US TO PRAY: WEEK FOUR
This week, as we continue studying the Lord's prayer in Matthew 6, Justin VandeWater taught on verse 11, "Give us this day our daily bread".
He began addressing the tension we feel when we are disappointed by different circumstances. We face all of these trials like sickness or financial struggle, so we continuously ask God, over and over, "give it to us", and then we're disappointed when the outcome isn't what we wanted or we are left waiting. We ask that His Kingdom would come and we believe in His healing and provision, but what do we do when there's that tension and disappointment?
He began addressing the tension we feel when we are disappointed by different circumstances. We face all of these trials like sickness or financial struggle, so we continuously ask God, over and over, "give it to us", and then we're disappointed when the outcome isn't what we wanted or we are left waiting. We ask that His Kingdom would come and we believe in His healing and provision, but what do we do when there's that tension and disappointment?
“Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die. Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?" Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God."
The author of this proverb was obviously facing disappointment, but asking the Lord to be protected from ever speaking a lie about Him. He then goes on to a radical prayer - give me neither poverty or riches, because if I'm rich, full, then I will deny you, but if I'm poor, I will steal and do wrong. How much faith does it take to say to the Lord, "Today there are things that I want for myself and for other peoples life, but I'm asking you to give me what I need". Often what we want is not always what we need.
When we look at the lives of Noah and Abraham and so many others in the Bible, we see how through trials, through situations that they may not have wanted to go through, they constantly looked to the Lord. They spent time with the Lord and in His word. There's this pattern of what is wanted, seems to be different from what is need.
As we look back at the themes overarching the themes we've broken down the Lord's prayer into,
Praise - hallowed be your name
Purpose - kingdom come
Provision - give us this day our daily bread
Repentance - forgive us
Protection - deliver us
When we look at the lives of Noah and Abraham and so many others in the Bible, we see how through trials, through situations that they may not have wanted to go through, they constantly looked to the Lord. They spent time with the Lord and in His word. There's this pattern of what is wanted, seems to be different from what is need.
As we look back at the themes overarching the themes we've broken down the Lord's prayer into,
Praise - hallowed be your name
Purpose - kingdom come
Provision - give us this day our daily bread
Repentance - forgive us
Protection - deliver us
Jesus knew that all of these things were crucial to the faith. We often see provision out in front of praise and purpose. In Matthew 6:25-33,
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them."
Instead of pursuing God for what we want, or what we think he wants for us, we should seek his Kingdom first, his righteousness, and ask him on a daily basis, "God, I'm trusting you today, what is it that you think I need?"
This piece of the prayer is often an ask. We ask for healing, breakthrough, etc. But all of a sudden, "give us this day our daily bread" becomes a listen as we ask God what we need. "God, what is it that YOU think I need?" Daily. That is a radical prayer and radical faith to ask him that every day.
When we face the tension found with the disappointment, Galatians 2:20 reminds us of the gospel in this,
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
We no longer need to ask for what we think we need, because its not even our own life anymore. That's radical! God takes all of our sin, expectation, fear, shame, disappointment, etc. and in exchange gives us all of his righteousness! Christ lives in and through us. We realize that it's not about us! It's about Jesus. He is our daily bread.
When we look back to the story of the Israelites leaving Egypt, when they were in the midst of the trial, they were willing to go back to slavery, to what they thought they wanted or what they thought was better for them. It took just a few days to get the Israelites out of Egypt, but it took 40 years to get Egypt out of the Israelites.
We have this opportunity to come before the Father and ask "What is it that you think it need?" and listen and receive from the One who always provides what we need. Jesus humbled himself to save us, and as he faced the cross, he prayed to the Father "is there any other way?" but he still went through with sacrificing himself in obedience.
Justin challenged the group to ask the Lord to come live His life through us.
To watch the full service, click here.
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