Daily Bread - Petition

Read

Matthew 6:9–13 (ESV)

9 Pray then like this: “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 this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Now we enter into what is likely the most commonly understood type of prayer.

Petition = To ask God for things for ourselves. “To ask earnestly”

Everyone prays this way at one point in their life or another. For the job offer, a sick loved one, for a good score on the test, safe landing, guidance, and the ever present parking spot. Everyone finds themselves praying to God at some point in their life, whether they know exactly who that God is genuinely.

Red car running out of gas

Our lives are filled with these types of opportunities to pray for average and seemingly mundane needs in our lives. And this type of prayer can bring up all sorts of confusing moments like “does this really need to be prayed for or should I just figure it out?”, “Does God even care about this silly thing?”, “Why do I even need to ask this, since God loves me?”

Jesus addresses all of these questions and more through His instruction in the Lords prayer, His teachings, and His ministry.

Lets take a look

The first part we want to look at is this phrase that we also looked at with “Kingdom Come” which is

“On earth as it is in Heaven”

Jesus is teaching us that when we pray we can ask for what’s in heaven to come down here into our lives. That we have access to the resources of Heaven.

Philippians 4:19 (ESV)

19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

This amazing truth applies to every type of prayer all the way through the Lords prayer. Because of Jesus and His work for us we have an immeasurable supply of resources that our Heavenly Father longs to bless us with. And the next truth is revealed in the next instruction.

“Give us this day our daily bread”

Jesus is telling us to pray this type of prayer everyday for everyday things. He’s saying that the bounties of Heaven have been set aside for mine & your everyday “average” needs and that we are told ask for them believing that we’ll receive them.

Lets remind ourselves of of some of the things that Jesus taught us us throughout His ministry.

Luke 11:9 (ESV)

9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Mark 11:24 (ESV)

24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

John 14:13–14 (ESV)

13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

John 15:7 (ESV)

7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

Matthew 21:22 (ESV)

22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

Matthew 7:11 (ESV)

11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Remember, these apply to our daily bread needs as well! Often times we pray prayers that are for the immense needs of the world. For the direction of the country, world hunger, human trafficking, poverty, injustice, and so on.

But here in this portion Jesus is saying that if we pray just those admittedly noble kinds of requests then we miss out on the full picture and purpose of prayer. And that is the type of God that is revealed in Jesus. The God that comes down into our world. Lives on our streets. Sits at our tables. Rides in our boats. Teaches our kids. The type of God that longs to be with us in our every moment, longs to meet our every need not just the ones on a global scale.

God’s desire to give us “daily bread” is best pictured through the life of Jesus.

Something amazing happens when we begin to rely on God in this way. When we begin to depend on God for everything everywhere we begin to see Him as he really is… everywhere. And when we see His hand moving in the minor details of our individual lives we can’t help but be moved to gratitude. Praising God for eternally His powerful hand lovingly moving and arranging the pieces in my life to work for my good.

Inviting God into every detail of our lives gives us a new awareness to fulfill the first part of the Lord's prayer: "Holy be your Name."

Examples of Gratitude - Red Car Gas - Healings in Ohio from staff - Garrison - $129 from Chevy - Brenden on our way to Pitt

Now the cynic my say “Could the $129 bill just been a coincidence?” Sure. But as Archbishop William Temple said

“When I pray, coincidences happen; and when i don’t pray, coincidences stop happening.

-Archbishop William Temple

So while others sort out the mathematical probabilties of getting a parking spot on 8th St on Sat. in Pitt. I’ll be sipping my coffee in the morning chatting with my Eternal Father and asking Him to have EG not throw a fit when she gets sleepy around nap time, to let Mancys “sleep in” time this morning give her extra rest, to help me remember to approve the bulletin proof so Joanne doesn’t get stressed at me. I’m just trying to live out

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (ESV)

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

So then turn in your bibles to

Matthew 7:11 (ESV)

11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

This begs the question: If God is good and wants so badly to give us good gifts, why does he insist that we ask him?

Lets look at

John 5:5–6 (ESV)

5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?”

This seems like a no brainer and even unnecessary question.

wine at the wedding - Jarius’ daughter - Blind Bartimaeus - Jesus Psalm 2.8

Psalm 2:8 (ESV)

8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.

From cover to cover we see the trend, even the “rule” almost is that God wants you to ask.

“Asking is the rule of the Kingdom.”

-Charles Spurgeon

Why is God so bent on asking? Here are some reasons

He is Relational

It’s interesting to not that the first part of the Lord’s Prayer isn’t original to Jesus. It seems to be a modification of one of the the three most popular prayer in the Jewish liturgy know as the Kaddish:

May the great Name of God be exalted and sanctified,

throughout the world, which he has created according to his will.

May his Kingship be established in your lifetime and in your days, and in your lifetime

Matthew 6:9–10 (ESV)

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

10 Your kingdom come, your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

The Kaddish goes on and finishes with more praise and adoration of God, but Jesus mixes in prayers for provision, safety, and forgiveness. And then ends with worship as well.

Jesus is introducing and emphasizing that God desires to hear the the practical requests regarding the everyday requests of ordinary people.

In another teaching Jesus says this:

Luke 11:5–8 (ESV)

5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.

This is the mood and attitude that we are to bring God in prayer. Not climbing a mountain to an old bearded wizard and having to recite the exact words to the spell to get the magic to happen. Not trying to type in the 16 digit code to the bomb before it explodes.

It’s like when i asked Jamin for the gas to help me with the Red Car. I knew that he had it, and i knew that if it was within his power and will he would give it to me. So I didn’t hesitate, I just called Him up and asked Him.

The 2nd reason that Jesus wants us to ask Him is similar to a truth that we learned last week...

He seeks to Empower us.

In the book of Exodus there’s an interesting part where God is tired of Israels whininess and ungratefulness so He’s going to destroy them and start over with Moses. But Moses pleads with God:

Exodus 32:12–13 (ESV)

12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ”

And something fascinating happens. God is moved. The story says that Moses “changed His mind”. He listens

Aristotle often times called God the “unmoved mover”. The true God seems to be the “moved mover”

Now, I know this brings up all sorts of questions, like: If God has a perfect will how can He change His mind.

Malachi 3:6 ESV

6 “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.

and then

Hosea 11:8 ESV

8 How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender.

This is a part of the mystery that we discussed in Week 1

When generally want to make God into algorithms and systems in order for us to get what we want.

“God is more of a friend than a formula.”

-John Mark Comer

"God's ‘response' to our prayers is not a charade. He does not pretend he is answering our prayer when he is only doing what he was going to do anyway. Our requests really do make a difference in what God does or does not do"

-Dallas Willard

God wants to use us as His primary agents to accomplish His purpose in the world.

How great is this God that He chooses to save the world through fulfilling the needs of His children

EG asking for more

Ephesians 3:20 ESV

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,

How?

Pray with others

Matthew 18:19 (ESV)

19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.

Pray for todays bread

What can i pray specifically?

Pray for God’s promises

Pray what God’s Word specifically says about that specific situation

Pray consistently

Stack kindling/dominoes

Luke 18:1 (ESV)

1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.

Practice

Daily Prayer Rhythm

Morning - Pray for a good day

Midday - Intercede for the lost

Evening - Gratitude

Prayer Framework

Pause

Rejoice

Ask

Yield

Prayer Posture

Find a posture that works for you that intentionally sets your entire self. Body and mind pointed at God. These examples might help.

Running

Sitting in your living room chair with a cup of coffee

Rocking chair on the porch

Walking in the woods

Kneeling

Sitting

Standing

Whatever gets you to a place of your heart set on things above…Thats where your should be.

Tone

When you pray this week, remove all the common Christian jargon, and truly approach the Father like His child. When you pray imagine the Father relaxed and eager to hear your requests.