Supplication

Give us this Day our Daily Bread

Since we have spent the first three petitions of prayer recognizing God as our true food, wealth and happiness Jesus invites us to bring our prayer list of needs into line with this new frame of heart

Ask what is expedient for Him

If you are in Christ God is your loving Father

And now we recognize how needy we are and how much God provides.

God designed us to be dependent. From the moment of our birth we are dependent on the kindness others

He is glorious, hallowed in heaven and all powerful. We are incapable of even meeting our basic needs apart from His grace

And He cares for great things such as salvation and a growing church, He is cared for ordinary things like feeding His children

This means instead of running through a quick list of things we want we should reflect on what we want in light of all we know from Scripture what pleases God or what grieves God.

James 4:2–3 “.... You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”

Daily bread includes all we need spiritually, emotionally, materially. Praying to be set free from sin and temptation, energy to perform our jobs, physical protection and health, financial stability.

To pray for family, friends, even enemies.

Fellowship with God

God created us with physical needs and promised to meet those needs. And even our physical needs are a reminder of our spiritual needs, that we do not live on bread alone.

That we have a need for daily food, we realize God’s provision daily for our needs

Jesus is teaching us it is OK to pray for our needs to be met.

We are being reminded He is a God who gives. Scripture promises us we can depend on Him to respond to these requests.

James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

In Genesis we read of how Abraham waited for the fulfillment of a promise, Isaac God in His providence chose Abraham and when Abraham and Sarah were well beyond child bearing years, God provided.

In Gods providence, God called Abraham to sacrifice his son and Abraham obeyed, trusting God and in God provided a substitute sacrifice.

Providence of God is related to his provision.

He knows our ultimate need of salvation

And yes He is concerned with the everyday, mundane stuff of life

So we pray God in your sovereign providence, provide what we need

Now there is a relationship between Gods providence and our labor.

Not a call to sit home scrolling youtube and wondering why you lack

It is also a reminder this is daily. Daily we depend on God

We are not used to looking daily for food, we have cupboards and freezers stocked. Have the bigger choice of which cereal, sandwhich or dinner I am going to have.

Israel in wilderness had to wait each morning for their basic sustenance.

Daily bread (which is slang for money in our day)

We are being taught that we come to God is a spirit of humility, asking God to provide what we need and to sustain us day to day

We are not called to ask for luxury and excess but we are called to make our needs known, trusting God’s will provide.

Spend moments in prayer and Ben will come and lead us

List of daily personal prayers

Unbelieving Fathers would turn to the Lord

Believing Fathers/husbands would step up to pastor their families

Family reconciliation and healthy relationships

For our members to have financial stability and generosity

For physical health/healing

Luther says in his catechism that to get daily bread there must be a thriving economy, good employment and a just society.

As individuals and families we are daily connected to our community. Neighbors, merchants, employers, educational and health care services

And as a church we are daily connected to these same entities

Jeremiah 29:7 “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”

List of community prayer

Relationship between church and community leaders.

Economic stability and good jobs

Safe community

Safe school

Healthy relationship between church and community.

Healthy partnerships with other gospel oriented ministries