Asking for What is Sufficent

“Asking for What is Sufficient” (v11)

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5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this manner, therefore, pray:

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 forgive our debtors.

13 And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Many religions advocate and teach prayer. In the 21st century prayer has been studied scientifically and written about demonstrating the effectiveness of prayer to the surprise of those outside the community of faith. For the Christian prayer should be a way of life, the ever-present open line of communication between the creature to the Creator. You as followers of Christ are instructed to pray daily. For each of You prayer is both the same and different.

Prayer among believers is the same in the motivation of a thankful heart, pleased to submit and cry out to the LORD seeking his blessing and will HC116:

Why is Prayer necessary for Christians?

Because it is the chief part of the thankfulness which God requires of us; and because God will give His grace and Holy Spirit only to such, as earnestly and without ceasing beg them from Him, and render thanks unto Him for them.

Christ’s instruction for prayer is not only the model for praying, but an outline instructing us to submit to the holiness of God and to ask for what is sufficient according of his will.

form the first three petitions, focusing on the holiness of our heavenly father, ensuring we see him and supplicate him in accordance with his status and position. To awaken a childlikeness in us, as a child might seek something from their father’s hand, only we seek all things from the heavenly hand of our Holy Father, from whom we can expect everything sufficient to preserve us body and soul. (HC Q116 - 129). As we think of our Holy Father we seek Love, Mercy, Justice, and Truth, which are the foundation of His revealed nature. So we come seeking the blessings of His Holiness, which he alone can impart to us through Christ Jesus’ work and shed blood on our behalf. This picture leads us to v11, and our sermon “Asking for What is Sufficient”.

1. Pleading for What is Necessary (; ; )

11 Give us this day our daily bread. δὸς (Grant /Give) ἡμῖν (to we / us)

I want you to think about this for a moment. When you come in prayer before the LORD, is your motivation to honor and glorify God? Are you prompted out of repetition, as at bedtime, or before a meal? Has some urgent or serious circumstance arisen?

What motivates your petitions?

Prayer is an intentional, focused meditation of the heart and mind, directed toward the Creator of the Universe. He has not only invited you to come into his presence but given you the method and mode of prayer in a context which cannot be mistaken. Prayer is a private or SECRET matter between you and God. To approach him- not as a slot machine to make your life better, but in confidence recognizing his holiness. You approach him for what you need According to his will (v9-10). The petition to GIVE US TODAY (the literal rendering) is a plea not a demand, it is you coming before the King and asking for the mercy of sufficiency in receiving what is NECESSARY.

What is meant by “Give Us”? We are commanded by Christ to ask of God the blessings which are promised to us as his adopted children (; ). We are to seek what is sufficient, or necessary. We seek the favor promised to his as God’s own people, which was the common practice of those who followed him from the time of Abraham. We see this in beginning at v7

“Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die): Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches— Feed me with the food allotted to me; Lest I be full and deny You, And say, “Who is the LORD?” Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God.” (, NKJV)

Also, we are not to asking for our own pleasure (), but we are here instructed to pray for the sufficient needs and promised blessings of us all, ALL WHO ARE IN THE HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH. All who belong to Christ, all who have been chosen in Christ since before the foundations of the world. instructs us in doing good unto all men, but especially they of God’s Kingdom of Faith ().

So, what motivates your petitions?

We have suggested, repetition as in bed time or waking, or meal time or some other regular occasion. All these are excellent times for prayer. We have also suggested some serious circumstance, or urgent situation, perhaps illness, or some other life changing event. All these are excellent time for prayer:

Christ prayed over the meals shared with others at the feeding of the 5000 the 4000 and in the instruction of the Lord’s Supper, even Paul practiced this. (CHRIST: ; ; ; ; ; ; PAUL ).

Christ often prayed. None simpler than at the hour of his passion (). “Father forgive them; for they know not what they do. See

2. We always Pray TODAY (; ; )

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

σήμερον (today / this day)

The sufficiency for which we pray is not asking for we do not have, but for what we have been given and our ability to see what we have TODAY. All prayer is focused on the here and now. While we may pray for events which have yet to come to pass, e.g. (good weather, the birth of an unborn child, the outcome of an operation), the prayer is presented in the real immediate submissive communication with the LORD in the moment you are praying.

The fourth petition is not simply a prayer for food, wealth, success, or material blessings, but an outward directed confession of the blessings which You have received, an expectation and thankfulness for what You have and will receive, and a masterful expression of gratitude to God for all these things. Do you pray each day for the food you will need? The plea for what is sufficient is intended to bring you the LORD daily, to exercise the personal relationship he has established with you. This petition is for every day, not a onetime prayer for all meals, but for the necessities of our body, which is the vessel of the soul. The HC expresses this daily petition this way,

“Give us this day our daily bread;” that is, be pleased to provide for all our bodily need, so that we may thereby acknowledge that You are the only fountain of all good, and that without Your blessing neither our care and labor, nor Your gifts, can profit us; that we may therefore withdraw our trust from all creatures and place it in You alone” (HC Q125)

When we look at the idea here in the petition we see a seeming repetition in the text, “Give us this day our daily bread.”, the phrase “this day” and “daily bread”, not only reflect upon the act of coming to the LORD in prayer in a daily manner, or the necessities of the body, and the gifts and blessings of God, but together they lead us into the full understanding of what “Asking for What is Sufficient” really means.

The petition for what is necessary today, is seen in the prayers which are lifted up for the body of Christ, for unborn children, for the concerns expressed in asking God send rain, to diminish raging fires, protect first responders, guard and govern the hearts of our children, our leaders, ourselves…to pray actively engaged in the Christian life.

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The petition for what is necessary today, is seen in the prayers which are lifted up for the body of Christ, for unborn children, for the concerns expressed in asking God send rain, to diminish raging fires, protect first responders, guard and govern the hearts of our children, our leaders, ourselves…to pray in every steadfastly.

The petition for what is necessary today, is seen in the prayers which are lifted up for the body of Christ, for unborn children, for the concerns expressed in asking God send rain, to diminish raging fires, protect first responders, guard and govern the hearts of our children, our leaders, ourselves…to pray in every steadfastly.

9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing [instant] steadfastly in prayer; 13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

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That means, when you bow to pray, as often as you come before the LORD, you engage in a conscious effort to be present in the time of prayer,

What does being present mean?

As a man married 33 years, there are many times I am not present in the conversation which my beloved wife is seeking my attention. Unfortunately this is not a learned skill, most men are not very good at multi tasking. this is often made fun of in popular culture. The wife is talking to her husband who is distracted by something and the husband is responding, “ah hun, ok, yeah,” when the wife realizes he’s not present in the conversation, she throws some zinger in to bring him present into the conversation, something like, “I’m thinking of leaving you and running away with the milkman...” and the husband responds… “that’s nice…wait what?!?”

Being present in prayer TODAY means from the beginning reflecting upon your total and complete dependence upon God as you come sincerely asking for the desires of your heart according to the will of our heavenly Father. Today, is the time we are with him. Today the evil which is currently occupying the news cycle, your own personal life, afflicting those you love, is sufficient. Today you enter the secret prayer closet before the LORD to seek your daily bread, to ask according to his will. That leads us to our final section

3. Expecting What is Sufficient (; ; )

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

τὸν ἄρτον (the bread) ἡμῶν (of we / our) τὸν ἐπιούσιον (of necessity / sufficiency)

The meaning of the word translated as “Daily” in most modern English translations is the subject of much discussion. The Latin translation by Jerome uses “super-substantial” seeing a mystical quality and looking to relate the translation to the concept or idea of “the bread of life”. Young’s literal translation translates it as “Our appointed bread”. Because these are the words of the Christ we need to be a clear as possible as to its meaning. Since this word only appears in and , the context of the whole prayer and the sermon are necessary to fully grasp the depth of meaning.

There are three main views which the word Daily describes:

1. The idea of necessary for existence. This view presents the plea for bread as asking for what is necessary, and sufficient. The request [δὸς (Grant /Give) ἡμῖν (to we / us)] which is our verb responds well to this idea, a translation of “Give us this day the bread necessary for our existence” confers the depth of the word translated daily.

2. For the current day, for today. Again, this view while differing in its emphasis and without the use of “existence”, relates the idea of what is necessary and sufficient, for our immediate sustenance.

3. For the following day. This view is generally discounted by most scholars as being unnecessary. The petition addresses in the emphasis of today, what is sufficient, so as not to cause need or worry for tomorrow. which discusses the needs of the body and concludes with this admonition:

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (, NKJV)

Christ’s sermon progresses from the proper instruction in Prayer. of asking for what is sufficient, to the instruction to not worry about tomorrow. The completion of the thought is the sufficiency of the LORD in all things. Both in our prayer life and our daily lives, we are to give honor to the LORD for all which we have. For we have what is necessary. The Apostle Paul understood this clearly

“I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (, NKJV)

The meaning and definition of the word Daily provides us with a depth significant enough to contain the three main meanings in one simple word. But we should be mindful, and actively present in our understanding of the depth spoken of here. Vv 9-10 make clear the Holiness of God and His Will are to be at the center of asking for what is sufficient.

To accomplish this, remember to be actively present and focused in your prayer life. Your petitions and requests are important, but your submission and supplications are about PLEADING FOR WHAT IS NECESSARY, from the Almighty. He already knows what You need, what is best for those whom You are praying for. Your prayers are to glorify God, to be actively engaged TODAY, because WE ALWAYS PRAY TODAY recognizing and honoring the covenant relationship which we have in CHRIST JESUS in everything we do. Finally beloved, direct Your prayers EXPECTING WHAT IS SUFFICIENT. Christ will never leave nor forsake YOU. He WILL provide for your good, regardless of the circumstances which surround YOU.

Turn with me to :

The New King James Version Chapter 5

14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. 15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

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

19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.

14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. 15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

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

19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.

Bow with me in prayer

Benediction:

The New King James Version Chapter 13

20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

“Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), .

(, NKJV)