THE DEPENDENCE OF THIS PRAYER

“THE DEPENDENCE OF THIS PRAYER”Part 2

Prayer:Dear Lord,You are good and we thank you for always hearing us when we pray. We thank you for all You have done and You always come through for us. We take the time to pause and truly humbly pray about our needs. Here we are and we will listen to you now. We already call it done! In Jesus name, Amen!

Matthew 6:11Give us today our daily bread.

Intro: When we pray”Give us today our daily bread,” we are acknowledging that God is our sustainer and provider. We must trust God daily to provide what he knows we need.

BECAUSE of all of the laws regarding food safety, you can’t take food allotted to be served on any given day and distribute what is unused. A friend of mine owns a restaurant and at the end of business each day, they pack up their unused food and take it immediately to a shelter, staying within the confines of the legal time period given by the laws, and share with others. They’d rather share the food with the homeless than discard it in a trash can.

“Give us today day our daily bread” does not just imply a selfish kind of request. It also involves being concerned about the needs of others. This verse says, “Give us.” It raises the question of our personal need and the needs of others.

Notice what this prayer says about us and our relationship to the Heavenly Father.)

1. It Is A Prayer Of Confession – This simple statement says, “I can’t meet my own needs, but you can.” When I pray this prayer I am confessing my own weaknesses and limitation and I am confessing that I believe that God is able where I am not. When I pray this prayer, I am not resting in my own ability to work and put food on my table. I am acknowledging the truth that I can only work because God gives me the strength. I am expressing the truth that He is God and I am totally dependent upon Him for all the things I need as I pass through this life day by day.

If we have anything; if we are anything; it is because of the gracious working of God in our lives. I must come to the place where I am honest about who is really in control.

1. It Is A Prayer Of Confession

2. It Is A Prayer Of Confidence – The idea of this simple prayer is this: “Give us day by day the things that are necessary for life.” This is not a request for God to meets needs that not yet arisen. It is an expression of faith in God that says “I believe you will take care of me one day at a time.”

Someone has said, “Yesterday is a cancelled check, it has already been redeemed. Tomorrow is a promissory note, it may never be paid. Today is cash in hand, spend it wisely.” There is no need to pray about yesterday’s needs for yesterday is forever gone. There is no need to prayer about tomorrow’s needs, for tomorrow may never come. I am told to pray about today and to walk in simple faith with the Lord day by day. Remember what Jesus said, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34.

(Ill. Far too many believers try to live on yesterday’s bread. It is stale and moldy. What you need is fresh bread day by day. We need a fresh work of the Lord in our hearts and lives everyday we live. We are to walk with Him on a day by day basis, trusting Him for all the needs of life. We need His righteousness for our sinfulness. We need His supply for our weakness. We need His patience for our haste. We need the Bread of Life, the Lord Jesus Christ, to nourish us day by day.

Planning for tomorrow is time well spent; worry about tomorrow is time wasted. Careful planning is thinking ahead about goals, steps, and schedules, and trusting in God’s guidance. When done well, planning can help alleviate worry. Worries, by contrast, are consumed by fear and find it difficult to trust God. They let their plans interfere with their relationship with God. Don’t let worries about tomorrow affect your relationship with God today.

1. It Is A Prayer Of Confession

2. It Is A Prayer Of Confidence

3. It Is A Prayer Of Contentment – This simple prayer says, “I am willing to accept the things you will send into my life today.” I may not always like the bread God sends my way, but I can trust Him to send me exactly what I need day by day. So, if I am called upon to eat the bread of sorrow and affliction, then He knows best. If I am allowed to feast on angel’s food and heavenly manna, then that too is His choice for me. My duty is to trust Him to do in my life exactly what needs to be done day by day, Rom. 8:28.

(Ill. The practice of contentment is one of the greatest challenges any believer faces in life. “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” Heb. 13:5-6. How can we learn to be content? Strive to live with less rather than desiring more; give away out of your abundance rather than accumulating more; relish what you have rather than resent what you’re missing. We become content when we realize God’s sufficiency for our needs. The only antidote is to trust God to meet all our needs. Nothing says, “I trust you Lord,” like contentment on the part of His children! May the Lord help us to get there and to walk with the Lord in total dependence day by day.)

Conc: 1. It Is A Prayer Of Confession

2. It Is A Prayer Of Confidence

3. It Is A Prayer Of Contentment

(Ill. John Wesley displayed this kind of contentment with the day by day provisions of His heavenly Father.

Once Wesley was asked by a friend, “Supposing, Mr. Wesley, you knew that this was to be your last night on the earth, how would you spend it?”

“Well, at four o’clock I would have some tea,” he replied “and at six o’clock I would visit Mrs. Brown in the hospital. Then at seven-thirty I would conduct mid-week service at the chapel. At nine-ten I would have my supper; at ten o’clock I would go to bed, and in the morning I would wake up in glory!”

That is the kind of perspective concerning life I want to be true in my own life. I want God’s best for today and I want to be content to leave tomorrow in His capable hands.)

When you eat your daily bread remember that a kernel of wheat had to fall to the ground and die to give you that bread. As you pass through this life, never forget that Jesus Christ went to the cross and died in your place so that you might have Him as your Bread of Life day by day. You need Him, do not be afraid to call on Him in confidence, knowing that no one comes to the Heavenly Father’s table and goes away hungry!)