Praying for Provision

Do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Matthew 6:7. Fortunately, Jesus didn’t stop there. He goes on to give us the Lord’s Prayer as the way we should bring our needs to God. But do we sometimes skim over part of it the part about provision? We’ll talk about that today on MoneyWise. Let’s talk about the place in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:11) where Jesus instructs His disciples to pray Give us this day our daily bread. It’s a very important verse that we tend to take for granted. Jesus is teaching His us that God is our provider and we’re to ask Him to provide for our needs, and the most basic physical need is food. Our friend, Pastor David Platt has written about this, reminding us that the verse is intended to destroy our pride. How often do we ask God to provide us with the food and water that we’ll need today? And to thank Him for doing so, especially these days when prices are so high? When we say those words in the Lord’s Prayer, do we really mean them? I think sometimes we’re just reciting words, because we forget that only God can provide us with the food and water we need to survive. He owns everything. We may think that our actions, earning and saving money, provide those things, but that’s never the case. Even our ability to earn money comes from God. We’re only reminded that God is our real provider when we sense that those things are about to be taken from us and we begin to feel hunger and thirst. But this is about more than making money to buy food. We hunger for many other things in this world peace, love, purpose, healthy relationships, you name it. The Lord’s Prayer is an example of how we should pray for all of those things. Jesus wants us to go before our Holy Father in prayer and ask for everything we need, humbly admitting that only He can provide them. Give us this day our daily bread probably had more immediate importance 2,000 years ago when famine was always a real possibility. It may seem like an odd request to us because we live in the richest nation in history. Most of us, with some exceptions, never worry about where our next meal is coming from. It seems especially odd when many of us actually need less food, not more. But it’s still important to pray for God’s daily provision, even in America, because that prayer will keep you from thinking that you can provide for your daily needs without God. In other words, it’s a bulwark against prideful thinking. Jesus knew that we’re prone to that kind of thinking. That’s why those words are in the Lord’s Prayer, and that’s why we should take them seriously. All this really shows how dangerous materialism can be. We should take a hard look at how much we’re conforming to disturbing trends in western Christianity. Maybe we really believe that we can sustain our lives all on our own, and that’s a reason that many of us are so casual about prayer in general. In addition to a warning about pride, Jesus is also telling us that our Father in heaven wants to give us every good and perfect gift. A few verses later in Matthew 6, He tells His disciples, Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. What that means is that we don’t really need to worry about bread or water or money. We need God, and prayer reminds us of that and of God’s promise that He’ll provide all of those things. In his article about this, David Platt goes on to say that in today’s wealthy culture, we should ask God to deliver us from what he calls self-sustaining Christian lives. We must acknowledge daily that we can’t sustain ourselves. Of course, with every believer, that begins by admitting that we need Christ as our Savior. But it must extend into all areas of our lives that we need God to sustain us with even our most basic needs. And that’s how we can avoid the pride that comes from materialism. No matter how much money we make, how big the house we live in, or how fancy the car we drive, we don’t really need those things. We only need God. So when we say those words, Give us this day our daily bread we need to really mean them and thank God for providing it. And one more thing: We can show our thankfulness through generosity. Giving breaks the power that money has over us and demonstrates our faith that God will meet our needs. The economy is sketchy these days. Folks are worried about rising interest rates, inflation and the stock market. But don’t let those anxieties cause you to doubt God’s promises, and you can do that by praying for your daily bread.. On today’s program, Rob also answers listener questions: ● How can you help a friend who is injured and unable to work? ● What can you do to deal with credit card debt when you’re only able to make the minimum payments? ● How do you determine how to divide money between buying a car and investing in a property? ● What is the best way to invest for the future on behalf of a minor? ● How do you determine if it’s ethical to buy a product from an online vendor after a free trial from a local vendor? RESOURCES MENTIONED: ● SSA.gov ● Christian Credit Counselors Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000 or email them to [email protected]. Also, visit our website at MoneyWise.org where you can connect with a MoneyWise Coach, join the MoneyWise Community, and even download the free MoneyWise app. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1085/29