WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:18.320 Have you ever stood in front of a refrigerator, stared inside for a full minute or so, closed the door, walk away, then come back 30 seconds later and open the door again, hoping that in those 30 seconds someone just magically restocked the refrigerator and found you found something that you were looking for. 00:00:18.719 --> 00:00:20.160 I think we've all done it. 00:00:20.320 --> 00:00:23.519 Food is something that we think about every single day. 00:00:23.760 --> 00:00:32.640 Some of us, multiple times a day, you know, we never say, you know, I ate last Thursday, so I'm guess I guess that I'm good for the month. 00:00:32.719 --> 00:00:33.920 I don't need to eat anymore. 00:00:34.159 --> 00:00:37.759 We know that every day we need food to live on. 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:45.679 And as we will see, Jesus uses this ordinary reality to teach us an extraordinary lesson. 00:00:45.920 --> 00:00:53.439 You know, we expect, as we've been walking through the Lord's Prayer, we expect for Jesus to teach us how to pray for heavenly things. 00:00:53.600 --> 00:00:59.200 We expect him to teach us how to pray for things like forgiveness and for his kingdom to come. 00:00:59.439 --> 00:01:09.840 And he does, as we we've been walking through the prayer, he does teach us those things, but then he surprises us when he tells us to pray for today's bread. 00:01:10.319 --> 00:01:10.959 Why? 00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:14.719 Why do you think he points that out? 00:01:14.879 --> 00:01:22.480 Well, because every meal is meant to remind us that we are completely dependent upon our Heavenly Father. 00:01:22.719 --> 00:01:27.200 For the past few weeks, we have been looking at how we are to open up our prayers. 00:01:27.359 --> 00:01:32.799 First, we are taught by Jesus that we are to come to God like a child does a father. 00:01:32.959 --> 00:01:36.319 This acknowledges both God's position and our position. 00:01:36.480 --> 00:01:38.560 He is the Father and we are his children. 00:01:38.719 --> 00:01:52.079 He is God, he is Lord of all creation, he is transcendent and majestic and holy, yet he invites all of those who are adopted into his family through Jesus Christ to approach him as a father. 00:01:52.319 --> 00:01:56.640 This is the posture that we must have as we approach God in our prayers. 00:01:56.879 --> 00:02:06.000 And the first thing that we are to ask for or petition for is that his name be hallowed throughout all the earth, that his name be glorified amongst the peoples. 00:02:06.239 --> 00:02:14.879 This is a prayer for his name to be set apart and for it to be reverenced and honored and magnified and praised throughout all of creation. 00:02:15.280 --> 00:02:19.840 And last week we looked at the second petition, which is your kingdom come. 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:24.960 This is a prayer for God's reign and his rule to break into this world. 00:02:25.120 --> 00:02:40.479 This is a prayer that our hearts would be ruled by King Jesus, that King Jesus would come and rule and take control of our hearts, that God's reign would be realized and established throughout all of creation. 00:02:40.639 --> 00:02:52.400 It's a prayer that the gospel of the kingdom of God would advance throughout the nations and that the full consummation of his kingdom would finally come and be complete at his second coming. 00:02:52.879 --> 00:02:59.680 So today we're looking at the next petition, which is give us each day our daily bread. 00:02:59.919 --> 00:03:03.039 You will notice that our prayers begin with eternal things. 00:03:03.199 --> 00:03:08.319 They start with a concern for the name of God and the glory of God and the kingdom of God. 00:03:08.479 --> 00:03:14.080 Before we get to us and our needs, we begin our prayers with God and his glory. 00:03:14.240 --> 00:03:18.000 The scope of our prayers is wide before it is narrow. 00:03:18.400 --> 00:03:20.479 They are outward before they are inward. 00:03:20.639 --> 00:03:28.159 Before we get to physical things that pertain to us, we begin our prayers with spiritual things that pertain to God. 00:03:28.560 --> 00:03:34.240 But in our prayers, God does want us to come to Him for our physical needs. 00:03:34.319 --> 00:03:38.080 And as we will see next week, for our spiritual needs as well. 00:03:38.400 --> 00:03:44.080 The first petition pertaining to us is give us each day our daily bread. 00:03:44.319 --> 00:03:50.080 Now, daily bread in ancient times was often used as a metaphor for daily provisions. 00:03:50.240 --> 00:04:00.240 It's not meant only for bread or food alone, but for every other necessity: clothes, shelter, and other things that we need to live off of. 00:04:00.319 --> 00:04:04.960 So, simply put, this is a prayer for God to provide for everything that we need. 00:04:05.199 --> 00:04:08.960 If we were to be honest, it's what most people think of when we think of prayer, right? 00:04:09.120 --> 00:04:14.960 Asking God for things, asking Him to provide, or asking Him to give us what we need. 00:04:15.680 --> 00:04:19.439 But why does Jesus teach us to pray this again? 00:04:19.759 --> 00:04:29.600 Because there's an interesting thing that he says, or that he teaches, uh, in Matthew chapter 6, before he teaches the Lord's Prayer, and I'm going to read it in Matthew 6, verse 7. 00:04:29.839 --> 00:04:40.000 Before he teaches the Lord's Prayer in Matthew, he says this, and when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 00:04:40.240 --> 00:04:41.279 Do not be like them. 00:04:41.519 --> 00:04:44.480 For your father knows what you need before you ask him. 00:04:45.199 --> 00:04:47.519 Your father knows what you need before you ask him. 00:04:47.759 --> 00:04:51.120 If God knows what we need before we ask him, why ask him? 00:04:51.600 --> 00:04:54.079 My kids don't have to ask me to eat every day. 00:04:54.319 --> 00:04:55.199 It's expected. 00:04:55.600 --> 00:04:57.360 They might say it's time to eat. 00:04:57.519 --> 00:05:00.319 Or they might ask, when are we going to eat? 00:05:00.560 --> 00:05:03.519 But they aren't going to ask for something to eat. 00:05:03.600 --> 00:05:05.600 They know that it will be provided. 00:05:05.920 --> 00:05:08.480 Well, God is a better father than me. 00:05:08.560 --> 00:05:16.079 He's better than any earthly father, and he knows and has the power to take care of his children better than any earthly father. 00:05:16.240 --> 00:05:18.000 So why do we need to ask? 00:05:18.240 --> 00:05:20.000 Why do we need to ask him for our needs? 00:05:20.160 --> 00:05:27.600 Surely he doesn't forget, and surely he cares for our needs, and surely he's pleased to provide for us when we ask. 00:05:27.759 --> 00:05:29.199 So why ask? 00:05:29.759 --> 00:05:36.000 Well, there must be something that Jesus is trying to teach us in asking God to give us our daily bread. 00:05:36.160 --> 00:05:40.959 It's not that God needs to be reminded about where our bread comes from. 00:05:41.199 --> 00:05:43.600 We're the ones that need that reminder. 00:05:43.920 --> 00:05:48.879 Asking God for our daily bread teaches and does something in the heart of the Christian. 00:05:48.959 --> 00:05:51.360 And that's what I want to unpack for us this morning. 00:05:51.519 --> 00:05:55.199 What does praying give us each day our daily bread do for us? 00:05:55.439 --> 00:05:57.759 And I want to point out six things. 00:05:58.000 --> 00:06:00.160 I know you might be thinking, you usually give us three. 00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:01.519 How long is the sermon going to be? 00:06:01.680 --> 00:06:02.240 Don't worry. 00:06:02.399 --> 00:06:04.800 These six are not usually as long as my other points. 00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:06.720 But I wanted to point out six things. 00:06:06.879 --> 00:06:09.920 Number one, it acknowledges who provides. 00:06:10.800 --> 00:06:14.000 Number two, it acknowledges who sustains. 00:06:14.319 --> 00:06:16.879 Number three, it keeps us from worry. 00:06:17.120 --> 00:06:19.360 Number four, it keeps us content. 00:06:19.680 --> 00:06:22.399 Number five, it directs our heart to others. 00:06:22.560 --> 00:06:26.160 And number six, it directs our heart to God's promises. 00:06:26.879 --> 00:06:28.160 Let's look at that first one. 00:06:28.319 --> 00:06:30.319 It acknowledges who provides. 00:06:30.480 --> 00:06:36.879 This is the first thing we learn and we are reminded about when we pray to God for our daily bread. 00:06:37.040 --> 00:06:46.720 We are acknowledging that all of our needs are provided for by God, that everything that we need to live on is supplied to us by our Heavenly Father. 00:06:46.959 --> 00:06:50.639 Though we know this, we are tempted to forget it. 00:06:50.879 --> 00:06:53.600 Remember, the daily bread is what we need to live on. 00:06:53.759 --> 00:06:55.759 It is bare necessities. 00:06:56.000 --> 00:06:58.959 These are the things that we often take for granted. 00:06:59.199 --> 00:07:01.360 We usually pray for the extra things, right? 00:07:01.439 --> 00:07:05.279 We pray for the things above and beyond our needs. 00:07:05.439 --> 00:07:09.920 When we're desperate, we might pray for needs, but what about those times when we're not? 00:07:10.399 --> 00:07:13.439 What about when everything is all well and good? 00:07:13.680 --> 00:07:20.399 What about when we're not worried where our next meal is going to come from or we're not worried how the bills are going to get paid this month? 00:07:20.720 --> 00:07:24.319 Do we pray to God for our necessities then? 00:07:25.360 --> 00:07:38.639 You see why it's, I say it's often tempting to forget about these things because when we're not desperate and when we know that we have what we need to live, we we overlook God for those things. 00:07:38.879 --> 00:07:44.399 But this prayer directs our heart and it says, Lord, I take nothing for granted. 00:07:44.480 --> 00:07:52.800 It says, Lord, I'm dependent upon you for everything, from the great things and the big things, but also down to the small things. 00:07:53.439 --> 00:07:56.879 This prayer redirects our the glory, if you will. 00:07:57.279 --> 00:08:01.759 Because we can easily take the glory for our own provisions. 00:08:01.839 --> 00:08:05.120 We can easily say, Well, I supply for my own needs. 00:08:05.279 --> 00:08:08.959 After all, I'm the one who gets up early and goes to work. 00:08:09.120 --> 00:08:12.319 I'm the one who comes home tired from an eight-hour day. 00:08:12.560 --> 00:08:17.279 I'm the one who went to school all of those years to land the job that I have. 00:08:17.600 --> 00:08:24.160 It was me who developed the skills to earn this job and to make a living. 00:08:24.639 --> 00:08:28.639 It's almost like you should be praying, Lord, give me myself my daily bread. 00:08:29.120 --> 00:08:33.279 You see, it's easy to place our dependence in the wrong places and the wrong things. 00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:40.559 We too easily place our dependence on our efforts and our skills and our experience. 00:08:40.879 --> 00:08:44.720 And we start trusting those things more than we start trusting God. 00:08:45.279 --> 00:08:49.440 And we say that those are the things that put food on my table. 00:08:49.759 --> 00:08:53.600 And if we're not careful, that's where our hope is going to be. 00:08:53.840 --> 00:09:05.279 Our hope is going to be not in God, not in his abilities, not in his power, not in his strength, not in his glory, but in our own hands, in our own work, in our own effort. 00:09:05.759 --> 00:09:12.000 We might not say it, but we live our lives as we are independent creatures, as we are independent from God. 00:09:12.240 --> 00:09:24.799 When we live like we don't need God for the small things like food and clothes and shelter, then we'll say things like, God, I'll get to you when I run into some hard stuff. 00:09:25.759 --> 00:09:32.000 I'll get to you, Lord, and I'll come to pray to you and I'll acknowledge you when I run into some things that I can't handle. 00:09:32.240 --> 00:09:37.279 I'll come to you about those things, but don't worry, God, I got these things. 00:09:37.440 --> 00:09:39.279 I can provide for myself. 00:09:39.679 --> 00:09:44.080 But as Deuteronomy 8.18 says, it is the Lord who gives you power to get wealth. 00:09:44.320 --> 00:09:48.080 You may have woken up and gone to work, but it was the Lord who woke you up. 00:09:48.320 --> 00:09:53.919 It was Him who moved your employer's heart to hire you out of the countless other candidates. 00:09:54.559 --> 00:10:13.039 Acts 17, 24 says, the God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to men, all of mankind, life and breath and everything. 00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:14.960 Who gives us life? 00:10:15.200 --> 00:10:15.519 God. 00:10:15.679 --> 00:10:16.639 Who gives us breath? 00:10:16.799 --> 00:10:17.039 God. 00:10:17.120 --> 00:10:19.440 Who gives us everything in life and breath? 00:10:19.519 --> 00:10:20.320 It is God. 00:10:20.639 --> 00:10:28.240 When we pray, give us each day our daily bread, we are reminding ourselves where everything that we have in this world comes from. 00:10:28.480 --> 00:10:30.639 The food that we eat is God's food. 00:10:30.879 --> 00:10:32.879 The clothes that we wear is God's clothes. 00:10:33.039 --> 00:10:35.759 The air that we breathe is God's air. 00:10:36.080 --> 00:10:40.960 Lord, without you, I would be hungry and naked and needy. 00:10:41.039 --> 00:10:48.720 But because you have provided for me like a child, like a father does a child, Lord, I want to thank you, Father, and I want to acknowledge you. 00:10:48.799 --> 00:10:55.679 And I want to ask that you would provide for me today just like you have provided for me yesterday. 00:10:56.080 --> 00:10:59.440 The first thing it does is it acknowledges who provides. 00:10:59.679 --> 00:11:05.360 Next, this prayer, give us each day our daily bread, also acknowledges who sustains. 00:11:05.919 --> 00:11:12.720 The prayer is not give us our bread, but it is give us each day our daily bread. 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:16.639 It's not a one-time petition, but a daily petition. 00:11:17.120 --> 00:11:22.320 We don't need his provision for yesterday's needs, we need his provision for today's needs. 00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:25.519 And we will need his provision for tomorrow's needs. 00:11:26.399 --> 00:11:29.519 How long does a does a big meal last you? 00:11:29.840 --> 00:11:34.240 You ever eaten one of those big lunches and you say to yourself, I ate too much. 00:11:34.399 --> 00:11:37.360 I'm not going to eat no more for the rest of the day. 00:11:37.600 --> 00:11:41.679 And then about 10 o'clock, you're back at that refrigerator, right? 00:11:41.919 --> 00:11:44.000 It doesn't last too long. 00:11:44.320 --> 00:11:48.799 Our bodies know that it needs to be continually fed to sustain. 00:11:49.279 --> 00:11:53.120 And it is the Lord who created our bodies, so he knows that as well. 00:11:53.600 --> 00:11:57.440 He is not only our provider, but he is also our sustainer. 00:11:57.759 --> 00:12:01.600 He not only gives us us life, but he also keeps us living. 00:12:01.919 --> 00:12:18.960 Nehemiah 9:6 says, You are the Lord, you alone, you have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all of their hosts, the earth and all that is in it, the seas and all that is in them, and you will preserve all of them, and the host of heaven worships you. 00:12:20.320 --> 00:12:24.240 This prayer is a daily show of our dependence upon God. 00:12:24.399 --> 00:12:34.799 It is not to be prayed once a year or once a month or even once a week, but every day we are to acknowledge God as the provider and as the sustainer of our lives. 00:12:35.039 --> 00:12:39.279 Heavenly Father, I know that you see my needs even before I ask them. 00:12:39.440 --> 00:12:40.720 You know that I need to eat. 00:12:40.879 --> 00:12:42.399 You know that I need to eat to live. 00:12:42.480 --> 00:12:44.240 You know that I need clothes to keep warm. 00:12:44.399 --> 00:12:53.679 You know, you know that I need a roof to live under, but I'm still gonna ask because I want to remind myself and I want to remind my heart where all of this comes from. 00:12:53.840 --> 00:13:00.879 I don't want my heart to be deceived into thinking that I can obtain these things on my own because I know I truly can. 00:13:01.200 --> 00:13:04.799 If you don't provide for me today, there will be no tomorrow. 00:13:05.120 --> 00:13:09.120 Father, give us each day our daily bread. 00:13:09.600 --> 00:13:11.840 Today's bread is for today. 00:13:12.080 --> 00:13:15.440 But I will need bread tomorrow as well. 00:13:15.519 --> 00:13:26.639 So I'm not only going to come to you today, I will be back tomorrow, and I will keep coming back every day because Lord, you are the fount of all life. 00:13:26.879 --> 00:13:30.799 You are not only my provider, but you are also my sustainer. 00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:36.320 This prayer acknowledges not only who provides, but also who sustains. 00:13:36.559 --> 00:13:39.600 Next, it keeps us from being anxious. 00:13:40.720 --> 00:13:46.799 I think we've all been through a season of uncertainty when it comes to our provisions. 00:13:47.840 --> 00:13:51.919 We've all been through a season where we're not quite sure what tomorrow holds. 00:13:52.000 --> 00:13:59.519 Maybe we're not sure how that bill is going to get met or paid, or how that need is going to get met. 00:13:59.679 --> 00:14:06.080 And those uncertainties can draw us to things like fear and doubt and anxiety. 00:14:06.559 --> 00:14:10.720 And they can really, I mean, if we're honest, those things can wreck our days. 00:14:12.399 --> 00:14:23.279 They they can weigh on our hearts and minds, and it can be all that we think about, and it can rob you of your joy, and it can rob you of your peace. 00:14:24.080 --> 00:14:30.080 But we also know that we know enough scripture to know that as Christians, we shouldn't be living like that. 00:14:30.320 --> 00:14:37.279 We shouldn't be living lives of fear and uncertainty and wondering where our provisions are going to come from. 00:14:37.759 --> 00:14:43.679 And one thing's that one thing that helps the Christian during those times is this prayer. 00:14:44.240 --> 00:14:48.000 Give us each day our daily bread. 00:14:48.559 --> 00:14:55.039 The prayer directs our heart to the moments, it directs our heart to today. 00:14:55.440 --> 00:14:58.960 We're not praying, again, we're not praying for tomorrow's provision. 00:14:59.120 --> 00:15:02.000 Like I said, we will pray for those tomorrow. 00:15:02.639 --> 00:15:06.559 But today, we're praying for today's provisions. 00:15:06.720 --> 00:15:09.120 We're praying for today's bread. 00:15:09.360 --> 00:15:13.600 The prayer reminds us that we shouldn't worry about tomorrow. 00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:17.519 It reminds us whose hands we're in at the moment. 00:15:17.919 --> 00:15:21.759 We're in the hands of God, the Father, the creator of all the earth. 00:15:21.840 --> 00:15:25.679 We're in the hands who sees our very needs. 00:15:25.919 --> 00:15:28.720 Look what it says in Matthew chapter 6. 00:15:29.120 --> 00:15:33.039 A bit of a longer passage, 25, starting at verse 25. 00:15:33.919 --> 00:15:41.200 Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. 00:15:41.440 --> 00:15:45.200 Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 00:15:45.440 --> 00:15:51.840 Look at the birds of the air, they neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. 00:15:52.240 --> 00:15:54.559 Are you not of more value than they? 00:15:54.799 --> 00:15:59.200 And which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to his span of life? 00:15:59.440 --> 00:16:01.679 And why are you anxious about clothing? 00:16:01.840 --> 00:16:04.320 Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. 00:16:04.480 --> 00:16:10.960 They neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all of his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:18.480 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you? 00:16:18.720 --> 00:16:20.240 O you of little faith. 00:16:20.480 --> 00:16:23.519 Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, What will we eat? 00:16:23.840 --> 00:16:25.600 Or what shall we drink? 00:16:25.840 --> 00:16:27.600 Or what shall we wear? 00:16:27.840 --> 00:16:30.080 For the Gentiles seek after those things. 00:16:30.240 --> 00:16:33.120 And your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 00:16:33.360 --> 00:16:38.879 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 00:16:39.039 --> 00:16:44.399 Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. 00:16:44.639 --> 00:16:47.440 Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. 00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:56.639 A God who provides for the creatures of the field will certainly provide for the children in his home. 00:16:57.360 --> 00:17:07.759 And he doesn't want us worrying about where our next meal is going to come from, or what we're going to wear tomorrow, or where we're going to live for the rest of the year. 00:17:08.079 --> 00:17:11.279 He will take care of those things when the time comes. 00:17:12.240 --> 00:17:15.680 The question is: do you have something to eat today? 00:17:16.640 --> 00:17:18.400 Do you have clothes to wear today? 00:17:18.559 --> 00:17:20.559 Do you have a place to go to today? 00:17:20.720 --> 00:17:26.319 Not will I have those things tomorrow, but do I have those things today? 00:17:27.200 --> 00:17:32.720 I think there's an important lesson we can overlook in this passage where Jesus tells us not to be anxious. 00:17:32.799 --> 00:17:39.039 In verse 32, verse 32, he says, For the Gentiles seek after these things. 00:17:39.279 --> 00:17:40.319 Who are the Gentiles? 00:17:40.480 --> 00:17:42.640 The Gentiles are not Jews in this time. 00:17:42.880 --> 00:17:45.680 They were those who were outside of the covenant. 00:17:45.839 --> 00:17:47.920 In other words, they're unbelievers. 00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:56.880 Now in the new covenant, God welcomes through Christ Gentiles, but here in this passage, Gentiles is used for those who do not believe. 00:17:57.200 --> 00:17:58.720 So we have a distinction. 00:17:58.960 --> 00:18:01.920 There is those who believe and those who do not believe. 00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:08.000 There are those who are God's children and those who are not God's children, those who are Christians and those who are not. 00:18:08.160 --> 00:18:09.920 Those who are Christians, those who are heathens. 00:18:10.240 --> 00:18:18.480 The unbeliever, the one who is not a child of God, the one who is not a Christian, is free to worry about all of those things. 00:18:18.640 --> 00:18:25.359 They're free to worry about tomorrow because they are not given the assurance of the provision that the children of God have. 00:18:25.599 --> 00:18:36.799 Now, God, through his common grace, may choose to provide for them and choose to clothe them and feed them here or there, but they have no claim to God's covenantal promises. 00:18:36.960 --> 00:18:43.200 But you, if you are a Christian, if you are a child of God, you are a new covenant believer. 00:18:43.359 --> 00:18:44.880 You are not an outsider. 00:18:45.119 --> 00:18:47.519 You are a part of the household of faith. 00:18:47.599 --> 00:18:50.079 You belong to the household of God. 00:18:50.240 --> 00:18:55.759 And our Father always provides what he knows his children truly need. 00:18:56.079 --> 00:19:01.759 Even, and this is key, when his provision comes through hardships. 00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:09.440 God may take you through a trial here or there to test your faith. 00:19:09.599 --> 00:19:16.640 He may bring you through seasons of difficulty where you are starting to worry about where your next meal is coming from. 00:19:16.799 --> 00:19:18.000 He will take you there. 00:19:18.480 --> 00:19:19.920 But remember his promise. 00:19:20.559 --> 00:19:23.599 His promise is to provide. 00:19:24.640 --> 00:19:27.599 This is not a promise for just anybody. 00:19:27.839 --> 00:19:31.839 This is an exclusive promise for those who are his children. 00:19:32.079 --> 00:19:34.240 If you're a Christian, that is you. 00:19:34.400 --> 00:19:39.920 And he says to you, do not be anxious about things of this life. 00:19:40.160 --> 00:19:44.880 Let the heathens, let the unbelievers be anxious, let the heathens worry. 00:19:45.119 --> 00:19:47.519 But you, I want you to trust me. 00:19:47.759 --> 00:19:49.279 I want you to believe in me. 00:19:49.440 --> 00:19:53.599 I want you to believe that I will provide for today's needs. 00:19:53.839 --> 00:19:55.599 Don't worry about tomorrow. 00:19:55.839 --> 00:19:58.480 Look, tomorrow's not even promised to you. 00:20:00.400 --> 00:20:02.960 But be reminded that you're in my hands today. 00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:06.559 Come to me for today's needs. 00:20:07.039 --> 00:20:11.119 And you, child, my child, will find a father with an open hand. 00:20:12.400 --> 00:20:19.680 My kids never come to me on Monday and ask, Dad, what are we gonna eat next Thursday? 00:20:20.799 --> 00:20:24.960 They assume that when next Thursday comes, that there will be something to eat. 00:20:25.119 --> 00:20:28.480 Dad and mom will have food on the table. 00:20:28.720 --> 00:20:31.920 They don't have to worry because they trust their father. 00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:36.079 Now, sometimes they might ask, what are we gonna have for dinner? 00:20:36.160 --> 00:20:38.559 And sometimes they're not too thrilled with the answer. 00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:45.359 Say sometimes, most of the time, but they don't doubt they're gonna be fed. 00:20:46.799 --> 00:20:49.599 But I also know that's not always the case. 00:20:49.839 --> 00:21:01.680 I also know that we live in a broken world where fathers are absent everywhere, and single moms are left to worry about how they are going to provide for their children. 00:21:01.920 --> 00:21:06.880 When fathers are absent, it can cause a household to worry. 00:21:08.240 --> 00:21:18.799 But remember, God is not an absent father, he's not a father who has abandoned his position or his post. 00:21:19.680 --> 00:21:25.279 He is present and he is willing to provide for the needs of his children. 00:21:25.519 --> 00:21:29.839 There is no need to worry if your heavenly father will be there tomorrow. 00:21:30.079 --> 00:21:32.960 If you wake up, he will be there. 00:21:33.440 --> 00:21:36.079 And even if you don't wake up, he will be there. 00:21:36.480 --> 00:21:40.079 Don't be troubled about things you can't control. 00:21:40.640 --> 00:21:42.880 God is an everlasting God. 00:21:43.200 --> 00:21:48.480 He is a God of yesterday, and a God of today, and a God of tomorrow. 00:21:48.720 --> 00:21:49.599 You not so. 00:21:49.680 --> 00:21:51.119 You're a person of the moment. 00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:55.759 But God is a God of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. 00:21:55.920 --> 00:21:59.200 Martin Luther once said, pray and let God worry. 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:02.400 I know sometimes that might sound blasphemous. 00:22:02.559 --> 00:22:07.519 God doesn't worry, but the sentiment behind that is no need for you to worry. 00:22:07.759 --> 00:22:09.440 There's a need for you to pray. 00:22:09.680 --> 00:22:12.640 When we pray, give us each day our daily bread. 00:22:12.720 --> 00:22:18.880 We are reminding ourselves that God has directed us to today, not tomorrow. 00:22:19.279 --> 00:22:22.079 And we need not worry about tomorrow. 00:22:22.400 --> 00:22:25.200 This prayer keeps us from being anxious. 00:22:25.519 --> 00:22:28.480 Next, it also keeps us content. 00:22:28.799 --> 00:22:32.960 When we pray for daily bread, again, we're praying for necessities. 00:22:33.119 --> 00:22:36.000 We're not praying for wants or desires. 00:22:36.160 --> 00:22:39.200 We're praying for things that we need to live and survive on. 00:22:39.440 --> 00:22:45.200 We're not commanded to pray, give us each day a bountiful feast. 00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:49.039 It is give us each day our daily bread. 00:22:49.279 --> 00:22:52.400 Now, it's not wrong to pray for abundance and prosperity. 00:22:52.559 --> 00:22:54.480 Remember, this prayer is a model prayer. 00:22:54.559 --> 00:23:00.000 It doesn't include everything we're allowed to pray for, but it does include everything we should pray for. 00:23:00.240 --> 00:23:06.079 In other words, we're free to pray for other things, but we must pray for these things. 00:23:06.319 --> 00:23:07.680 We must pray for our needs. 00:23:07.839 --> 00:23:10.720 Furthermore, this is what God has promised to supply. 00:23:10.960 --> 00:23:18.559 As Philippians 4.19 says, He will supply all of your needs according to his riches and glory. 00:23:18.720 --> 00:23:26.640 Not all of your wants according to his riches and glory, not all of your desires according to your riches and glory, his riches and glory, but all of your needs. 00:23:26.880 --> 00:23:30.000 Now he is free to grant you your desires. 00:23:30.160 --> 00:23:37.839 He is free to bless you with abundance and prosperity, and he often does, but his promise is necessities. 00:23:38.079 --> 00:23:41.200 His promise is to supply for our needs. 00:23:41.359 --> 00:23:43.599 And this is what we're commanded to pray for. 00:23:43.839 --> 00:23:54.880 Hebrews 13, 5 says, Keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. 00:23:56.160 --> 00:24:04.400 Notice how the author of Hebrews here in this verse connects contentment with God never leaving us or forsaking us. 00:24:04.640 --> 00:24:14.720 In other words, we can trust that we have everything that we need, everything that will satisfy us, because we have God near to us. 00:24:14.880 --> 00:24:17.920 Because God has promised that He will never leave us. 00:24:18.079 --> 00:24:21.119 If God is there, we are taken care of. 00:24:21.279 --> 00:24:24.880 And if God is there, then we are satisfied. 00:24:26.160 --> 00:24:35.680 There's a story in the book of Numbers, Numbers 11, where the Israelites complained about the manna that God had provided for them in the wilderness. 00:24:35.839 --> 00:24:37.039 And they wanted more. 00:24:37.200 --> 00:24:40.640 They wanted more than what God had already provided them. 00:24:40.880 --> 00:24:45.359 They wanted the meat and the delicacies that they had in Egypt. 00:24:45.839 --> 00:24:51.039 So they became gruntled and ungrateful for what God had provided for them in the wilderness. 00:24:51.440 --> 00:24:52.960 They began to complain. 00:24:53.279 --> 00:25:02.000 So what happens is God punishes them by making the meat that they wanted, that they desire to become detestable to them. 00:25:02.319 --> 00:25:08.559 They eventually became sick of even looking at the meat that they craved for. 00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:15.039 The lesson is not don't desire good things. 00:25:15.440 --> 00:25:18.880 The lesson is don't complain about the good things you have. 00:25:19.440 --> 00:25:24.160 Because here's the thing we're not always the best judge of what's good. 00:25:24.720 --> 00:25:27.119 We're not always the best judge of what's good for us. 00:25:27.359 --> 00:25:28.000 God is. 00:25:28.799 --> 00:25:32.880 What we think of as good and desirable might not be. 00:25:33.920 --> 00:25:37.680 We might be desiring meat that comes with a heavy price. 00:25:38.079 --> 00:25:46.079 What the Israelites failed to see was that the meat and the delicacies that they had in Egypt came with a price. 00:25:46.400 --> 00:25:47.920 It came with bondage. 00:25:48.160 --> 00:25:52.720 They might have had better food in Egypt, but the price for that food was their freedom. 00:25:53.039 --> 00:26:00.799 So sometimes God might keep some things that are above and beyond our means, some things that we desire. 00:26:06.480 --> 00:26:08.240 He knows us better than we do. 00:26:08.400 --> 00:26:17.200 And he knows that some of those so-called better things that we desire can someday become cruel masters to us and Lord over us. 00:26:17.519 --> 00:26:20.640 So he wants us to be content with what we have. 00:26:20.880 --> 00:26:24.559 He wants us to be happy, to receive our daily bread. 00:26:24.880 --> 00:26:26.640 This is what the prayer directs us to. 00:26:26.799 --> 00:26:31.920 It keeps us satisfied in knowing I'm provided for today. 00:26:32.240 --> 00:26:35.440 God has taken care of me today. 00:26:35.680 --> 00:26:43.200 I may not have, I might not have everything that I want and everything that I desire, but praise God, I have everything that I need. 00:26:44.400 --> 00:26:45.039 Next. 00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:48.319 It directs our hearts to others. 00:26:48.880 --> 00:26:53.519 Notice that the prayer is not give me each day my daily bread. 00:26:53.920 --> 00:26:57.519 It is give us each day our daily bread. 00:26:57.599 --> 00:26:59.119 It's not me and my. 00:27:27.680 --> 00:27:29.759 Meet the needs of others in the household. 00:27:29.920 --> 00:27:35.519 Father, I'm not only asking for my needs, but I'm also asking for the needs of my brothers and sisters. 00:27:36.160 --> 00:27:39.680 I know they can use this, or I see they can use that. 00:27:39.920 --> 00:27:41.680 Would you remember them also? 00:27:41.920 --> 00:27:45.200 Would you see their need and would you meet their need as well? 00:27:45.519 --> 00:27:55.759 You know, sometimes we can spend our whole prayer time only praying for our own needs and our own desires, never once thinking about the needs of someone else. 00:27:56.000 --> 00:27:58.960 Never once praying for someone other than ourselves. 00:27:59.200 --> 00:28:01.279 But this is what the prayer directs us to. 00:28:01.519 --> 00:28:06.400 Jesus is teaching us that it's not just our own needs that we need to be concerned about. 00:28:06.640 --> 00:28:09.039 We also need to be concerned about the needs of others. 00:28:09.119 --> 00:28:12.480 And we need to pray for their needs as well. 00:28:12.880 --> 00:28:26.000 Philippians 1, verse 3 says, I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine, for you all making my prayer with joy. 00:28:28.000 --> 00:28:35.039 Paul is saying, It brings him joy to pray for his fellow saints. 00:28:35.440 --> 00:28:38.400 Whenever he remembered them, it brought him great joy. 00:28:38.559 --> 00:28:44.799 What a loving and godly disposition to have, to have a brother or sister in the Lord brought to your mind. 00:28:45.519 --> 00:28:49.279 And then that very thought of them bringing you joy. 00:28:50.079 --> 00:28:51.839 Here's a question for you. 00:28:52.160 --> 00:28:56.480 Are your brothers and sisters in the Lord in your hearts and minds when you pray? 00:28:57.839 --> 00:29:03.759 Brothers and sisters in the Lord, look, it's good to pray for our unsaved family and our unsaved loved ones. 00:29:03.839 --> 00:29:08.240 And Paul does tell Timothy prayer to pray prayers of supplication for all people. 00:29:08.559 --> 00:29:12.319 But in the Lord's Prayer, we find a tighter circle. 00:29:12.640 --> 00:29:17.519 In the Lord's prayer, we are praying for the children of God. 00:29:17.599 --> 00:29:20.880 Again, this is why the opening address grounds the prayer. 00:29:21.200 --> 00:29:29.759 By teaching us to address God as Father, Jesus is showing us that this is a prayer that is reserved for the children of God. 00:29:29.920 --> 00:29:33.599 And we are to pray for other children of God. 00:29:34.319 --> 00:29:37.200 And that leads to my last point. 00:29:37.519 --> 00:29:41.279 This prayer also directs our hearts to God's promises. 00:29:42.799 --> 00:29:46.400 As I said, when we pray, give us our daily bread. 00:29:46.559 --> 00:29:50.559 The us and the are that we have in mind is our fellow Christians. 00:29:50.880 --> 00:29:56.079 The Lord's prayer is a Christian prayer because it belongs to the children of God. 00:29:56.240 --> 00:29:59.359 It is how the children are to speak to the Father. 00:29:59.599 --> 00:30:10.240 And just as an earthly father has an obligation to provide for his children, God, our Heavenly Father, has put his name on providing for us. 00:30:10.559 --> 00:30:26.960 He didn't have to, he wasn't forced to, but by revealing himself, by the very fact of revealing himself as a father, he has out of his own free, sovereign will promised and put his name on providing for us. 00:30:27.599 --> 00:30:32.799 This is why we can claim, lay claim to all of our needs. 00:30:33.039 --> 00:30:42.400 The prayer is give us our bread, as if this bread is rightfully ours, as if we have a claim to this bread. 00:30:42.559 --> 00:30:50.640 We can confidently ask, confidently ask, because our Father has promised to provide for us this daily bread. 00:30:50.880 --> 00:30:54.319 And God, as we know, is a God who cannot lie. 00:30:54.480 --> 00:31:16.000 And if He has said that He will supply all of our needs, Philippians 4.19, and that everything that we need will be added to us, Matthew 6.33, then we, as his children, as children of God, can say, those things, those things there that we read about, those things that you have promised are ours. 00:31:16.240 --> 00:31:18.720 That is my mine, Heavenly Father. 00:31:18.799 --> 00:31:21.119 Would you give that to me today? 00:31:21.680 --> 00:31:31.440 Psalm 103, 13 says, As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. 00:31:33.200 --> 00:31:39.599 Every good father does everything that they can to provide for their children. 00:31:41.599 --> 00:31:43.279 And their heart breaks. 00:31:57.200 --> 00:32:01.119 They do what they can, but sometimes it's not enough. 00:32:01.839 --> 00:32:08.240 Well, God, our heavenly father, has a bigger heart than any earthly father. 00:32:08.720 --> 00:32:16.400 His compassion is more, his love is stronger, his care is deeper, yet his power is greater. 00:32:16.880 --> 00:32:22.079 He has the means to provide for every one of his children's needs. 00:32:22.160 --> 00:32:26.640 It's not a question of his ableness, nor is it a question of his willingness. 00:32:26.880 --> 00:32:31.519 It is a question of our trust in the one who provides. 00:32:31.759 --> 00:32:35.359 It's a question of our faith in a good and perfect Father. 00:32:35.519 --> 00:32:42.000 And as Romans 10.17 says, faith comes by hearing the word of God. 00:32:42.640 --> 00:32:47.440 God's word is where we are going to find God's promises. 00:32:47.680 --> 00:32:51.519 When we pray, give us each day our daily bread. 00:32:51.680 --> 00:32:57.680 We are directing our hearts to the word of God where we are promised many things from the Father. 00:32:57.839 --> 00:33:00.400 We are directing our hearts to the giver of all. 00:33:00.480 --> 00:33:09.039 And we come with full confidence and full assurance that He will not withhold any good thing from His children. 00:33:10.079 --> 00:33:20.000 As we close, I want to wrap this up by saying we cannot overlook the picture of Christ in our daily bread. 00:33:20.559 --> 00:33:22.960 Look what it says in John 6.35. 00:33:23.759 --> 00:33:27.680 Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. 00:33:27.920 --> 00:33:34.400 Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 00:33:36.160 --> 00:33:46.079 The reason why we can have confidence that God will provide for our temporal need is because he has provided for our eternal need. 00:33:46.799 --> 00:33:53.599 We can trust that he will provide for the body because he has provided for the soul. 00:33:53.920 --> 00:33:59.839 God has provided for our greatest need in giving us his Son, Jesus Christ. 00:34:00.079 --> 00:34:03.200 Without food for the stomach, we would perish today. 00:34:03.519 --> 00:34:08.000 But without forgiveness for our sins, we will perish for eternity. 00:34:08.480 --> 00:34:13.280 Christ is the bread that we need for the soul. 00:34:13.760 --> 00:34:16.000 What must you do to live? 00:34:16.400 --> 00:34:20.639 You must partake of Jesus, the bread of life. 00:34:21.199 --> 00:34:24.159 Without that bread, there is no hope. 00:34:24.639 --> 00:34:31.679