Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Hello Friends,

It's been a couple of weeks, so sorry for my absence. It has taken a bit to recover from the trip to Grande Prairie Alberta. So, nice to be back and to have a thought or two that are not of sleep.

Last night at Tapestry, we had a very special time of worship. Have you ever had one of those worship experiences? God was very gracious to our community last night, and I was so happy to be a part of it.

We talked last night about 7 words. Jesus has these 7 words right in the middle of what we call "The Lord's Prayer," which we really should call The Disciples' Prayer.

You know, on the surface it seems out of place, doesn't it? The prayer opens with these gargantuan themes of hallowing God's name, Kingdom and the expansion of God's reign and then there's a request for bread, and then we return to these huge themes of forgiveness and temptation and deliverance from evil.

So, in the center, Jesus places a request for bread. Have you ever uttered that phrase and really meant it? Honestly? Most of us, if you are reading from America, have no clue what it is like to really be desperate for bread. Look at us, we are the most obese nation on earth - many of us should be asking for our daily small salad with no dressing. We clearly don't really understand hunger - or do we?

We know hunger for things that we don't need. We know hunger for things we want - and that's why we spend so much time in prayer asking God for what we want. And then are those things that we don't ask God for because we know He does not want us to have. You know - like porn, or sexual relationships, or a second third or fourth helping of our daily bread.

Mick Jagger was right - you can't always get what you want, but if you'll try sometimes, you just might find - you get what you need. God will always provide what we truly need.

The Hebrews knew need. They knew what it was to be hungry, and desperately so. God then provided for them on a daily basis. No more - no less. You know, when we lose sight of daily desperate need, we lose sight of God.

Elijah knew daily need. During a draught God fed him by having ravens bring his daily ration of food. I love the humor in that. Ravens don't share food - they attack it. That's why we get our word ravenous from them. I just know that God had a good time with that one.

The people listening to Jesus as he spoke these words knew the need for daily bread. They worked mostly as day laborers. They got paid each day for their work, and it was only enough for them to eat. These are concepts that are just foreign to us in the west, aren't they?

It seems like such a minor thing, but that is part of the incredibly profound nature of these words. Because Jesus has met our ultimate need by dying on a cross for us, we have been adopted by God. Adopted. We are now children of the King - redeemed. Captured from hell. Joint heirs with Christ.

Because Jesus has done that for us, our Father cares about our most basic needs, and meets them. He is meeting them before we are even aware of them. Isn't that amazing? Not like laundry detergent amazing - but truly amazing?

We have trouble trusting that, don't we? You know, when older children come home from orphanages, they have some trouble adjusting to their new family life. They have been used to fighting for food in the orphanage because it can be scarce. They hover over their plates and watch everyone closely. Move toward their plate and they may stab you with a fork. They will also stuff their pockets with food since they don't know when they may eat again.

Parents are baffled by this and don't know what to do. They ask, "Do they not know we have plenty of food and we would never allow them to go hungry?" Then they ask the big question, "Don't they trust us?"

We are so much like that, aren't we? We don't trust God to provide for our needs. We lose sight of the relationship we have with Him. We concentrate on the pennies in His hand as opposed to holding His hand. The relationship guarantees that our needs will be met.

We might not get what we want, but if we try sometimes, we just might find...we get what we need.

2 Response to "Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread"