“Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6.11)
1.
This is prayer for daily, physical sustenance
a.
AVOID—a hyper-spirituality that denigrates the
body or sees it somehow as a “necessary evil.”
i. Psalm
104.14-15
He causes the grass to grow for the
cattle, and vegetation for the labor of man, so that he may bring forth food
from the earth, and wine which makes man’s heart glad, so that he may make his
face glisten with oil, and food which sustains man’s heart
ii. Ecclesiastes
9.7
Go the, eat your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful
heart; for God has already approved your works.
iii. Acts
14.16-17
In the generations gone by he
permitted all the nations to go their own ways; and yet he did not leave
himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you rains from heaven and
fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.
b.
God knows what we need physically (watch context for these two verses)
i. Matthew
6.8
Therefore do not be like them; for
your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
ii. Matthew
6.32
For all these things the Gentiles
eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
c.
We are to pray
for our daily bread
i. Prayer
is not opposed to, or in replace of work!
1.
2 Thessalonians 3.10-12
For even when we were with you, we
used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not
to eat, either. For we hear that
some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but
acting like busybodies. Now such
persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion
and eat their own bread.
ii. Prayer
for our daily bread illustrates our dependence
upon the Lord to sustain us
2.
Prayer vs. Anxiousness: Matthew 6.24-34
a.
Question:
What reasons does Jesus give to help us see that anxiousness is to be avoided?
i. v.
25: life is more than food and the body is more than clothing
ii. v.
26: you are more valuable than birds
iii. v.
27: you can’t add to life by being anxious
iv. v.
28-30: you are more valuable than flowers and grass
v. v.
32: your heavenly Father knows what you need
vi. v.
34: tomorrow comes soon enough; focus on today
b.
Philippians 4.6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known to God. And the peace
of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus.
3.
What does it mean to pray for “daily bread” in
the midst of plenty?
a.
Deuteronomy
8: read whole chapter
i. Verses
11-14: full bellies can produce proud, forgetful hearts
ii. Verses
16-18:
1.
v. 17: “Otherwise, you might say in your heart,
‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.”
2.
v. 18: “…for it is he who is giving you power to
make wealth…”
b.
An antidote to pride and forgetfulness is gratitude and thankfulness!
i. 1
Thessalonians 5.17-18
Pray without ceasing; in everything
give thanks…
ii. Colossians
4.2
Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving
iii. Philippians
4.6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests
be made known to God.
