Lord's Prayer

I have been meditating on the Lord’s prayer the last few days. Have you noticed that the Lord’s prayer is primarily asking? It contains six requests:

Our Father who is in heaven,

1. Hallowed be your name.
2. Your kingdom come.
3. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
4. Give us this day our daily bread
5. And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
6. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Matthew 6:9-13

The first three requests (or yearnings of the heart) are about God and His kingdom. May your name be honored. May your kingdom come. May your will be done here on earth.

The second three requests are about us. Give us our daily bread— physical. Forgive us—relational. Do not let us be led into temptation but rather deliver us from evil—spiritual.

One request is for physical needs—daily bread—or bread for tomorrow as some translations put it. Matthew 6:8 says, “Your Father knows your what you need before you ask Him.” Jesus models asking for physical bread.

In ministry, our days are filled with spiritual enthusiasm—that’s good. But let us not forget we are physical beings. Jesus Himself was physical—he became hungry (Matthew 4:2), he became tired (John 4:6).  And so one of the model prayer requests is for food—the physical.

But the pronoun is plural: “Give us our daily bread.” For years I prayed for my daily bread, but I also now am praying God will supply others’ daily bread also.

May I suggest four prayers?

1. Pray for your daily bread—your monthly support budget. Bring the exact amount before the Lord and ask him to supply 100% of it.
2. Pray for your Top 25 potential giving partners name by name—that they would be willing to listen to your story and give as God leads them.
3. Ask God to supply daily bread for your fellow team members and organization—not just your own budget.
4. Ask God to supply daily bread for your current giving partners. Even though they have regular jobs, Jesus’ example applies to them too. They too are trusting God for their support!

Jesus invites us to ask! Let us ask boldly!