This summer we've been unpacking the Lord's Prayer, where Jesus showed his disciples how to pray. First, Jesus taught us to approach God in a deeply personal way--as "Our Father." And to balance such intimacy with reverence and worship. After all, God is our Father in heaven. He's over and above us, infinitely powerful and good.
Jesus also taught us to pray that God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Prayer isn't so much about getting our business done in heaven as getting God's business done on earth.
But Jesus also taught his disciples to pray this: "Give us today our daily bread." There isn't anything more elementary than praying for our most basic needs. In fact, I doubt many of us pray for food, water or shelter. We're more apt to pray the gluten-free prayer, "Lord, help me not eat so much bread."
It goes without saying, but we often blur the line between "needs" and "wants." Sometimes Lara will say, "I need to go to Wal-Mart." "But honey, we've already been to the Dirksen and Sixth Street Wal-Mart. . ." And when we go on vacation, she "needs" to stop at every single Wal-Mart! Men? Have I gone from preaching to meddling or what? Think of all the things we're convinced we "need" today. In reality we "need" very little.
Just a few verses later, in Matthew 6:25-29, Jesus seems to distinguish needs and wants. He says, "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. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"
Humans maintain pantries, wardrobes, and storage spaces. But the creatures of the earth operate by the "daily bread" plan. Every day, the birds gather insects and worms, but only what's needed that day. Scientists say they live on instinct... Jesus says no, take a lesson... the birds live by the sustaining hand of our loving Father in Heaven.
In Matthew 6: 31-34 Jesus says, "Do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?' or ‘What shall we drink?' or ‘What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." So, allow me to unpack a few lessons from Jesus' teaching in Matthew 6. . .
God knows/sees all of our needs.
Perhaps you're familiar with the story of Hagar, in Genesis. When Abraham and Sarah couldn't get pregnant, an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar, became "Plan B." The bright idea was Abraham could build a family through her.
Now keep in mind, this was not God's plan. God already promised to give Abraham & Sarah a child of their own. But they didn't trust God. So Sarah persuades Abraham to be with Hagar. This was worse than an episode of the Bachelor. Even though it was Sarah's idea, she hated it the most! Sarah became physically and verbally abusive toward Hagar. She was angry, resentful, and jealous. It got so bad, Hagar fled into the desert two different times!
The first time, the Lord meets Hagar on the road and asks, "Where have you come from, and where are you going?" Hagar didn't know where she was going, she didn't have a plan! So God asked her to trust his plan. She was to go back, give birth to Ishmael, and trust God despite her hardships, God would bless her mightily. In Genesis 16:13, a deeply reassured Hagar prays, "You are the God who sees me! I've now seen the One who sees me."
After Ishmael is born, Sarah escalates her hostility even more. Caught in the middle, Abraham takes Ishmael, puts him on Hagar's shoulders, and sends them into the desert! Big surprise. They run out of water and food. The boy's crying, mom's crying. Hagar can't stand the thought of watching her son die, so she puts him under a bush, and runs off to sob. This is the low point. But an angel of God calls out to Hagar in her distress, "What's the matter, Haggar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation." (Genesis 21:17-18)
The father's watchful eye was upon Hagar and Ishmael. Jesus taught the disciples, "your heavenly Father knows what you need..."
God is able to meet all of our needs.
As Jesus traveled about, crowds would chase after him. After one particularly exhausting days, Jesus was about to retreat for the evening when a large crowd showed up (see Matthew 14:14). The disciples were beside themselves. They insisted, "Lord, this is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the village and buy themselves some food."
But Jesus said, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat!" Now the disciples had been doing their math. So they protested, "Wait a minute... we have here only five loaves and two fish... to feed all these people would take eight months of a man's wages!" How many times have you sat at you kitchen table doing the math and thought, "There's no way. 5 + 2 = 5 + 2." Let me warn you, God does some funky math.
This past November, my brother Chris got out of Federal prison. At age 45, he's essentially starting his life with nothing. He'd call me every day, telling me he needed food, and work clothing, and tools. Then it was the first and last month deposit for rent, money to pay off fines to reinstate his license, money for a car, then car insurance, then car repairs, and then gas. Money for taxes, for a cellphone. I was feeling like the disciples, "It would take eight months of a man wages!"
But I said, "Chris. God knows exactly what you need. He is able to meet all your needs. Let's pray about each of these things..." In Matthew 14, Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up to heaven, gave thanks, broke the loaves, fed the disciples, fed the 5000 men gathered there, plus the women and children... and there were still twelve basketfuls left over!
I cannot explain how, but God has graciously met all my brother's needs on a daily basis. For God, 10 and 2 equals 5000 plus leftovers. He is able to meet our needs, and meet them abundantly, with plenty left over for others.
God is willing to meet all of our needs.
So the next logical progression here is whether God is willing to meet our needs. Jesus went to great lengths to assure us that yes, God is willing. Right before teaching this pray, Jesus drew a stark contrast between us and God.
In Matthew 5:45-47, Jesus says, "Your heavenly father causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good; he sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the IRS folks doing that? If you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
We assume that God isn't willing to respond to our needs because we've done evil. But this isn't the case. In Romans 5:6-8 were told, "While we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly die. But God demonstrates his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Titus 3:3-5 says, "For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit." Romans 2:4 Paul says, "do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?" Luke 6:35 says, "God is kind to the ungrateful and wicked."
It's not a matter of whether God is willing to meet our needs. Jesus says, "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." The Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:19 says, "And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus."
In Matthew 6:7 Jesus says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who seeks finds; and to him who knocks the door will be opened."
So is Jesus talking about salvation in Matthew 6:7? In the very next verse, Matthew 7:9-12, Jesus says, "Which of you if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, the, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you. . ."
Throughout the gospels people would often come to Jesus, with some bold requests, and they'd often begin rather tepidly saying, "Lord, if you are willing..." But Jesus would say, "I AM WILLING! Stand up. Walk. See. Be Healed..." Come on! If you're too proud, and don't want to pray, that's your choice. But don't accuse God of not being willing to meet your needs. Don't throw a pity party for one and moan about how bad you've been, and how God won't do nothing for you. Pray!
God desires to meet other's needs.
I want to make one final point. Jesus taught us to pray, "Give us today, our daily bread." Pay very close attention to the pronouns "us" and "our." What we don't see here are the pronouns "me" and "my." As in, "Give me today, my daily bread."
In James 4:1-3, Bible says, "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."
There are two reasons God doesn't respond to our prayers. The first is because we don't ask. The second is because of our motives--it's our insatiable lust for more--it's our willingness to kill, covet, quarrel and fight to spend even more on our pleasures!
Let me ask. When is the last time you prayed for more, so we could give more? Not more to your kids. Not more to those who love us. But more so you could give more, so you could bless, and demonstrate God's kindness in Christ Jesus.
In Ephesians 4:28 Paul says, "Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need."
What Paul is suggesting is we create "margin." Do provide for your family. Do save. But create margin so you can share with those in need. One way to think about this is to realize that you are the answer to someone's prayer. When you pray, sometimes God gives you daily bread directly. But sometimes he puts your daily bread in someone else's hands, so they can administer it more judiciously.
When my brother prayed about his needs, God put some of his bread in my hands. I was stunned. Providentially, a significant sum of cash was put in my hands but for his needs. Had that money been given directly to Chris, it would have been a disaster. No, God took an indirect route, one that involved a faithful steward.
I've never seen God generate a windfall for a person in need. Sometimes, he puts us on the "daily bread plan" teaching us to literally trust in him daily for all needs. I always tell Chris, "Right now God has you on the daily plan. Pray that you will graduate to the weekly or monthly plan." Many times, God works through his church. In his wisdom provides "us" with the daily bread "we" collectively need as a community. His intent is that we'd be responsive to one another, serving one another in love, and yes... even serving evil people.
So we can use these four points as a kind of barometer.
In prayer... do you believe God sees your needs? Do you believe God is able to meet all you needs? Do you believe God is willing to meet all your needs in Christ Jesus? Are you willing to give generously even sacrificially to others as God's given to you?