“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Deb and I have been missionaries for over 30 years now, we are technically self employed volunteers. This means that we have had no salary in any normal sense of the word for over 30 years. Yet God has provided for our entire family, 4 boys, college, 3 marriages, and 6 grandkids with everything that entails. Our income has averaged roughly what one would make working full time at McDonald’s all this time. And at times things have gotten a bit dicey. So we have been forced to learn about this particular petition many times over the years.

My favorite provision story

When our kids were still young there was an evening when after working all day on the campus we were walking the 2 blocks to our house, knowing that when we got there we had nothing to make for our kids for supper. It was raining, which seemed about right for that kind of day, and we were slogging home. Above us we noticed an osprey struggling to stay aloft in the rain, trying to carry a fish home for her supper no doubt. As we watched this bird it seemed to be fighting a losing battle with the rain. As it struggled overhead it suddenly dropped the fish at our feet. It was a decent sized lake trout and it was still alive. Deb and I looked at it in disbelief and felt a little like Elijah. We had the food we needed for today despite our disbelief and there was absolutely no one but God to thank for it. Believe me, we thanked God for that fish more than any meal before or since.

Obviously God provided in other ways through various means after that crisis passed and we are still alive and well today. But that day God showed us something that changed our understanding of this prayer forever. God is able to make a way where there is no way. And God provided for us without any human support or money on the day when we needed it the most. He did not park a truckload of fish in front of us, he did not give us a fishing boat. He gave us the food we needed that day.

What is Jesus saying in this statement?

It is important to remember at this point that Jesus was not simply giving the disciples a prayer to repeat, he was teaching them how to pray. He is teaching them what to pray for. So it has to be asked, why frame the petition in this way? Why not pray for abundance? That has certainly been a popular prayer in recent decades. Why not pray for oil and wine? God has provided oil in the past and Jesus provided wine for a wedding. Why bread and why ask for only the bread that is needed today?

To understand the heart behind this teaching on prayer I think it is helpful to look at some of Jesus’ other teachings for guidance in how to read this one. In Luke Jesus tells a story of a rich man who had a particularly bountiful year. So he built bigger barns and essentially decided to retire and enjoy his wealth. God’s verdict? You fool! Tonight your soul has been required of you, then whose will these things be. Sounds harsh, but Jesus adds a moral to this story that I think ties all of this together.

“So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God”.

Jesus is reminding us about our complete and utter dependence on God for each breath and each bit of food and every stitch of clothing every single day. He is teaching us as he does again in the verses that follow the Lord’s prayer that our focus needs to be on obedience today or we will be truly foolish.

Therefore 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. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matt 6:31-34 ESV)

We are children of God and we will be provided for by Him as any human father would provide for his children.

By teaching us to pray for our needs today, we are taught that we do not know if we will even be here tomorrow, so the needs of today are enough.

How do we walk in this truth?

The harsh fact is, not one of us is going to wake up tomorrow.

Every time we wake up it is today. In addition to that, whether or not we wake up at all depends entirely on God’s sovereign plan for our lives. If we love anyone, it will have to be done today, because tomorrow never comes and yesterday is gone. If we obey God it will also have to be today. Our focus needs to be on the kingdom of God, today. We need to love people today we can not love people tomorrow or yesterday. We need to give today. We need to live today.

Jesus by teaching us to pray in this way is also teaching us to live in this way. Living each day in utter dependence on God, focused on His coming kingdom. Trusting in God to provide like the loving father that he is.

Does this mean we stop working and wait for God to drop food in our mouths? Not exactly, but I think it means more than we often want to believe it means. Paul balances this dependence on God with a very practical piece of advice in his letter to the Ephesians:

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. (Eph 4:28 ESV)

When we work to serve others we are working to build the kingdom of God. And in this work God will, in one way or another, provide all our needs. The kingdom of God is made up of people, as we contribute to the transformation of people into the image of God we build the kingdom of God. This labor can take many forms but the overall goal is always the same. The realization of the eternal kingdom of God. One person at a time one need at a time we work to build the kingdom. And every day as we pray God will provide us with what we need.

Have a great week!