There is something striking in Jesus' teaching on prayer. On on hand he urges us to pray for anything. John 14:13-14, "Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it." And notice John 15:7, "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." These words lead us to big, bold, prayers, don't they? We should pray boldly for ourselves and for the world in which we live. It is, after all, a world rife with injustice.
On the other hand, he urges to pray for something as simple as daily bread. Matthew 6:11 is not grand, it hardly seems bold. It is straightforward, modest, perhaps a little dull: "Give us this day our daily bread."
This day.
Not "every day," not "forever," but simply "this day." Jesus is saying that our attention should be focused on the moment. Our prayers should be focused on getting us through this present trial, not the next one. Perhaps this is why the chapter ends, "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
I don't for a moment believe I should stop praying big, future-oriented, kingdom-minded prayers. Whether it is "Lord, come quickly!" or "End the evil of abortion" or "Prepare the hearts of godly men who might one day marry my daughters and the heart of a godly woman to one day marry my son." There are many wonderful, big prayers that take tomorrow into account.
And yet, the prayer of Matthew 6:11 is not that kind of prayer. "Give us this day our daily bread." God gave Israel just enough manna to last them one day. God's grace is like that. There is an everlasting supply, but it comes to us each and every day as we approach the throne of grace boldly with specific prayers:
- "God, help me today to serve you well."
- "Give me the strength, today to resist temptation."
- "Allow me to trust, today, that you will provide all that I need."
It is easy to look forward to tomorrow and worry what is going to come next. But it is far better to leave tomorrow alone and plead with God to help us, provide for us, and strengthen us, today.
May the Gospel of Jesus Christ drive us happily to our knees in prayer. May we lay the world, which is already His, at the Lord's feet. And may we place our day, which he has already ordained, in the Lord's hand as we humbly ask Him to give us all we need, and nothing more, to get through today.
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