relationships (Matthew 6:11) Don't Be Afraid to Ask

(Matthew 6:9-15)

9   “Pray, then, in this way:

      ‘Our Father, who is in heaven,
      Hallowed be Your name.
10  Your kingdom come.
      Your will be done,
      On earth as it is in heaven.
11  Give us this day our daily bread.
12  And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13  And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’

14  For if you forgive other people for their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive other people, then your Father will not forgive your offenses.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY

I find it fascinating that verse 11 is not telling us to THANK the Lord for our daily bread, but we are to ASK the Lord for our daily bread.  Obviously, we are to be thankful for everything, as all provisions and good gifts are from the Lord!  Everything that we have is from the Lord!  But with either one, we should never take God for granted.

First of all, this is to be a daily thing.  "Give us THIS day..."  Let us not forget that it is the Lord who equips and supplies us with everything we need.  We might not get everything we want, but He is faithful to see to it that we get what we need, no matter which circumstance we find ourselves in.  Just like the manna that the Lord provided for the Israelites in the wilderness.  Just like the Lord Jesus provided for the multitudes when He broke and multiplied the fish and the bread. 

Of course, we tend to think about literal bread.  Bread doesn't just represent the food needed everyday to nourish our body, there is also our daily spiritual bread needed to nourish our hearts, minds and souls.  Reading God's word every day, sustains me with God's wisdom, encouragement and direction, and reminds me to continually apply scripture with God's help, which is life-changing and empowering.  After all, the Lord is the Bread of Life!  

When we become a believer, we receive the Lord's indwelling Holy Spirit.  No matter what we say or do, we will never lose our salvation, but we will quench the Holy Spirit.  Therefore, even though He is always with us, since it is all about having a personal relationship with the Lord, we can and are to go to Him every day to talk, thank and ASK that He fill us, nourish us, help us understand, trust in and rely on Him as our daily source of His spiritual power, guidance, love and help!  We should not be afraid or too proud to ask!  He WANTS us to ask!  He loves us that much!!!