Jesus
said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and
he who believes in Me will never thirst.”
John 6:35
John 6:35
Chances are, if you’re reading this, you’re not a
needy person. You probably have a lot more than most people in the world, and
you don’t really think about it that much. You may own more than one pair of
shoes, have a closet full of clothing, in your home that is not made from
substandard materials, and you may even be enjoying a delightful beverage that
you paid an amount that someone in a third world nation would consider a day’s
wage. You might not be as blessed as many in the society around you, but you
know in your heart that God has provided abundantly for you, and you’re
grateful for it…sometimes. Yet, most of the time you don’t really stop and
think about it because of the business of life. There may even be some among us
that are dissatisfied with what they have, and maybe they want more and don’t
understand why they can’t have it. Why hasn’t God favored them in abundance?
Maybe you’re looking at it all wrong. Remember: “No temptation has over taken you except
such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be
tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the
way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” 1 Cor.10:13 To paraphrase that verse, God doesn’t
give us more than we can handle, even when it comes to wealth and material
possessions. We can squander what He does give us, or we can invest it for Him
in the eternal Kingdom. This is what we see as the Master Teacher continues His
lesson on prayer on the Sermon on the Mount. One simple sentence is loaded with
such wisdom. This week we’ll look at this simple statement and see how it is
like a thermometer that takes the temperature of our spiritual well-being with God.
“Give us this day our daily bread.” Matt.6:11
Our dependence on God is our blessed position with Him. Like
a child in the arms of a protective parent, our needs are met when we look to
Him for the provision. God is a good Father. He does provide for His children.
He provides for what they need, when they need it, and how they need it.
It is difficult to
understand how that works when we live in a world where children do go to bed
hungry while others enjoy feasts. We do suffer even though we are His beloved.
We are not impervious to the consequences of the sinful world. Remember that
the prophets were not immune to the suffering of the people they were called to
prophesy to. Daniel went into the lion’s den. Isaiah was killed by being sawn
in two, Jeremiah was dropped into a cistern by his adversaries and Ezekiel was carried
into the Babylonian captivity. Those called by Jesus suffered martyrdom in the
first century. The church today is suffering persecution in record numbers. And
we comment that we need a cup of coffee? No, we want a cup of coffee. We need
to wake up.
So, what is it that we should be asking God for when we ask
for our ‘daily bread’?
As human beings we have physical needs. We must have those
needs met so that we can function and complete the work God has ordained for us
to do. When you’re going to run a marathon you have to carb load to fuel up for
the race ahead. We have to do the same when we pray. We have to ask God to meet
our physical needs, but be aware of when we’re asking with the wrong motives.
What we need is what scientist would call homeostasis. That is a perfect state
of equilibrium so that we can fully function without physical, cognitive, or
social hindrance. If our physical and mental needs aren’t met we can get bogged
down and not be about God’s business.
Jesus said, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry 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, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into
barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more of value than
they?” Matthew 6:25-26 We are of so much more value to God than
anything else in creation. He loves us. He loves us so much that
He paid the ultimate price for us, as we know. He has redeemed us with the
atonement of the cross. “The
LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an
everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” Jeremiah 31:3 Because
of this great love, He provides all that we need for us on a daily basis.
God
loves to provide for us, and He has been doing so since the beginning. He
provided the garden as a place of fellowship for Himself and Man, then when Man
fell, He provided a covering for the shame Man felt. (Genesis 2-3) When the
relationship was broken God gave the Law as a means for man to come into covenant.
In our rebellion, we seek to break the law, even reveling in our lawlessness.
Still, God pursues us, continuing to provide even when it cost Him all. “ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God
did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world
through Him might be saved.”John3:16-17 Therefore,
God is not just our provider, but the provision as well.
Yet, we remain unsatisfied,
and the sin of covetousness remains at the core of our being, spurring us on to
jealousy and envy, making us prideful, greedy, and materialistic. We trade away
our Creator for possessions. What we were meant to have dominion over ends up
having dominion over us. We wrongfully assume that having more stuff gives us
more status, and more status gives us more power. In reality we have no power.
We control very little outside of the space we occupy. In our arrogance, we can
assume that we do hold the ability to rule over kingdoms of our own creation.
We can even create gods for ourselves that will agree with the way we feel the
world should be, but at the end of the day we find ourselves as unhappy as
ever. Even Solomon, who had everything the world could offer, fame, fortune,
and the world’s admiration, said, ”Let us hear the conclusion of the whole
matter: ‘Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. For God
will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing.’” Ecc.
12:13-14 We long for what we had in Eden, face to face communion with
our God. Until we have that, we will not be fulfilled. Only God can fill us.
Jesus is what we need every
day, but have you considered what He needs? What is it that God needs? God
obviously doesn’t need us. He doesn’t need us to fulfill any lack He has in
himself. He is sufficient in Himself. So, why us? That is what is truly amazing
about God. Even though God doesn’t need you, HE WANTS YOU! God has a desire for
you and me to be with Him. His amazing love for us consumes Him.
If someone loves you that much,
how can you ignore that love? It requires action on your part. So what does
Jesus ask in return? He asks that we love Him too, and that love becomes a
passionate motivator encompassing our lives. He doesn’t want our love to be something
we take for granted. So, when we ask Him for our daily portion, we are coming
to Him expectantly, depending on Him to meet the day’s needs, and trusting that
He has our best interest at heart.
“Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land
and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, And He shall give
you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:3-4
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