Weekly Devotion no 13
26 June 2020
Bible reading – Matthew 6:9-13
9 ‘This, then, is how you should pray:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”
Reflection - Give us today our daily bread
The fourth
petition in the Lord’s prayer reminds us that we are physical beings with
physical needs.
But
notice that the prayer doesn’t ask for all the bread we can eat for ever. This
petition focuses on our needs rather than our desires; provision for today
rather than for the future; asking for just the right amount. Proverbs 30:8
says ‘give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.’ The
Israelites knew this only too well. When they were hungry and wandering in the
desert, God gave them manna from heaven as food. They were not to keep any for
the following day: God would provide for them daily. They had to trust him each
day for this provision. Do we trust God each day for our needs?
There
is another layer to this petition. Jesus later tells the disciples that he is
the bread of life, that whoever eats of this bread will live forever and never
go hungry. This bread is his flesh, which he would give for the life of the
world.[1]
So, this petition is therefore answered in Jesus and his death on the cross,
which leads to eternal life for those who believe in him.
Physical
bread can keep us alive until our earthly days are done. But Jesus, the bread
of life, will sustain us for eternity. As we pray this petition, may we seek
God’s daily sustenance for our physical and spiritual needs, knowing that it is
only through God’s grace that both these needs can be met. And may we trust in
him, that he will provide for us.
Hymn
Verse 1
Guide me, O thou great Jehovah,
pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but thou art mighty;
hold me with thy pow'rful hand;
Bread of heaven,
Bread of heaven,
feed me 'til my want is o’er,
feed me 'til my want is o’er.
Verse 2
Open now the crystal
fountain,pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but thou art mighty;
hold me with thy pow'rful hand;
Bread of heaven,
Bread of heaven,
feed me 'til my want is o’er,
feed me 'til my want is o’er.
Verse 2
whence the healing stream doth flow;
let the fire and cloudy pillar
lead me all my journey through;
strong Deliv'rer,
strong Deliv'rer,
be thou still my strength and shield,
be thou still my strength and shield.
Verse 3
When I tread the verge of
Jordan,bid my anxious fears subside;
Death of death, and hell's Destruction,
land me safe on Canaan's side;
songs of praises,
songs of praises
I will ever give to thee,
I will ever give to thee.
William Williams Tr Peter Williams © 1745 Public Domain CCLI:69198
Prayer
Living
God,
whose
son Jesus fed the hungry
with
the bread of his life
and the
word of his kingdom:
renew
your people with your heavenly grace,
and in
all our weakness
sustain
us with your true and living bread,
Jesus
Christ our Lord;
who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one
God, now and for ever. Amen.
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