Give Us Our Daily Bread If you’re new to Lifpoint | Worthington, take 30 seconds to fill out our Welcome Card! Have a question about today's message? Ask it here. "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” - Matthew 6:5-13 (ESV) A Prescription of Desperation The Lord's prayer is not merely prescribed memorization, but a prescribed desperation. Using this prayer offers a repeatable recentering for our daily lives. Prayer is the daily medicine we take because we are desperate for it. Like a heart transplant patient, a Christian has a new heart that requires daily medication to survive. We cannot just memorize or study the prescription; we must actually take the medicine every day. Jesus assumes His followers will pray, instructing us to daily go to God and ask for what we need. The Context of Daily Bread The request for “daily bread” echoes the Old Testament story of the Exodus and manna. God promised to bring the Israelites enough food for exactly one day at a time. Those who failed to listen and hoarded food found their bread full of worms the next day. Have a question or pushback on this? Ask it here. We should pray like freed Israelite ancestors who are wandering in the wilderness. Believers have been set free from spiritual captivity, but we wander through the wilderness of life until we reach the promised land. The Pilgrim's Mindset A tired traveler almost always suffers from anxiety concerning the future. Asking for daily bread forces a radical return to the present moment. We are given a daily ration, rather than a lifetime guarantee of security. This request highlights the profound vulnerability of the pilgrim who relies entirely on God's provision for today's terrain. Jesus teaches us not to worry about how hard yesterday was or how difficult tomorrow might be, but to focus on today with Him. What Are We Asking For? Physical Needs We can go to God to ask for our daily physical needs. “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on… Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.” - Matthew 6:25, 34 Have a question or pushback on this? Ask it here. We do not need to worry, because God feeds the birds, clothes the lilies, and owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Spiritual Needs We must also ask God for our daily spiritual needs. This daily provision includes spiritual fruit and spiritual armor. The concept of bread gives new meaning to the Lord's Supper, representing His body and blood. As always, if you'd like to talk more with me about anything we discussed, you can sign up for meeting time. If you have any questions from the message today, send them here and I'll follow up!