Teach Us To Pray Week 6: Give Us Today Our Daily Bread

Teach Us To Pray Week 6: Give Us Today Our Daily Bread

“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.
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 lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Matthew 6:5-13

This week we learn that when we pray, “give us today our daily bread” we are assuming our dependence on God and recognizing that we can do nothing outside of Him. We are inherently needy creatures that rely on a source of energy that is outside of ourselves in order to survive. And even though we cannot meet our needs on our own, we still tend to be greedy and even become ungrateful when God does not meet the needs that we think are our top priorities.

God provides all that we need, but sometimes what we think we need, God knows will derail us. The needs we bring to God reveal what is most important to us, and while God loves to provide for us, He is not in the business of sponsoring our idols. We need to switch our mindsets to understand that Jesus is our daily bread and because of that he is our provider, our portion, and we have plenty. We should not worry about tomorrow, because our God is able to supply our needs today.

Next Step Questions:

  1. What needs are keeping you up at night that God is able to give you?
  2. Who can be changed because of your surplus?
  3. Give…

Catch up on earlier Teach Us to Pray sermons: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5

Teach Us To Pray Week 6: Give Us Today Our Daily Bread

Teach Us To Pray Week 5: Your Will be Done

“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.
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 lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Matthew 6:5-13

This week we are learning to pray, “your will be done.” Emma teaches us that actually, this is not just about praying, but it is more about the posture of our hearts and about the way we live our lives. Two things happen when we start to pray “your will be done.” First, we must surrender our own wills and wants to the Father knowing that He knows us deeply and intimately. And then, when we have surrendered what we want, we are able to trust the outcome to the God of the universe.

When we are able to surrender our wills and place them in the loving hands of the Father, we are acknowledging that He is better equipped to handle our desires. As humans, we are small, singular, self-centered, and survival-oriented. Our basic instinct is to make sure we are taken care of at all times. This limits our capacity to see things the way that God sees them. God is big, connected to everything, cares about all of creation, and is sacrificial and oriented towards flourishing. This makes Him much more capable of handling our cares and concerns because He is able to see the bigger picture.

Next Step Questions:

  1. Ask: Where are my survival mechanisms working away without me being aware of them? What is one area of my life where I very clearly know what it is that I want to have happen, where I know exactly what MY will is?
  2. Surrender: Ask the Spirit of God to help you truly surrender your will and grow your desire for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
  3. Trust: Ask the Spirit of God to help you, comfort you, and assure you as you hold onto “God’s will be done” even when, as when our Christ was murdered on that cross, the outworking of God’s will sure look like the enemy is winning.

Catch up on earlier Teach Us to Pray sermons: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4

Teach Us To Pray Week 6: Give Us Today Our Daily Bread

Teach Us To Pray Week 4: Your Kingdom Come

“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.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

Matthew 6:5-10

This week we are focusing on the phrase of the Lord’s prayer “Your Kingdom Come.” Prayer allows us to know ourselves, and to know God, on a more intimate level. We learn that we, here on earth, all live in kingdoms: either the kingdom of light with God, or the kingdom of darkness without God. Each of these kingdoms function differently, have different values, and different pursuits. Without God’s Kingdom coming to earth, we can do nothing.

So, when we pray, “Your Kingdom Come” we are submitting ourselves to the will and love of God. We are agreeing to serve the King of the Kingdom of Light and we realize that it is actually an honor to serve Him. Ultimately, when we pray and come in agreement with “Your Kingdom Come” we in return receive encouragement and comfort.

Next Step Questions:

  1. Where are you seeing brokenness that is hurting you? This is where Jesus is inviting you to pray: let your kingdom come.
  2. PRAY that God’s Kingdom (healing, salvation, redemption, love, protection, grace, wholeness…) come in that area.

Catch up on earlier Teach Us to Pray sermons: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3