Life Ministries

Lifeshapes 8 – The Hexagon - part 2

    When we pray "Give us this day our daily bread" we’re showing that we’re depending on God a day at a time. Jesus urges us, "Don’t worry about having enough food or drink or clothing….Do not worry about tomorrow" (Mt 6:31, 34). Within our request is the faith and knowledge that God will provide. With confidence we make our needs known to God.

    The first half of the Lord’s Prayer is directed to God-His paternity, His person, His program, His purpose. Now we move to our need for provision, pardon, protection, and preservation. The order is intentional-we honor God before raising personal needs. Jesus expresses this order when He says, "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you."
    We usually have more than enough food for ourselves, so this request may seem remote. We can have any kind of food we wish. In our abundance we forget that God is the Source of our provision; that without God we would not prosper at all. He brings the sun and the rain; He causes the crops to grow; He gives us intelligence and the ability to earn bread.
    Back in Biblical times bread was a whole-grain staple of life. It was baked fresh every day and was an essential part of life. Jesus was instructing His disciples to ask God for what they needed to live for the day. Jesus also taught that we do not live by bread alone, but by the words of life found in Scripture.
    Bread is a symbol for everything necessary for life and well-being. It includes food, good health, shelter, clothing, a means of income, peace, safety, friends and family. The book of Proverbs gives the right perspective: "Lord, give me neither poverty nor riches; give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny You and say, ’Who is the Lord?’ And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy Name." This prayer doesn’t imply that we’ll have all we want, but that we will have all that we need.
    Physical nourishment is only part of what this petition of the Lord’s Prayer is about. People need hope along with lunch! God has established the church to serve what no one else can cook up-the Bread of Life.
“Forgive us our trespasses” - A driver placed a note under the wind-shield wiper of his illegally parked car which read: "I’ve circled the block for 20 minutes. I’m late for an appointment, and if I don’t park here I’ll lose my job. ’Forgive us our trespasses’." When he came back he found a parking ticket and a note from a police-man: "I’ve circled the block for 20 years, and if I don’t give you a ticket, I’ll lose my job. ’Lead us not into temptation’."
    A Sunday School teacher asked her class, "What must you first do before you can be forgiven?" A child answered, "Sin."
    We have an obligation to extend forgiveness to others. People who are unforgiving cannot understand or accept the forgiveness God offers. Anyone who is not willing to forgive another has not experienced God’s forgiveness. When we refuse to forgive others, we are asking God not to forgive us.
    There are many people who refuse to forgive; they harbor resentments and hold grudges. People often claim, "I forgive-but I’ll never forget!" When I hear this, I do something unexpected-I urge that person not to forget. I say, "I want you to remember! Every time you remember the offense and feel the hurt, I want you to remember your forgiveness." Amnesia isn’t the goal!
    “Lead Us Not”…the word "temptation" in the Greek is a neutral word--it can mean, based on the context, either temptations, testing’s or trials. A trial is adversity, suffering, or affliction. It’s been said, "Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger." Trials build character; they can transform common Christians into exceptional saints. Trials are part of God’s plan for us. They aren’t especially welcome, but they can and do increase our faith. This petition forces us to our knees. It makes us admit how weak and vulnerable we really are without God’s help. Temptation carries a two-fold meaning in most of Scripture.
    “But deliver us from evil” - We battle an enemy who knows are weak points. He knows that often it is when we think we are invincible that we are the biggest targets. He delights in taking us down at the very points we think we are the strongest. “When I am weak, then I am strong,” was the cry of Paul. That was the heart of man who knew he needed protection as well as direction through the maze of temptation.
    Temptation is inevitable. Sin is not. Weakness is certain. Failure is not. But it will be for one who does not seek God’s direction and protection from temptation and Satan.
    It is worth noting again that each of these petitions is in the first person plural. Give us. Forgive us. Deliver us. We are not in this alone. We are together like it or not. That’s good. We not only need to learn to pray. We need to learn to pray for one another.
    "For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and Glory, forever..." The last thing we acknowledge is that only God is able to do all these things...because He is God and we are not!