Today, I’m continuing our discussion regarding the Lord’s Prayer.
“Give us this day our daily bread.”
Matthew 6:11 NASB 1995
Notice the Lord wants us to pray for needs one day at a time. Just like the children of Israel were given a daily provision of manna and were charged to not store up extra; we are encouraged to trust the Lord for what we need each and every day.
Could it be when we have abundance stored away, we begin to trust in our supplies more than in the One who supplied them? Or maybe God just wants to hear from His children every day. If they had provisions for a month, they might not talk to him more than once a month!
I’m not saying it’s wrong to have a reasonable supply of food. We just need to guard against having so much you don’t even think about God anymore.
Forgiveness means everything
Now we come to the next part of the Lord’s prayer:
“… and forgive us our sins,
Matthew 6:12 New Living Translation
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.”
Jesus makes it clear if we want to be forgiven, we have to forgive others. There cannot be even a tiny shred of unforgiveness lingering in your heart that hasn’t been prayed over and put under the blood of Jesus.
“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”
Colossians 3:13 New Living Translation
There are no qualifiers here. God doesn’t say, “Forgive if they seem sincere,” or, “Forgive, because they felt justified in what they did,” or even, “You don’t have to forgive because you didn’t deserve what they did. You are innocent.” No, He just plainly says, “You must forgive.”
“Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. [But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”]
Mark 11:25-26 New American Standard Bible 1995
I can’t say it any plainer …
The way of escape
Jesus ends His prayer with this:
‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]
Matthew 6:13 New American Standard Bible 1995
Jesus is asking for us not to be tempted. Does that mean sometimes God deliberately leads us through a temptation? I think James 1:23 answers that question.
“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.”
James 1:13 New American Standard Bible 1995
God does not tempt us; but sometimes He allows us to go through a temptation. Why? Because He always, always, always provides a way of escape.
“No temptation has taken hold of you except what is common to mankind. But God is faithful—He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can handle. But with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape, so you will be able to endure it.”
1 Corinthians 10:13 Tree of Life Version
He will deliver you, but it is up to you to take the way of escape.
It’s always about the kingdom
Jesus ends the prayer by again asking for God’s kingdom to have the power and glory forever. If there is any power or glory happening in our lives, it is only because of God. We have no power or righteousness in ourselves.
It’s our job to reflect HIS glory.
We’re already over half done! This is the 18th day of my Transformation: Becoming an Effective Prayer Warrior series. The goal is to write 28 posts discussing spiritual armor, the prayer of agreement and other prayer strategies.
I don’t pretend to know all the answers. I’m going to be thinking with my fingers, so to speak, as I process what is in my heart about these topics after reading the word and praying for discernment.
You can go here to see each post I will be making on this topic.
Today’s question for your consideration: What could be better than winning the lottery?
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Sharing at Anita Ojeda’s 2023 Write 28 Days Challenge