PRAYING FOR OUR DAILY BREAD

Posted on by BETH

“Give us day by day our daily bread” (Luke 11:3).

Daily means occurring every day. The Israelite’s day lasted from one sunset to the next (Gen 1:5; Ex 12:18; Acts 2:14-15; Mat 20:1-6). When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Mat 6:11; Luke 11:3), He was telling them to trust God to provide their food every day-one day at a time.

We are to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread;” that is, “Give us each day the bread which our bodies require, as we pray for it.” We are to depend upon our Heavenly Father in the same way the Israelites depended upon Him for their manna (Exodus 16:27-33). We might pray, “Let us have enough bread today,” because in this way we continually depend upon Him, as children upon their parents.

The Lord wants His children to trust Him and depend upon Him, and He often has given only a portion of “bread” at a time. In Mat 10:5; 9-15, Jesus first sent the apostles out two by two to preach to the Jews (not the Gentiles or Samaritans). See also: Mark 6:8-11; Luke 10:4. At that time He told them not to take anything for their journey other than a staff. Later we see in Mat 6:11; Luke 11:3, He told them to pray for their daily bread. They were dependent on God as much as the birds, for they did not know who would receive them and who would not.

Later, the Lord asked them if they lacked anything when He sent them out without a wallet, and they acknowledged that He had cared for them (Luke 22:35). Obviously they did not lack because they had prayed and had faith in His promise to provide. Finally, when it was time for Jesus to be crucified, He gave his disciples yet another commission (Mark 16:15; Mat 28:19-20) and told them to provide for their journey and also to purchase a sword (Luke 22:36). These were not conflicting directions but directions for different purposes and different situations.

There is another sense in which we need to request our daily bread. We may have an abundance of food and every other convenience, but if we don’t have the health and strength to make use of it, of what value is it? (Eccl 6:1-2) A few verses prior to this passage (Eccl 5:18-19) He spoke of the blessing of God-not just the food in the pantry, but the ability to eat it.

Today, when our pantries and cabinets are so full of food and most of us are so healthy, it is difficult for us to see God’s hand in providing our needs (Mat 6:34). We must trust His promise to provide if the seek the kingdom first (Mat 6:33) and not be anxious for tomorrow (Mat 6:25: Luke 12:22, 29). We must not desire to be rich (1 Tim 6:10), nor should we be slothful in business (Rom 12:11; Pro 30:8) but we should always pray the Lord will provide what we need to live to serve Him (John 6:27-33).

OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN

Posted on by BETH

“And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth” (Luke 11:2)

When men (or women) lead in prayer in such a way as to make the Heavenly Father their peer, are they showing reverence? When they say things like, “Hello, Daddy,” are they even addressing Him the way they would want their own children to address them? Respect for deity and for authority is the real issue, and we need to seriously consider this if we want our prayers to be heard. We must remember that He is our creator and the creator of the world (Rom 1:18-21)

Would we dare to address the President of the US in such a casual way? Would we even address a local judge or mayor without due respect for his position? Surely God deserves more respect than those worldly men. There seems to be little or no respect for God when someone addresses our Heavenly Father as if He were just an ordinary man. Some modern church members may always be at church and always wanting to do something, but their attitudes in prayer may make our blood run cold. Such a person might proceed to carry on a “conversation” with God as if He were an ordinary friend. At times like this I have wondered if lightening might come down and strike us all. I can’t help remembering why Moses was not allowed to go into the Promised Land after all the years of serving God and His chosen people.

Moses and Aaron had gathered the congregation of the people together and Moses declared, “Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?” Num 20:10

“And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them” (Num 20:12).

What Moses did to dishonor God was far less than what some men do today. When they pray in a casual manner as described above, are they sanctifying God in the eyes of the people? Are they sanctifying Him in their own hearts?

“And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth” (Luke 11:2)

We are learning how to pray from the teaching Jesus gave to his apostles and disciples while he was here on earth. This very plain statement from Jesus gives us the direction our prayers should take. Our prayers are to be directed to our Father in Heaven and not to anyone else-not to Mary, not to any of the “saints” not to the Holy Spirit, but to God the Father.

In John 16:17-26, where Jesus is speaking of his impending death and resurrection, the apostles are puzzled about losing Him. They have been His friends and followers and have depended greatly on being able to ask directly for what they needed. Now He says things will be different and they seem not to understand.

It is easy to see in verse 17 and 18 that they are confused and questioning what is meant by His parable. Jesus tells them they shall weep and lament at what is about to happen, but that the world will rejoice. The apostles will be sorrowful, but their sorrow shall be turned to joy. This is a clear reference to his resurrection. Indeed it was a time for joy when everyone understood the true meaning of the event. Later we read in Romans 1:4 that Christ was proved to be the son of God by the resurrection from the dead. That was true joy for everyone looking for the Savior.

Again in John 16 22, Jesus tells them that in that day no man can take their joy from them, but he adds one clear command to the apostles that we also must respect. In the following verse He says, “…And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you” (John 16:23).

Jesus goes on to say that up until that time they did not have to ask “in His name” but could ask him directly. But after His resurrection things will change. “At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you:” (John 16:26).

Going back to verse 22 we see that Jesus is speaking of the resurrection and the time He would ascend into Heaven with His new spiritual body. That truly would be a joy beyond compare, but at the same time the apostles would not ask Him directly for anything as they had done before. They would ask the Father in His name.

Today that is precisely why we pray to God in Jesus’ name. This was Jesus direction for our prayers.

LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY

Posted on by BETH

“And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1).

While Jesus was praying, Luke took notice that He prayed often. He records Jesus praying at his baptism (Luke 3:21); in the wilderness (Luke 5:16); before the appointment of the apostles, when He continued all night in prayer (Luke 6:12); praying alone (Luke 9:18); and praying before His transfiguration (Luke 9:28-29).Do we automatically know how to pray just because we understand there is a command to do so? Is there a right and a wrong way to pray? Notice the prayer in 1 Kings 8:54 where Solomon assumed a certain physical position. Is this what the disciples were asking about? Are we always to be on our knees with our hands spread up to heaven? Should we beat our breasts like the sinner in Luke 18:13? Will that make our Heavenly Father hear our prayers?

In Matthew 6:9, we see that Jesus taught His disciples to pray a certain way, but that did not include a particular body position. He taught the words to speak to our Heavenly Father, words which addressed Him reverently and humbly. If we are going to ask the Lord to teach us to pray so that He will hear, we need to notice several instances in scripture where prayers were heard by God and why.

King David prayed often, and in Psalms 10:17 we see one reason why God might have listened to his prayer. He prepared his heart and humbled himself before God. Again in Psalms 19:14, David says, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” Are we concerned with our words when we pray?

Not only are we supposed to be concerned with proper words to use in prayer, but we need to know there are certain things we should pray for. “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Rom 8:26-27).

The apostle James (James 4:2-3) said, “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”

We may assume from the account that Luke and the other disciples had been struck with the excellency and fervor of Jesus’ prayers, and, remembering that John the Baptist had taught his disciples to pray, they asked Jesus also to teach them. From their experience and testimony we learn:

1. That the abilities and fervor of Jesus (or Paul) should lead us to desire the same.

2. That the true method of praying can be learned only by our being properly taught. Consider that we cannot pray acceptably at all unless God is our teacher.

3. That it is proper for us to meditate beforehand what we are to ask of God, and to arrange our thoughts, so that we may not come casually into His presence.

4. We learn from the testimony of James that we must not ask God for things to satisfy our fleshly desires. We must ask for what God has promised He will give so that we may grow spiritually and be the best we can be.

FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS

Posted on by BETH

The book of Esther and the book of Ruth are the only two books in the entire Bible that bear the name of Hebrew women. Both read very much like novels. While the book of Ruth begins and ends in poverty, the book of Esther begins with all the splendor of the kingdom of Persia. Persia was the wealthiest nations ever to exist in the history of the world, and Nebuchadnezzar had carried the Jews away from Jerusalem to be bondmen in foreign lands. According to Isaiah, the Jerusalem was reduced to a land of jackals, owls, thorns and briars. Esther, the heroine, is first seen as a lowly orphan child brought up by a cousin; yet, to the human eye, she rises to a position of power and service to her people because of her beauty and humility.

When Esther lacked courage to put her life in the balances in order to save her people, Mordecai used the phrase, “…who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? (Est 4:14). That phrase should remind us of the humble beginnings of Joseph-how he was brought to Egypt as a slave and of his willingness to be used to feed the poor nations around. We may read and reread, first of his stand for right, then his imprisonment and finally his rise to power for the specific purpose of feeding God’s chosen people. Yet for all the work given to Esther and Joseph, if they had not cooperated with God’s plan to do the work the way He wanted it to be done, He would have raised up another deliverer from another place and destroyed both them and their houses (Esther 4:14a).

Consider a few facts associated with this short book:

  1. Esther’s name appears fifty-five times. The only other woman’s name to appear nearly that many times is Sarah or Sarai.
  2. Esther is apparently the only Jewess to ever sit on a foreign throne.
  3. Training in respect for her “parents” is seen in Esther’s obedience to Mordecai in spite of her position as queen.
  4. We see that Esther had respect for her husband and the laws of the land even though she was doing her best to find a way to repeal the unfair law to destroy her people.
  5. The accuracy of the accounts of the Persian Empire and its palaces and rules is unsurpassed in secular history.
  6. Ahasuerus is also known as Artaxerxes in secular history for anyone who doubts the authenticity of the account.
  7. The Persians did not appear to force anyone to drink more than they wanted; in fact the laws appear to regulate or limit drinking.
  8. The Jew’s Feast of Purim is given credibility under the old law because of the explanation found in the book of Esther.
  9. “Pur” from which the word Purim comes, means “a lot.” The lot was cast to see which would be the most favorable day for the Jews to stand against their enemies.
  10. Even today the Jews respect the “law” given by Esther to remember the Feast of Purim on the fourteenth and fifteenth of March (Est 9:32).

THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN

Posted on by BETH

And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die (2 Sam 12:7-14).

David sinned concerning Bathsheba and Uriah. He obviously thought to cover his adultery by having Uriah killed in battle, but he was only fooling himself to think the people (especially his army) did not know what was happening. He had shamed Israel and his own name before the world.

“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Pro 28:13).

Notice the Psalm that was written about nine months after David’s adultery.

“For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Ps 51:16-17).

According to the Law of Moses, sin could be forgiven by animal sacrifice, but David did not seek to have his sins forgiven by any work of the Old Testament Law.

Pay particular attention to what David did after he committed adultery.

“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions” (Psalms 51:1).

In the next few verses we can see David’s heart as he pours it out before God.

“For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest” (Psalms 51:3-4).

One of the most beautiful passages in the Psalms is where David asked God to purge him and create a clean heart within him.

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (51:7-10).

In the Psalms that is quoted in Romans, David acknowledged and confessed his sin.

“I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah” (Psalms 32:5).

We see in the original passage quoted above, that God forgave David’s sin.

“And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die” (2 Samuel 12:13).

When David confessed his sin and asked God for forgiveness, God (through Nathan) told David that his sin was forgiven but He also told him there would be three curses which he would have to endure. Those were the consequences of his sin.

Some seem to think God indeed is blind that he did not see David’s sin.

“Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13).

We have learned that to confess and forsake sin is righteous before God.

“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).

David knew that God forgives, but He also takes vengeance on man’s inventions. After David’s confession, God forgave his sin, but note what happened because of that sin. Forgiveness is not the end of the matter.

“Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the LORD, and he answered them. He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave them. Thou answeredst them, O LORD our God: thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions” (Psalms 99:6-8).

God promised to shame David openly and David accepted God’s judgment as well as his punishment. Let’s notice the events that lead to David’s punishment being fulfilled.

The third curse took place within seven days. The child died.

And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead?” (2 Samuel 12:18).

The second curse pronounced upon David was that the Lord would raise up evil against him out of his own house. A man would lie with his wives in the sight of the sun. This took place several years later, but be assured that David had not forgotten the Lord’s words.

“Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun” (2 Samuel 12:11).

Absalom began his treachery against David and was successful in his attempts to supplant his father.

“And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate: and it was so, that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel. And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee. Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice! And it was so, that when any man came nigh to him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him. And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment: so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel” (2 Samuel 15:2-6).

Absalom had no sooner arrived in Hebron than he pronounced himself king.

“But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as ye hear the sound of the trumpet, then ye shall say, Absalom reigneth in Hebron. And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem, that were called; and they went in their simplicity, and they knew not any thing. And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counseller, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom” (2 Sam 15:10-12).

The second curse was fulfilled by Absalom after David fled Jerusalem.

“Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel among you what we shall do. And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father’s concubines, which he hath left to keep the house; and all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father: then shall the hands of all that are with thee be strong. So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel” (2 Samuel 16:20-22).The first curse that God gave to David lasted his entire lifetime. David fought with the sword the rest of his entire life. The sword did not depart from him.“Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife” (2 Sam 12:10).Consider these details in David’s life. These are things written for our learning.

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (Rom 15:4).

Let us not be weary with the Lord’s correction or the Lord’s vengeance, if we have sinned against Him.

Remember:The Lord sees.The Lord forgives when we confess and forsake.And He also takes “vengeance of their inventions.”