Sustain Us by Anthony Cooksey

The Lord’s Prayer: Sustain Us

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which are in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” 

Matthew 6:9-13

Part 5: This day- our daily bread. 

Furthering our surrender, we cling to God in this petitionary prayer to supply us with our every need. Your will be done. We have submitted. And now, after giving over control of our lives, after releasing our grip on our comings and our goings, we ask of our Father to provide for us on a daily basis. We ask Him to be our source and our supply.

For the first time in Jesus’ teaching of how to pray, the focus appears to shift. Not entirely, as our eyes should still be looking heavenward in our request, but for the first time in this prayer, we make a plea. The worship of God, the acknowledgement of His supremacy, the surrendering of ourselves to His will, comes first. Always. It should be now and forevermore the posture of our heart that we come to Him first on our knees. Loving and adoring Him but on our knees. Then we come to Him with our NEEDS. And not only a selfish need. The prayer reads: “our daily bread.” The focus is on the family of God not solely on personal aim or concerns.

 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:33-34.

 Notice the dependence placed on God here. Give us this day our daily bread. We are asking for a gift. We are not praying that He give us our earned bread. We are also not asking that he fill our store houses and line our pockets for the future. We seek daily. Our only path must be one of daily faith. Must be one of recognition that all our needs are supplied by Him and not by the work of our hands or skills we might possess. Our needs are not met by our large bank accounts or our ten- point plans for success. They are not met by our jobs or retirement plans. They are met by God alone. This lesson is starkly displayed in the daily provisions of manna to the Israelites. While in the desert, they were given enough food for each day. 

Reader, pay close attention as to not miss this point: Each day they were given enough food for each day. They gathered dependent on each of their needs but were instructed to not store up for the future. Any manna which they attempted to store would spoil and be filled with worms. Why? Is it not wise to save for the future? Is it not smart to make sure that we have enough money stashed away? Where is the line in which your future is then in YOUR control? I am not advocating you drain your savings accounts to reflect your commitment to surrendering to God. But I caution you to take stock of how much perceived “security” that money in your bank provides you.

In Luke 12:13-21, Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool. In His instruction, He tells of a man so wealthy that he had to tear down his storehouses in order to build larger ones to hold all the crops he had yielded. After doing so he was satisfied and relaxed, thinking himself set for life. Unfortunately, that night his life was taken and where did his treasures that he had laid up go? I tell you this. He was unable to take even an ounce with him on his journey.

To pray “our daily bread,” is to pray that God would take care of our now and our then. It is to entrust to Him all our moments. Dear reader take a moment to reflect on your past. Remember where you have come from. Face your dark moments straight on and answer this question. How did you make it through? How did you get to this very moment to listen to these words? I would contend that the answer to this question is intervention. Yes, work must be done on our part but the very ability to do said “work” is provided to you by your creator. And He promises to continue to provide for your daily needs. He promises to never leave you nor forsake you.

 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7. 

Each day here on earth is a complete mystery to us. Any seemingly “normal” day can be fraught with every sort of trouble. We are met daily with tests and trials of varying degree. Good. Praise God that He is a loving Father that will provide for us our needs during trials. Praise God that we do not suffer for suffering’s sake. Trials are good. They teach and instruct like no other events in life are able. This knowledge of the benefits that can be obtained through trial does, in no way, make them easy. But with Christ, they are made bearable. He provides to you a way to endure. He provides to you your daily bread. He IS your daily bread.

 “And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” 

John 6:35. 

Is this not the finality of our prayer for our daily needs to be met? If we, as eternal beings, need a sustaining force that stands the test of all time- sustainment that does not wither or rot- sustainment who’s worth cannot be contained in any vessel- Jesus is that sustainment. Jesus alone offers true satiation of our needs. He fills us to overflowing. He is our supply and our source.

I would like to leave you with a prayer by my favorite theologian Octavious Winslow: 

 “THIS day, my Father! The supplies of yesterday are exhausted; those of tomorrow I leave with You. Give me this day all that its circumstances may demand. Give me the clearness of judgment, the soundness of decision, the resoluteness of will, the integrity of principle, the uprightness of heart, the moral courage, the Christ-like meekness, the holy love, the watchfulness and prayerfulness, the integrity and consistency, its yet unshaped history may require. I know not to what temptations I shall be exposed, by what foes I shall be assailed, through what trials I shall pass; what clouds will shade, what sorrows will embitter, what circumstances will wound my spirit. Lord, give me grace, strength, love, guidance, faith; give me this day my daily bread.”