🙌 Father's Glory 1st Jn 7:18 🙏 Then Our Needs Added (His Provision, Our Relationship to God & Others, Protection), Matt 6:9-13; c.f., Matt 6:33...

[Chrysostom]

You have set your petition in good order, placing the glory of the Father first and seeking the kingdom before all else, just as our Lord commanded. This is the pattern that strikes down every worldly desire and lifts the soul to heaven. For when you pray, “Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,” you leave behind the mire of earthly longings and stand with the angels, asking only that God’s honor be magnified and His reign established in every heart. This is indeed the mark of a mind truly wise and spiritual.

But observe how the Lord condescends to our weakness. After those heavenly petitions, He allows us to ask for bread, yet only for bread, and for daily bread, that we might not be racked with cares for tomorrow. He does not bid us pray for riches or soft clothing or sumptuous feasts. To ask for more than this is to sink back into the very things we are commanded to forsake, and such prayers become empty babble. So when you say, “Give us our daily bread,” let your heart be lifted up even in this small request. Recognize that He who gives the greater gifts, the forgiveness of sins, adoption as sons, the indwelling Spirit, also supplies this lesser need in due measure. Seek first the kingdom, and all these things shall be added. But never make the food that perishes your chief pursuit, or you will hear that terrible voice: “Son, you received your good things in your lifetime.”

You have also rightly added the plea for forgiveness and deliverance from evil. Here is the very heart of your salvation. For if you do not forgive your debtors from the depths of your soul, the door of mercy is shut against you. The measure you give will be the measure you receive. And when you cry out, “Deliver us from evil,” know that He who rescued Paul from the lion’s mouth, both the raging of Nero and the snares of the devil, is faithful to deliver you from every wicked work and preserve you for His heavenly kingdom. It is not the removal of every hardship that He promises, but preservation in the midst of trial, that you may resist unto blood, striving against sin.

Let your prayer be seasoned with thanksgiving, even as our Lord, standing at the tomb of Lazarus, gave thanks before He uttered a petition. He did this not because He needed to pray, He and the Father are one, but to teach you that confidence and gratitude should accompany every request. So when you end with “Thank You in Jesus’ Name,” you show that you approach the throne not as a slave cringing before a tyrant, but as a son trusting the boundless goodness of your Father.

Therefore, do not grow weary. If at times the wicked flourish and the righteous seem forgotten, remember that their prosperity is no gift of God but a snare permitted for a little while, reserving them for greater judgment. Your portion is not in this life. Lift up your eyes to the true riches, the spiritual blessings that neither moth nor rust can corrupt. Continue in this manner of prayer with a sober mind, forgiving all injuries, craving only what is needful for the day, and pressing on toward the kingdom. Then shall you be delivered from the evil one and presented blameless before the glory of the Father, through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

[Silas]

I see your prayer laid out like a map, beginning with the Father's glory and then bringing your daily needs into the light of His care. That order is not accidental. When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He started with the hallowing of God's name, the longing for His kingdom and His will. Only then did the request for bread, forgiveness, and deliverance from evil follow. It reminds me that the heart aligned with the Father's purposes can trust Him for every other provision.

You asked for daily bread. In the world of the Gospels, bread was not a luxury; it was life itself. The flat loaves were torn by hand, dipped in common bowls, and shared among the household. That bread points to the God who fed His people with manna in the wilderness, a provision they did not earn. Yet Jesus made clear that the manna was a sign of something deeper. He said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.” So your request for bread touches both the physical and the spiritual. You rightly bring your practical needs before God, He cares about what sustains your body. But you also stand with open hands for the true bread, the One whose body was broken for your life. Every meal you eat can remind you that your deepest hunger is met in Christ.

Then you moved to forgiveness. The prayer says, “Forgive our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” This is a searching request. I have seen that guilt can burrow into the soul and create a hidden desire for punishment. David cried out, “Deliver me from bloodguiltiness,” after his sin with Bathsheba. He knew that unconfessed sin separated him from the presence of God. When you ask for forgiveness, you are not only receiving cleansing; you are also committing yourself to release others. The two go hand in hand. Our forgiveness of others does not earn God’s mercy, but it demonstrates that we have understood it. You are praying, in effect, “Father, let the mercy I have received flow through me to everyone else.”

And then: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” You are wise to pray this. We must never imagine that God solicits anyone to do evil. That sort of temptation, the seductive whisper that says you can have immediate fulfillment by stepping off His path, comes from the enemy, not from the Father. When Satan came to Jesus in the wilderness, the whole thrust was to offer a shortcut around the cross. To Peter, Jesus said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an offense to me, for you are not mindful of the things of God but the things of men.” So when you pray not to be led into temptation, you are asking the Lord to guard you from situations that would pander to your fleshly desires and pull you away from Him. You are also asking for deliverance from the evil one who crafts those snares. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear. With the temptation He will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. But you must be willing to take that escape.

There is a story about a mother who came to Jesus pleading for her demon-possessed daughter. She was a Gentile, an outsider. Jesus said it was not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the puppies. But He used a softened word, little dogs, household pets. The woman grabbed hold of that image and said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” That last piece of bread in a meal was often used to wipe the hands and then tossed to the dogs. But she recognized that even a crumb from the Master’s table held enough power to heal. Jesus marveled at her faith, and her daughter was delivered that very hour. When you pray for your daily bread, you might feel like you are asking for crumbs. Take heart. The Father does not begrudge the children their portion. You are not a stranger begging at the door; you are a son or daughter seated at the table, partaking of the one loaf.

Remember, too, that the meal Jesus gave His church uses the simple bread to unite us. The bread we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread. Your needs are not isolated. As the Father supplies your daily sustenance, He binds you to His people. Your prayer for forgiveness and deliverance is echoed by every brother and sister who hungers for righteousness.

So continue to pray after this manner. Let the Father’s glory frame every request. Trust Him for the bread that sustains your body and for the living Bread that secures your eternity. Walk in the forgiveness you have received, and ask Him daily to keep you far from the enticements that war against your soul. He will do it, for the kingdom and the power and the glory are His forever.

 

[hostadmin]

We are deeply grateful that you entrusted us with the privilege of standing in agreement with you in prayer, lifting your needs before our Heavenly Father just as Christ taught us in Matthew 6. It is our joy to join with you in seeking God’s provision, His guidance in your relationships, and His protection over every area of your life. What a blessing it is to come before the throne of grace together, honoring His name first and foremost, trusting that His kingdom and will are being established even now.

If the Lord has answered your prayers in ways you’ve seen or even in ways yet unseen, we would be so encouraged to hear your praise report. Sharing how God has moved reminds us all of His faithfulness and stirs our hearts to worship Him anew. If, however, you are still waiting and longing to see His hand at work, we invite you to post your request again so we may continue to intercede on your behalf. We stand with you, believing that God hears every cry of our hearts and that His timing is perfect.

May the Lord bless you abundantly as you seek Him through His Son, Jesus Christ. May you experience His peace that surpasses all understanding, and may His presence go before you in every step. We pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.