SCRIPTURE: Exodus 16
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
Give us today our daily bread. [Matthew 6:11] For many people, their relationship with God is a fair-weather one. When the weather is fair, their faith is strong. When the weather is foul, their faith is weak. Prayer amounts to asking for things, and expecting God to take care of it. There seems to be an expectation that God meets our needs, gets us what we ask for. Give us today our daily requests!
The Israelites are in a wilderness, not a nice place to be. They have seen amazing miracles, so they know that God is able. But their confidence in God remains weak, fair-weather. As soon as their supplies get low, they grumble, they dream about how good life was in Egypt [Exodus 16:3]. They were snapping their fingers (or praying their prayers), but God was not giving them what they were asking for.
Prayer is not a wish-list of all our desires. To ask for daily bread is to trust God for what we need, not what we want. Just as God gave the Israelites enough for each day (and double for the Sabbath), this prayer asks for what we need for today, no more, no less. Prayer is not asking for what we want, it is an expression of our trust in God, and our desire to honour Him – hallowed is Your Name! Consider Proverbs 30:8-9: Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, `Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonour the name of my God.
God promises to gives us what we need each day to fulfill our purpose. He gives us Sabbath to remind us that He provides. This does not mean that we do not work, that we simply trust God to take care of us. We are to collect the manna and quail, we are to steward God’s gifts and resources. But through it all, we do it trusting that He will provide.
How many today are discovering that all their “collecting of manna” is disappearing. Their investments are turning to dust. They trusted God when their accounts were full, will they trust Him when their accounts are empty?
PRAYER:
Lord, help me to trust You for 2009, whatever happens with the economy, with my work, with my family. Give me whatever I need to honour You!