This study was first taught on September 8, 2010

Topic: The Believer’s Responsibilities (2): Prayer (9a)

No audio available for this study.

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Background
Last week, as we saw that “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” tells us that there is no problem with the will of God being done in heaven. The problem is not with the will of God either; it is, however, with the men who are on earth to execute it.

We noted that many Christians do not want to pray this prayer because they erroneously feel that God’s will, would work against them. We saw that such Christians are carnally minded people who find it repulsive to do the will of God; they are people who do not yield to the will of God; they are those who are stiff-necked, uncircumcised in heart and ear, and who resist the Holy Spirit; they are people who do not trust and acknowledge God, but lean on their own understanding; they are people who have not renewed their minds by replacing their own understanding with the word of God; and they are people who are mindful of the things of the world, but not of the things of God.

We went on to note that the prayer “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” is essential: (a) since the problem with the execution of the will of God is with those of us here on earth, we need to establish and enforce it through prayer; (b) since the default mode of many who come to God in prayer is not God’s will, we need this prayer to diffuse such mind sets; (c) because, if we yield to or permit the will of God, our petitions take on a heavenly focus, and the answer is easily granted; (d) because our confidence in prayer derives from our praying according to the will of God; (e) because if God’s will is not uppermost in our hearts, then our worship is a farce, and we cannot expect answers to our prayers; and, (f) since there are repercussions in eternity for those who act contrary to the will of God, we would do well to seek to do His will.

We saw that the one thing that we need in our lives to be able to effectively pray “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” is that we are yielded to the Spirit of God, and follow His leading no matter where that takes us.

Scripture Text(s)
Matthew 6:11
For some weeks to come, we shall be looking at our scripture text tonight. “Give us this day our daily bread” is the commencement of our petition in prayer, according to the pattern of prayer which the Lord is teaching us. We shall look at an overview of this text tonight, and then consider what we should be asking in prayer in the coming weeks. May His Spirit teach us this matter of petition praying so that we would not get frustrated in our prayer closet.
“Give us this day our daily bread” is a prayer that takes cognizance of God, our Father, as our Source and Sustenance. It also indicates to us that we are to ask for our needs and not our wants. In our overview tonight, we shall consider these and other issues.
Psalm 103:5-6; 104:21; 23:1-6; Genesis 30:1-2; Job 23:12; Deuteronomy 8:3; 1 Peter 2:2; Ezekiel 3:1-3; Psalm 119:103; 19:7-11; 1 Timothy 6:6-11; Psalm 34:9-10; John 6:25-29; Proverbs 23:4-5; Matthew 6:34; John 14:13-14; Luke 11:5-10; 18;1-8, 9-14; John 16:23-24.

Conclusion
In this overview on “Give us this day our daily bread”, we have seen that a pre-condition for asking for our daily needs is our recognition of, and willingness to accept God as our Source and Sustenance.

We have also seen that “our daily bread” should go beyond physical needs unto our spiritual needs, especially the word of God, which is also called the bread of life. Furthermore, God has us covered on the bare necessities (food and clothing), so let find contentment in these, and focus on our spiritual necessities.

Our praying should be every day; not once a year, neither once a month, nor once a week. And although God asks us to ask for anything, let us ask responsibly! Our asking should be of necessaries not luxuries, and of our needs, not our wants (Philippians 4:19). Petition prayer should involve ASKing, that is, Asking, Seeking, and Knocking, as may become necessary. We should not relax after ASKing once, but we must keep on ASKing until we receive what we are asking for, find what we are seeking, and the door is open unto us. Indeed we must keep on ASKing until our joy is full.

Let us remember that in prayer, our attitude must be one of humility, before the Almighty God who can do the impossible, and who can make things work in your favour.

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