A Perpetual Petition with Power and Purpose

“Give us day by day our daily bread”, (Lk. 11:3) (NKJV)

One day while Jesus was praying, His disciples stood by waiting for Him to finish His time of communion with God the Father. Upon His completion, one of His disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray as John the Baptist had taught his disciples to pray. In Luke’s account of Jesus’ didactical session with His disciples on the matter of approaching God the Father in prayer, Jesus emphasizes three major points: 1.) The holiness and sovereignty of God the Father, (Lk. 11:2); 2.) To live each day in divine dependency on God the Father, (Lk. 11:3); And, 3.) Ask God the Father to help them to overcome the flaws of “our flesh”, both internal and relational, (Lk. 11:4). In this devotional, I want to focus on verse 3, “Give us day by day our daily bread.”

In verse 3, Jesus uses the phrase “daily bread” to help His disciples to understand that just as their bodies needed food to eat each day, they would also need the divine intervention of God the Father in their lives each day as they sought to advance His kingdom on earth. Jesus was teaching His disciples that they needed to live in “divine dependency” on God the Father. And, because they were His disciples, they could trust God the Father to hear their every prayer and meet their every need as they went about the business of kingdom service. As Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He wanted them to know that each one of them had privilege access to the Father that would allow them to experience His power and presence in their lives on a continuous basis-each day!

Because they were disciples of Jesus Christ, He wanted them to know:

God would hear their prayers every time they Bowed Before His Holy Presence: (Eph. 3:20);
Their prayers would be heard in the sanctuary of God’s presence and the Father would dispense His power as they had need: (Rom. 5:2; Eph. 3:20);
Their prayers were certified by Him who is “The Hope of Glory”: (Jn. 15:7);
They had “Heirs Rights before the Father’s face” and the Father’s love would answer their petitions (Rom. 8:18);
Scripture declares that because we are in Christ, the Father invites believers into His holy presence every day that He might meet our every need, (Rom. 5:2).

The “Promise of God’s Power and Presence” is yet available each day to all who claim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior; and who dare to enter the Father’s holy presence each day, seeking His face for His strength as we go forward in advancing the cause and kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ throughout the world. (Amen.)

Prayer: Almighty God, our heavenly Father, help us to draw near to you each day that You might send forth Your strength into us as we seek to live for Jesus Christ in the world each day that You grant us grace. In Jesus name we pray. (Amen.)