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Wednesday January 29 - Giving and forgiving
“Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Matthew 6:11-12
It is said that there is no such thing as a free lunch. As a vicar I once asked a couple round for dinner to get to know them. I could tell that they were a little bit tense throughout the evening, but only at the end as I said goodbye did they admit, “We were so worried that you were going to ask us to do something!”
Thankfully with God there is such a thing as a free lunch! In fact the Israelites experienced this for forty years in the wilderness when each day God gave them manna to sustain them (Exodus 16:13-18). It is this story that lies behind the prayer “Give us today our daily bread.” We pray that just as the Israelites had to rely faithfully on God’s provision, so must we. That is why we ask for daily bread, not a week’s or a month’s supply! It is also why praying the Lord’s prayer daily is a good idea. Each day we ask God to fulfil our needs for that day. Tomorrow can wait.
The prayer for God to give is followed by a prayer for God to forgive. Perhaps we can only really receive God’s goodness when we ourselves are free from the burdens of guilt that we carry – as well as the grudges that we may hold towards others.
Loving Father, give me today what I need to hold on to and forgive me for the things I need to let go. Amen.
Thursday January 30 - Keeping out of trouble
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
Matthew 6:13
My daughter has just finished her bronze Duke of Edinburgh award, for which she had to spend 24 hours hiking and camping in the Peak District. She had some limited guidance as to where she should go and how she should get there, and I certainly wouldn’t have been impressed if she had been led over a cliff or into one of the many bogs on the route!
The Christian life sometimes feels like this. We have freedom to wander but we need God’s guidance to avoid pitfalls. When we pray asking him not to lead us into temptation, the assumption is not that otherwise God would lead us into temptation but that we are likely to wander there unless he steers us away. And how does God lead us away from temptation? He uses the trusted word of Scripture, he uses the Holy Spirit working in our conscience, and he uses the wisdom of fellow Christians and the church. If we listen to his voice then we will not stray into boggy ground.
But the threat doesn’t only come from temptation. We pray to our heavenly Father that he will not only be our trusty guide but that he will also be our protector against evil. Psalm 23 speaks of the Lord as a shepherd, and these two petitions of the Lord’s Prayer remind us of his caring and guarding.
Lord Jesus, Good Shepherd, please lead me in your ways and keep me from all danger. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
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PRAYER FOR TODAY