Page 30 - Living Light Spring 2024

Wednesday April 3 - Bread and more “Give us today our daily bread.” Matthew 6:11
Prayer is not only about things we might regard as spiritual, such as forgiveness, faith and worshipping God. It is also about the practical issues of ordinary life. Jesus showed this by the way he lived; he asked for water to drink, he helped feed people, he said visiting prisoners was kingdom work, he spoke about cleaning and cooking. So, God is concerned about our basic human needs.
Today’s prayer reminds us of this, as we are told to pray for ‘bread’. The word ‘bread’ here refers to food in general, rather than just bread made of flour and yeast. But Jesus is also encouraging us to pray about all our basic human needs, such as our financial situations, our homes and their repairs, or the bus we need to catch to get to hospital.
However, Jesus inserts something rather important! He tells us to pray, “Give US...” We are to also pray for other people’s food – perhaps people who may be going to a food bank. We should pray for those affected by natural disasters or wars, who may need clean drinking water. We can pray for the health of our neighbours. Jesus wants us to know that we have a heavenly Father who cares for all our needs, but equally that this heavenly Father cares just as much for others too. This prevents us from becoming selfish in our requests!
Heavenly Father, thank you for all the gifts you give us that make our ordinary lives possible and enjoyable. Help us to be generous too. Amen.
Thursday April 4 - How to get out of debt!
“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
Matthew 6:12
Normally we are used to praying forgive us ‘our trespasses’ or ‘our sins’, but Matthew uses a similar word that means ‘debts’. This reminds us that when we sin we become debtors to God and because we already owe him everything, for he has given us our very lives, this means we can never ever pay off our debts ourselves.
Hence we must appeal to God to show us undeserved mercy for all our wrongdoings, whether in thought or feelings, words or actions; whether good things we could have done and failed to do, or more obviously wrong things, like lying, stealing or committing adultery; whether we intended to do these things, suggesting our rebellion against God, or whether we did them accidentally, showing we were not in tune with God as we should be!
Once we stop and think about our lives, we realise that we need God to forgive us through and through, and cancel our debts. We can be sure that if we are sorry he will forgive us and cleanse us from all the wrong in our lives. That is why Jesus died on the cross – the price has already been paid for us by Jesus.
But if we long to receive this forgiveness, we also need to forgive those who have hurt or damaged us. Otherwise, our unforgiveness blocks God from forgiving us.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
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Heavenly Father, thank you that with you there is abundant forgiveness, and thank you that in Jesus you showed that nothing will stop you loving me. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY