TODAY’S SCRIPTURE:
“Jesus said, “Your Father knows the things you need before you ask him.”
Matthew 6:8
TODAY’S WORD:
Jesus gave his disciples the Lord’s Prayer as an example of how to pray. Right before he spoke those famous words, Jesus shared a few reasons about WHY to pray. To do this, he provided two examples – negative ones. Jesus said the Pharisees prayed in public because they wanted to be seen as holy by other people. He also said idol worshippers prayed, repeating themselves over and over, because they believed that the more frequently they asked for something the better chance they had of having their request granted. After those negative examples, Jesus spoke the reassurance that God already knows what you need.
Friends at first you may think, His words may seem to provide reason why not to pray, instead of why to pray. If God knows what you need before you ask, why bother asking in the first place Patrick? Jesus’ point is that the purpose of prayer is not to be noticed by other people-or even by God. God already notices you. He knows everything about you and your life. Prayer is not a way to draw God’s attention to your needs. It is a way to draw your attention to how much you need God.
Selah people’ and friends your greatest continual need is to better know and love God. Communicating with Him about the details of your life keeps you aware of how involved he already is. It also helps you see how many of your needs he fills every day. The more you recognize your dependence on God, the more thankful you become, and the deeper your love grows.
OUR PRAYER FOR TODAY:
“Heavenly Father, we know the Lord’s Prayer teaches us to pray for our daily bread. We see that Jesus’ words from Matthew don’t contradict that lesson. Thank Him for reminding us that God needs to be involved in our lives daily, not just informed about it. Help us to receive what God has for each of us today.”
In Christ service,
Patrick
Rev Patrick Muston, Senior Pastor
Selah Christian Church
Four Oaks, NC
http://selahchurch.com
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