Discovering the Lord’s PrayerSample

Intimacy and Constant Care from Our Father

God loves His people and seeks a personal relationship with each of His children. This is evident in how He cares for us, even before birth. For example, in the book of Psalms, it is written that the Lord knows every little detail about us since before we were born: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13). This relates to the care He has for us throughout our lives.

Jesus describes God’s care for us with His attention to the smallest details: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29–31). This allows us to understand the love that the Father expresses to us through His constant care.

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus invites us to approach a Father who is interested in our needs, and knows them, but longs for us to express those requests to Him. We only share our needs with those with whom we are in intimate relationship. Whether our needs are big or small, urgent or not, ordinary or extraordinary, God wants us to show that we trust Him and see Him as our only source of provision. When Jesus prays, “Give us this day our daily bread,” the bread symbolizes the needs that human beings have. Just as God provided Israel with manna in the wilderness, our provision comes from heaven.

After teaching His disciples and us how to pray, Jesus continues, a few verses later, to emphasize the importance of entrusting all our needs to the Lord. In this way, we can avoid constant worry, discouragement, stress, or anxiety.

Prayer is a time to trust in God’s love. You can do this. Prayer is an opportunity to recognize that God is your Provider, but you need to express your needs and longings to Him in your own words. When we ask God for our daily bread, we recognize Him as the only one who gives us everything we need. I invite you today to come closer to Him. No matter what your needs are, pray with faith, believing every day that God is your Provider.