The Lord's Prayer: Exploring the Depths of Godनमूना

The Provision We Need

One of the names for God in the Old Testament is "Jehovah Jireh." The meaning of this name is "The God who provides." What a glorious name for God this is! The scope of this name is as large and diverse as our needs may be. God is not simply a God who provides in one area of life, but He is the God who provides, whatever the market may be.

This is a foundational truth for how we should pray. We pray, recognizing that God is our Provider. Jesus says we should ask God for what we need. We are instructed to ask God for what we need at the moment, not what we think we may need someday in the future. We are to pray for "daily bread," and our current, real-time needs. It should not be misunderstood to think there is no application for the future. For example, we may be miserable in our job, which is a current need, even though the solution is for something to change long-term. We may be provided with a new boss, work focus, or job, and any of those would satisfy the need. None, however, have to happen today, even though the need is a current need.

We must realize that God is our Provider, regardless of the need, and we are to bring every need to Him in prayer. This even includes our need to be forgiven and our need to be able to forgive others. The asking for daily bread is joined with prayers for forgiveness and forgiving others. It reads as one continual thought combined with the connecting word "and." The petition is, "Lord, please provide for my current needs, including my need for forgiveness, even as I try to forgive those who have wronged me." It is not a statement of self-justification as a forgiver who deserves to be forgiven, but a prayer to the Provider, who can forgive us and enable us to forgive others.

Every day has needs, or as Jesus says at the end of Matthew 6, "Each day has enough trouble of its' own." The wonderful reality in this fallen world is that we can pray for the needs of every day to Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides.