Ask and it will be given to you,
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you

This morning we are going to exam what some Biblical scholars called the hinge petition of the Lord’s Prayer. It is called the hinge petition because the Lord’s Prayer makes a shift from praying THY petitions to prayer our petitions. This pattern in the Lord’s Prayer is similar to that found in the ten commandments. The first four commandments focus on our relationship with God and the last six focus on our relationship with each other.

The Lord’s Prayer makes the person praying, that is you and me focus first on God. Thy name be hallowed, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done. The first three petitions of the Lord’s Prayer center on God’s glory. You are telling God you want His name to be glorified. You want His principles done on earth. You want to submit to His plan for your life.

Unfortunately too often we go to God in prayer like the teenager walking into the house and without even saying hello to his or her parents asks for money and the car keys. The first three petitions remind us that we are not to selfishly run into God’s presence to beg for things you want or need.

Even though we are told to

“Ask and it will be given to you,
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.”

The Lord’s Prayer lays out for us a pattern as to how and when we should ask,

“Give us this day our daily bread.

When we pray “Give us this day our daily bread” it is obvious we are asking for more that the loaves of multigrain, white, wheat, or rye bread, that fly off the grocery store shelves whenever there is a snow storm forecast.

Bread is a symbol that stands for all our physical needs. Bread is a symbol that stands for money, for time, for a job, for material things.

Bread is a symbol that stands for the roof over our heads, heating oil in the winter, air conditioning in the summer, physical healing, and everything else. Bread is the symbol word for all our needs.

There are many ways we pray Give us this day our daily bread. I am reminded of going to NYC with Dad and stopping to eat at Horn and Hardart food automat. One entire wall was a wall of small window squares protecting a food item in the little cubical behind it. You walked up and down the wall until you found the food item of your choice. You deposited the right amount of money and the item was yours.  Is this how you pray?  Do you pray as though God is a vending machine?  You put your prayer in and out comes what you want.

Some people pray as though they are lawyers using persuasive words to get a winning verdict.

Some people understand this morning's scripture lesson

Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you to mean that we can demand things from God.

When we pray Give us this day our daily bread we are not just talking with God about our needs. We are allowing God to take His rightful place in our life. We are recognizing that God is the source of the bread. We are asking for God’s kingdom principles to be realized on earth by the providing for our needs. We are bringing God into our daily struggles of life.

Prayer is not what we do…what we ask…what we beg. Prayer is a way to glorify and to worship God. When you pray Give us this day our daily bread do you recognize the sovereignty of God.

God’s plan is for us to ask but will God’s name be hallowed by the provision of your needs? The child asks for bread and fish – good and necessary items. If the child asked for a poisonous snake, would the wise father have granted the request? Sometimes God knows we are praying for a poisonous snakes and He does not grant our request.

You and I can be certain that God will provide our daily needs one day at a time. Do you remember Whimpy, the character in the comic Popeye? He was always looking for tomorrow’s hamburger today.

Give us this day our daily bread is more than a prayer it is a commitment to walk with God today. Unfortunately we live in the tomorrow. We are anxious and stressed about tomorrows problems, before tomorrow ever comes. Quit worrying about what has not happened. Worrying about tomorrow is telling God you are not sure He can provide for tomorrow’s bread.

Last year at an NCAA Division II basketball coach meeting a coach told how his players asked him to lead pre-game prayers before games and practices, which he was glad to do. His administration heard about his participation and wrote him a letter asking him to stop this immediately or he would be let go from his coaching position. He had a choice to make.

The Apostle Paul understood one thing in his ministry. Whether he lived or died, Jesus was always enough for him. As he suffered in prison, in persecution and in the loss of his health and possessions, Paul held firm to one thing--that Jesus would sustain him. Can we say the same?

For him, the choice was easy. He chose Christ, and he lost his job. But he knew it was better to fear God than to fear man.

In life, you may lose your job, lose your health, lose your family or lose a child. In each situation you will be faced with the tough question, "Is Jesus enough?" Is He enough to sustain you, enough to heal you, enough to help you through tough times and trials?

Is Jesus, the bread of life enough for you?

When you pray, Give us this day our daily bread are you willing to trust that God will provide? Every morning when you wake up you must be ready to answer that question and to live in your choice.