"Give us day by day our daily bread. "
~ Luke 11:3 (NKJV)
Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you? ... Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
~ 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV)
And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." ... Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities ... in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
~ 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NKJV)
Give Us Day by Day
I can buy grain in bulk and store it for years. To obtain the grace that can't be purchased, I need to ask for Bread of life each day, mindful of my dependence on God.
Our Daily Bread
For my body—the dwelling place of God on earth—I ask God's provision of healthy food and clean water, hard work and full rest. I ask God's grace to take in no more and no more less than builds up my body with strength. I ask God's grace to accept my weaknesses, which manifest His strength.
For my heart and mind I need protection to take in no more and no less than edifies me, to meditate only on whatever things are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, reputable, virtuous, and praiseworthy.
For my soul I need God's leading through detours, to eat adequately of the Bread of Life (read the Bible), and remember to drink enough Living Waters (strength of the Spirit received in prayer), so that I produce spiritual fruit:
sacrificial love (as Abraham)
strength of joy amid suffering (as Paul & Silas)
perfect peace in the face of trial (as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego)
patient longsuffering through even years of waiting (as David and John)
active kindness (as Ruth)
obedient goodness in the face of evil ("as Noah, Daniel & Job")
faithfulness in the face of doubt (as Caleb & Joshua)
meek gentleness in the face of pride and anger (as Abigail)
temperate self-control to overcome all kinds of lust for immediate gratification (as Joseph and Joseph)
Our Father—our Provider and Protector—give us day by day our daily bread.
Feedback invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
I love everything you write dear, bless you.
ReplyDeleteAmazing. Anne thank you for sharing your precious prayer.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post, Anne! I will definintely be pondering the "day by day" mentality as I approach my God in prayer. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHow I wish I could pray this way...
ReplyDeleteI have for years tried in vain to lay up things myself, to store them by my own efforts "just in case." Yet all of my blessings have come when I have trusted Him daily, hourly, one moment at a time.
Denise, thank you for the blessing.
ReplyDeleteT. Anne, your comment on Monday's post was what inspired me to do the Lord's prayer all week. Then I realized that today is National Day of Prayer. What perfect timing!
Ralene, day by day, hour by hour. When in conflict (such as relationships), second by second ...
Billy, I don't manage to pray this way as often as I need to myself. It's about taking one step, then another, and just keep walking without worrying about what direction God's leading or His pace.
May God richly bless each of you!