Teach Me to Pray: Daily Bread and Forgiveness

And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.

For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

Therefore, do not be like them. 

For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Matthew 6:7-15 (NKJV)

It had been a long season of struggle, hope, struggle, hope, deferred hope, struggle. The thing that kept me going was my husband's job held promise of promotion and an income that would--finally--provide for our growing family.

It was April 2001, and we heard of a guest speaker visiting a nearby town at church. The members of our church agreed to hold our service with the other congregation so we could listen to what the Lord would say through this man of God. We'd heard of his teachings in different places and wanted to be part of something bigger than our tiny assembly. That night, he talked about blessings, trials, and overcoming. Among his illustrations that night was one of children in an impoverished country.

These children were orphans taken in off the streets. They would cry through the night, inconsolably, until one of the workers began to strap pieces of bread to their little hands at bedtime along with the promise, "When you wake, you'll never have to worry if you'll go hungry because you have this bread with you" (best recollected paraphrase from 24yrs ago). The man of God then shared that God's promised many things to His people. He sends encouragement to remind us that we will never be left alone.

Bread is a food item that is mentioned often in Scripture. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were instructed on how to prepare it without leaven prior to their flight from Egypt. Then in the wilderness, they received Manna from heaven, which was their "daily bread" provided from the hand of God. In the New Testament, references to bread include breaking bread together, bread from heaven, and I AM the bread of life.

So what is it about bread?

Throughout history, bread has been a staple in every household. It is a good source of fiber, fuels the body, tends to be low in fat, can provide a source of protein, and contains prebiotics. Breads can be fortified with nutrients such as Riboflavin, Iron, Iodine, and Thiamine. Some have said bread can help reduce the risk of cancer and increase serotonin (a mood regulator). Not to mention, there are so many variations and recipes, bread can be classified as a comfort food.

A daily portion of bread provides the following benefits:

1. Physical sustenance

a. Exodus 16:4-5 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.

b. Deuteronomy 8:3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

c. John 6:31 "Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" 

2. Provision of needs unseen

a.  Matthew 7:7-11 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him?

b. James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

c. Romans 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?

3. Provision of spiritual needs

a. Colossians 2:13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses.

b. 2 Corinthians 5:17, 21 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come ... For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

c. John 20:31 ... but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.

4. The promise of Himself

a. John 6:35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst.

b. John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

c. 2 Corinthians 4:16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

d. John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

To sum it up:

Our daily bread is nourishment for our souls. While the bread we purchase at the store (or bakery) is filling, a vehicle for meat and cheese, and prepared a multitude of ways for our enjoyment, it will not sustain us for eternity. And it's eternal nutrition that we require for true life.

Deuteronomy 8:3 states that the Lord told the Israelites bread in and of itself is not to be their sole source of nourishment. "Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD."

John 1 tells us that Jesus is the Word of God made flesh: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men ... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1: 1- 4, 14 ESV).

So we can rest assured that our daily portion is Jesus. To welcome Him into our spaces, our trials, struggles, triumphs, and blahs. Allow Him to speak life into every corner and crack.

... and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

I am a firm believer that there are no unnecessary words or phrases in the Bible--even the lists of begats in the Old Testament have a purpose for their place in Scripture. The topic of forgiveness is connected by the conjunction--and--to daily bread. The two statements are being connected for a reason.

I cannot firmly say why. But I can offer plausible suggestions.

Harvard Health Publishing, Johns Hopkins, and the American Psychological Association have published studies stating that there is a correlation between forgiveness and improved immune systems, improved Cholesterol levels, improved sleep, decreased instances of anxiety, depression, and stress.

Pastors John MacArthur and Charles Stanley have published articles citing warning signs of unforgiveness. The Master's University (MacArthur) has listed four problems an unforgiving heart will produce:

1. Unforgiveness will imprison you in your past.

2. Unforgiveness will produce bitterness.

3. Unforgiveness will give Satan an open door.

4. Unforgiveness will hinder your relationship with God.

Many Scriptures emphasize the importance of forgiveness. There is one that raises the red flags, sounds the alarms, and beckons the Christian to walk in a manner that keeps us in communion with our Lord Jesus Christ.

Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?

Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.

"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants ..." (Matthew 18:21-35)

The story continues as Jesus explains how the king ordered the first servant be sold, as well as the servant's family, to pay off the unpayable debt. The servant begged for mercy. And was granted forgiveness, his debt wiped clean, because the king had pity on him. 

The servant, however, went out and found a co-laborer who owed him a much smaller amount of money. Something that could be paid back in time. The first servant had the second servant thrown into jail until his debt was paid, even though the second servant begged for mercy.

When the king learned of this, his response was to revoke his original decision to forgive the debt and ordered the first servant be thrown into jail until his debt was paid in full. Scripture tells us that this debt was so large that the servant would not be able to pay it back in his lifetime. The story ends with these final words:

And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart. (Matthew 21:34-35).

Sobering.

But here's the truth. Offenses come. We have opportunities to extend grace or grudges every day, whether in traffic, at work, or in our homes.

In the beginning, someone might say or do something that offends us. Instead of tossing it off as irrelevant to edification, we drop it into a bag--maybe to keep others from picking it up. We easily forget, until another pebble of offense drops onto our foot. So we pick that one up too and drop it into the bag. 

We continue collecting these stones until one day, our bag is filled. And heavy. And then, another offense comes like a boulder and bowls us over onto our backs. We struggle to get back up, but the bag of rocks has us weighted down. And now, we may realize we've held onto offenses and neglected to extend grace and forgiveness. Now, we are hurt and having a tough time letting the offense go. Some of us will choose to walk away from our church rather than deal with the pain and perceptions of how the offenses built up. And we carry them to another church. Instead of leaving the bag outside, we carry it into the new group of brothers/sisters. And the process continues until we're so full of resentment that we believe everyone is against us.

Now we're embittered and snake-bit (Numbers 21:6-9). The devil, in his crafty, lying ways, he infected us with the poison and has effectively blocked our ability to pray and seek the face of the One we've always enjoyed talking to. We feel lost and abandoned.

But we have a solution waiting for our attention. We can do as the Israelites were taught when bitten by snakes in Scripture. Moses created a fiery serpent, set it on a pole, and lifted it high for all to see. And when someone was bitten, they were instructed to look upon the serpent and live.

This, my friend, can be attributed to forgiveness. 

And then time savoring the sweet presence of our Life-giver. Jesus, our bread of life, who heals and sustains our souls.

For this, we can give thanks and praise for the One who loves us best.

 

"let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, 

and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. (Hebrews 12:1 ESV)

Until next time, Karlene J 💜