Robert Morris - The Provision of Prayer

God wants us to ask Him daily for His natural and spiritual provision.

The Lord’s Prayer is a pattern that teaches us how to pray. The verse to memorize for this week is Matthew 6:11: “Give us this day our daily bread.” God wants us to pray for natural provision. He wants us to ask for the things we need, such as food, clothing, housing, transportation, etc. One of the Hebrew names used to describe God in the Old Testament is “Jehovah Jireh,” which means, “The Lord will provide.” God is a giver, and He likes to provide for His children.

God wants us to ask for provision daily. Exodus 16 shows how He daily provided manna for the Israelites. Just like the Israelites, the need for daily provision causes us to be dependent on God (Deuteronomy 8:3). It causes us to talk to Him daily about our needs. This daily provision tests our hearts— whether we will continually choose to depend on God. And like the manna, God will provide neither too much nor too little, but exactly what we need for our families and our businesses.

God also wants us to pray for spiritual provision. In Scripture, the word “bread” has a physical and a spiritual meaning. Jesus described Himself as the “bread of life” (John 6:31–35). The Word of God is our spiritual food, just as bread is our physical food. As we read God’s Word daily, He wants us to ask, “Lord, what is your word for me today?” He wants to speak to us daily.