Daily Dependence

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Today's reading, titled Daily Dependence, was written by Glenn Pacchium. One morning, our younger kids decided to get up early and fix breakfast for themselves. Tired from a grueling week, my wife and I were trying to sleep until at least seven on that Saturday morning. Suddenly, I heard a loud crash.

I jumped out of bed and raced downstairs to find a shattered bowl, oatmeal all over the floor, and Jonas, our five-year-old, desperately trying to sweep, more like smear, the gooey mess off the floor. My children were hungry, but they chose not to ask for help. Instead of reaching out in dependence, they chose independence, and the result was definitely not a culinary delight. In human terms, children are meant to grow from dependence to independence. But in our relationship with God, maturity means moving from independence to dependence on Him. Prayer is where we practice such dependent ways. When Jesus taught His disciples and all of us who have come to believe in Him to pray, give us today Our Daily Bread, He was teaching a prayer of dependence. Bread is a metaphor for sustenance, deliverance, and guidance. We are dependent on God for all that and more.

There are no self-made believers in Jesus, and we'll never graduate from His grace. Throughout our lives, may we always begin our day by taking the posture of dependence as we pray to our Father in heaven. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is taken from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 6, verses 6 through 13. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.

Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. This, then, is how you should 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 today Our Daily Bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Would you join me in prayer? Dear Jesus, You are our Creator and Sustainer. Please help us to trust in You, and let the Lord's Prayer show us how. And it's in Your name that we pray. Amen.