July 20 | Matthew 6:11-12

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DAILY READING

Matthew 6:11-12

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REFLECTION

Understanding Jesus' Prayer

By Dave Mann

There are parts of the Lord’s Prayer that are often misunderstood.  Here are two such petitions.

Give us this day our daily bread.  Some might complain, “Daily bread?  Are we supposed to be content with eating only bread?  Here is Martin Luther’s answer to what is meant by “daily bread.”  He gives us a larger perspective concerning what we are requesting.

Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.

The next petition is really quite difficult if we understand the conditions under which we are praying for forgiveness.  Forgive us our trespasses (sins) as we forgive those who trespass (sin) against us. 

One of the smallest words in this prayer is what trips us up.  That word is “as.”  Translators could just as well render that word in other ways: “just as,” “in the same way that,” “on the condition that.”  So, in this prayer, if we are reluctant to forgive others for what they have done to us, we are recommending that God be just as stingy with his forgiveness toward us as we are toward others.  Wow!  How in the world are we going to be forgiven 100% if that is the case?

Here is what Luther writes about this petition.

We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look at our sins or deny our prayer because of them. We are neither worthy of the things for which we pray, nor have we deserved them, but we ask that He would give them all to us by grace, for we daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but punishment. So, we too will sincerely forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us.

We are completely dependent on God to receive his forgiveness, even for reaching first base if the conditions to be forgiven are met.  In the end, we acknowledge that we are not worthy, we do not merit, we have no claim on the forgiveness that we so desperately need.  In order that we be forgiven and be washed clean of our guilt, we admit that God provides us with everything we need from the beginning to the end.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, I am not worthy to pray even this basic prayer that Jesus taught his disciples to pray.  Everything that I need each day – from one morsel of bread to forgiveness and the willingness to forgive – it all comes from your hand.  I am dependent upon your grace, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DAVE MANN

I am a Pastor for Internationals (retired) in the UALC community. I am married to Pam, father of four, and grandfather of seven. Pam and I have lived twenty of our years in other countries including France, Cameroon, Haiti, and Morocco. In retirement, we continue to enjoy writing devotionals, learning languages, and teaching English to internationals.