Matthew chapter six. Matthew chapter six and verse nine. Pray then like this, our Father in heaven, Hallowed be your name. Let 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 also have forgiven our debtors and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. We focusing on verse 11 this morning. Give us this day, Our daily bread. I grew up in the era of the cassette tape. I remember those. You had side A and side B. I'm dating myself here, but that's all right. And I would listen to sermons on cassette tapes. And what they would do is they would break the sermon up. Half of it would be side A, half of it side B, but it'd be the same sermon. The gospel message is also broken up into sides, right? You get the bad news, the bad news that God is holy, man is sinful, man cannot be saved by their own efforts, nothing they do can rescue themselves from the wrath of God. The good news, which is not a separate message, but it is connected with the bad news, is that God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him would not perish, but have eternal life. And well, when it comes to the Lord's prayer, now we've come to the B side, if you will, side B. He's taken us from the highest heights of identity where we call God our father. What love has been bestowed upon us that we should be called children of God. This is the highest height that we can be taken to. He brought us to the pinnacle of meaning when we cry out for God's name to be made holy. beginning in our own hearts. He's gripped us with this thirst as we look at this world that despises Him, and we hunger and thirst that His kingdom come and His will be done. He has elevated our minds to the heavens, in the highest heavens, and now, what would we think would be the next request? I mean, coming from such a height, wouldn't it be the forgiveness of our sins. Wouldn't it be something about missionary endeavors or the gospel being proclaimed or something like that? I mean, that would seem to fit. But isn't it interesting that the very first thing. That our Lord would teach us to ask for after father in heaven, your name be made holy, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven would be bread. I mean, something to eat. Isn't that interesting? He's drawing our attention to our physical bodies and needs. But this is not inconsistent with the whole of Scripture. Think of the Ten Commandments, right? You have the first five focused Godward, upward, and then the second five, not that they're independent of God, but they're focused outward, towards man. Paul, think of how he would write his letters, the first half, doctrine, high theology, the gospel, all that God has done, and then the second half is the practical implications of it. Therefore, because God has done all of this, and he's taken you to heaven, and you're before the throne, and you see it all, since you see that, now do this. This is what God often does. What is the greatest commandment? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, all your strength, and the second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself. This prayer likewise focuses our hearts upward to him and his glory, side A, if you will, and then he brings us where we ask for our own personal needs. Give us this day our daily bread. And even this, even this section where we focus on our own needs, even that is broken up into three parts. I mean, let's look at it. Verse 11, give us this day our daily bread, our physical needs. Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. There's the relational, the emotional, the soul, if you will, if you're willing to break man up into a three part. lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one, our spiritual needs. All we need for life is wrapped up in these three requests. And all of them, very, very important, all of them are rooted and grounded in the first part of this prayer. These are not independent, this is not a separate prayer sheet, it's not a separate prayer list. All of these requests are the fruit of the root of the desire for His name, His kingdom, His will. So let's look deeper at this amazing request. Give us this day our daily bread. Not a very long request, but so much is in it. The first word, give. This word means to supply necessary things. The same word that's used for slaves and their masters. Masters will give. food to their slaves. It's dependency. It's a reliance. Notice that it does not say, sell us our bread, right? You cannot bring anything to God to barter with him. No treasures. We can't buy what we need from him because we have nothing to offer him, nothing to trade from him, nothing to bribe him with, nothing that he wants from us that would get this bread that we can purchase it. And our world is different, right? There are those who boast in the fact that they say everything has a price. Anyone can be bought. When I was growing up, we used to say cash rules everything around me. It's the same idea. The Bible says in Proverbs, a rich man's wealth is his strong city and like a high wall in his imagination. It feels strong. It feels high. It feels like no one can conquer it. But before the Lord, there is no strong city. He's the one that brings Jericho to its knees, brings Rome to the fall, and he rules, not cash. So we cannot come. You cannot come to the Lord wanting this bread, thinking that you can buy it. Also, we cannot work for it, not pay us our daily bread. We cannot earn this by our works or our labor or our effort. There's no favor we can earn with Him to get this bread. There's no amount of labor we can do for Him. Acts 17 tells us the God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is He served by human hands as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. So He doesn't need our work. We are His servants, but not in the way that He needs anything, so we can't say, well, I earned this bread, pay up. No, we don't come to Him as laborers looking for wages of this bread. In fact, the very ability to work, Deuteronomy 8.18 says, you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the power to get wealth. that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers." The only reason we're able to work in the first place is because God gives us the power, he gives us the fruit, he gives us the bread. So we cannot earn this, we cannot work for this, we cannot get it by the sweat of our brow or the paper in our wallet. No, he calls us to beg. Give us. This is the language of beggars. Give us. We are beggars for mercy. We are poor in spirit. We are beggars for grace, beggars for faith, salvation, forgiveness, love, light, truth, and bread. So he is calling us to beg God for this daily as children going to their father with a handout, not with money in their hands, not with work clothes on looking for wages, but as an empty hand looking to a full father saying give. That's the mindset we need to have with this request. Give us, there it is again, community of faith. Prayer is not a selfish endeavor. We need to be thinking of others, mindful of others, concerned about the entire household of God when we are praying, give us this day our daily bread. Have you ever been cold, I mean, really, cold? Does it satisfy you to just put on a hat? Are you okay to put on a really nice winter coat, but your bare feet? You want your whole body covered, right? You want the whole body to be warm. And that's the idea here, that when we're praying for this bread, give us the body. We don't want a single member of the body to go without. We're thinking of the whole body. We're not okay for us to be warmed while someone else is cold. We're not OK for us to be filled while someone else is hungry. This is the body of Christ. And we are to pray. Give us this day. There are desperate needs among us. And we don't want to just ask for ourselves. Is this the way you think when you pray? It's a good check, right? I am committed to a local church and I have been acquainted and There is a relationship that is forming with the members of this local body, and I'm becoming aware of the needs that they have. Let me take their needs as well as mine to our Father as I pray, give us this day our daily bread. The heart of sharing, even in prayer. It's beautiful. And you notice, give us, it's equal request. It's not, give me steak and give them bread. No, give us the same thing. It's good. We all want the same. Give us this day, our daily bread. Very short request, but already we see two references to time. This day, daily. Two reminders in this short request about the timeframe. This is for today. This is a daily need. Simply put, Father, give me only what I need today to do your will with this body. Give me what I need today. And he wants us returning tomorrow for more. We'll get to that momentarily. But this is a day-by-day prayer. because he holds all resources, all treasure, all bounty. Everything that we need is in him. And we walk with him. But you know what? It's as though he gave us pockets that can only hold a day full. So every day we say, Father, can you fill my pockets for the day? And then tomorrow, Father, can you fill my pockets for the day? It's a daily distribution. Some of You work and you go out of town. Our brother just came back and you get sometimes what's called a per diem, right? That's a certain amount of money per day to eat with. Do not exceed that or you'll be paying out of your own pocket. But this is what they give you. And the next day you get a fresh amount. This is the idea. So long as it is this day, we do not need tomorrow's bread. Give us this day, our. Now, is this the same thing as the us? Well, it could be, but I think there's something else here, and I hope that this will be helpful. Think about what is ours. What is yours? Why is it even ours? Not because we deserve it. We talked about that. We're supposed to work for it. In other words, this is bread gained by honest means, whether that is honestly being in need, you may really be in need and someone gives, praise God, this is a church who sees the needs of others and gives, gives anonymously, gives secretly, gives without someone even being able to say thank you because they're trying to slide it to you and run out the door, praise God for that type of heart among us. That's honest, when you see someone in need and you give. But mostly the idea is a laboring, One commentator said this, there are many who eat bread, which is not their own. However, it is not working. It is stealing. Many people want bread without obeying the father who gives bread. So how do we get bread? I mean, think of bread, right? I mean, how do you get it? It doesn't start as bread. You have to plant it, water it, harvest it, mix it, baking. All of that takes labor. It takes work. It takes effort. That's honest bread. We don't deserve bread for working, but the Lord has made it clear that bread is a result of work. Think of the Proverbs. Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense. And love not sleep, lest you come to poverty. Open your eyes and you will have plenty of bread. In other words, laziness does not bring bread from our father's hand. We cannot be lazy and say, Father, give me bread when he has given us the means by which to get it. That is work. And if we're in need, true need, then ask. And those who worked can give. Lord is telling us that those who work will have bread and plenty of it to share. But what does Paul say? If a man will not work, neither shall he eat. A man that doesn't work, but is eating, is eating bread that is not his. Now, balance. Remember, the poor. We know that there are the poor. The Bible says whoever gives to the poor lends to the Lord, but we have to be careful that their poverty is not the poverty of the sluggard. Slawfulness casts into a deep sleep. and an idle person will suffer hunger." There are people who are hungry because they're idle, and there are people who are hungry because they're genuinely poor. They genuinely are needy. And we need to be wise that we're not giving food to one who will not work and can, but we are seeing those who are genuinely in need, and we are coming to their aid as the Lord commands us. There's also bread that is gained not just by idleness, but by deceit. Proverbs says, bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel. People can pretend to be sick or holy or injured or poor or in a bad situation so that bread can be given to them. That's bread gained by deceit. But the Christian, the child of God, the citizen of the kingdom only wants bread that is his by honest and Christ-like means. C.H. Spurgeon said, we ask not for bread which belongs to others, but only for that which is honestly our own. For not to covet another's bread. You know how it goes, right? You break up bread amongst children. His piece is bigger. Hers is golden brown and mine is burnt. I want theirs, right? The covetousness. God may not give us all the same kind of bread. May not give us all the same amount of bread. Same size, it may not all taste the same, but he does give bread to all of his children every day. And this is not stolen bread. It's not bread gained by deceit. It's bread gained honestly. Christendom said, he who eats bread got righteously eats his own bread, but he who eats bread got with sin, eats others bread. Give us this day our daily bread, ours. And we come to this word daily. Now, again, give us this day, daily. We wanna focus in on some things here. This is the idea of contentment. Not weekly bread, not monthly bread, but bread for the day. Just enough. Not too much, not too little, Just enough for the day. What does this keep us from? It keeps us from greed. It keeps us from trusting in storehouses and bank accounts. It keeps us from building bigger barns for all of the bread that we cannot eat today. JC Reilly said, we are here taught to acknowledge our entire dependence on God for the supply of our daily necessities. That's what they're talking about daily. What do you need for the day? You know, we cannot eat. It doesn't matter how hungry you are. And sometimes I've tried, but you cannot eat bread that will last you for three weeks. Right? You're limited in your consumption. You're limited in the amount your stomach can stretch. But if we could, would we try? God could have made us like bears. What do bears do? They hibernate, right? And what is the idea of hibernation? They stock up on it because when times are scarce, when it's winter and there's not a lot of food around, they're full. They don't have to worry about looking for it. They just sleep and rest because they stored up the food in their bodies for months. And he could have made us with that ability. You know, there are over 200 species of animals that hibernate, but we don't. No, we need to eat every day. We need to sleep every day. We need to drink every day. And we're utterly dependent upon these things in order for us to live and breathe and have our being. Again, Spurgeon said, our petition concerns the day and asks only for a daily supply, bread enough for this day. And why would we need to be taught that daily. We haven't even got on bread yet. What does bread mean? But just the idea of daily. Why would we need that? Because the full can forget their father. Last week, our brother pointed us to the proverb. Proverb 30 is from verse eight or so. Give me only what is sufficient. Don't give me too much less. I get full. And what does it say? Say, who is the Lord? Because when we look and we see the grain overflowing, the wine abounding, money in the bank, isn't it true that prayer, faith, reliance on God is just not as attractive as it is when you're really looking at the clock and everything is empty and you're saying, Lord, please come through. We're not as prone to pray when everything is full and abounding as when things are scarce. That's not just my words. This is from Deuteronomy 9. Here's the warning that God gave to the children of Israel before they went to the land of promise. Take care. Lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today. Why would they forget? Do they just have bad memory like me? No, lest when you have eaten, and are full, and have built good houses, and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know that he might humble you and test you to do you good in the end. Beware, lest you say in your heart, my power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth. You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers as it is this day. See what he's saying there? This warning against excess, because when we get excess, we get excessively forgetful. You remember the days when you had nothing, when you were hungry, and the Lord answered prayer. Maybe you grew up in extreme poverty and someone in kindness would drop off some groceries. I know that happened in my upbringing at times. I heard this happen to a number of you as well. But now you've got your own money. Now you got your own account and you forget the kindness. You forget the provision. You forget the tenderness of God and how he brought you so much. That can happen. And so to keep us from that happening, We're told to pray prayers of necessity. God may give us more than a day's worth. He may have more than a day's supply waiting for you in just a few days. And that is his prerogative to do, like Solomon, right? He gave Solomon far more than a day's supply. That was his prerogative to do so. The reason we need to pray this is not for God's sake. God can do what he wants. It's for our sake, for our hearts, to keep us from that forgetfulness, to keep us from that greed, that desire for luxury and more and more and more and stocking up and piling up and bigger barns for more and more and more. Lord, give me a week's supply of bread. Give me a year's supply of bread so I won't need to pray to you tomorrow. This is to keep us praying. This is to keep us reliant. This is to keep us dependent. This is to keep us asking. He doesn't want us to become greedy and forgetters of God. He doesn't want us to look at his hand, not his heart, where we only want what's in his hand and we treasure the gift more than the giver. So we don't talk about tomorrow's bread. We'll get there tomorrow. Today is the daily need. And this is what happened with the manna. Remember? The Lord said to Moses, behold, I'm about to rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day. A day's portion every day. Daily bread. Sounds familiar. Why did he do it this way? That I may test them. Whether they will walk in my law. What was the test? Trust. Will they trust him? Because you know what happened to manna when they tried to store it up? Here's the account. They gathered some more, some less. But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over. Whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. And Moses said to them, let no one leave any of it over till the morning. But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. Morning by morning, they gathered it, each as much as he could eat. But when the sun grew hot, it melted. Why did they want to gather more? What would be the mindset behind, I need to save some for tomorrow? He's not going to come through. He's not going to provide. He's not trustworthy. I know he said he would, but can I really trust God? I'm gonna put some to the side just in case. That's an insult. That's offensive to a God who is faithful. Great is thy faithfulness. We may sing, but are we praying for a week's worth of bread because we don't think he'll supply us day by day? I pray not. This is a question of, do you trust him? Give me just enough for today, because I know you'll come through tomorrow. And I don't need to worry about tomorrow, only what I need today. So in summary, thus far, this is a daily request for beggars, give, for all of us thinking together, this is a day-by-day need, something that is ours gained through righteous means. So what does it mean by bread? And this is where we'll be spending the rest of our time. What is bread? I mean, doesn't it seem rather an intense prayer to be talking about bread? I mean, bread's good. Don't get me wrong. I like bread. But why are we asking for bread? As an American, we could say that's for the third world to be asking for because Famine isn't an American problem. This is from World Vision. From 1968 to 1980, a drought in the Sahel region led to one million deaths in Mali, Chad, Niger, Maratarenia, and Burkina Faso through hunger. Can you imagine one million people dying of hunger? 1980 to 1981, drought and conflict led to widespread hunger in Uganda. 1984 to 1985, famine in Ethiopia, drought in the northern highlands, and problems delivering aid led to approximately one million deaths and massive displacements. 1991 and 1992, the Somalia famine was caused by drought in Civil War, 1998 to 2004. During the Second Congo War, more than three million people died in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, mainly from starvation and disease. And this is not just in Africa, though 22.7% of sub-Saharan Africa are starving. 17.7% in the Caribbean, 14.4% in Southern Asia. Southeastern Asia has 11.5%. In Western Asia, 10.6%. People are in extreme danger of famine and starvation. So this is for them, right? This is what they need to be praying. But for America, the richest country in the history of the world, we have so much food, we throw it away. We put salmon and steak in our dog food. Why are we being told to pray for bread? We have H-E-B, Walmart. I mean, you go to get a sandwich, they don't ask you if you want bread. They said, what kind of bread? You want wheat, sourdough, so many options, so many types. And then there are people who are even allergic to bread, gluten-free. So this lamb, that is filled with bread, filled with food, overflowing, even it spoils. We can't even eat it quick enough. In fact, people would even say it's a temptation to overeat. Have you ever used the term I'm starving? It's a shameful thing when we hear the reality that people are literally dying of starvation. We miss a meal and we say I'm starving. That's how much food we have. We can miss one meal and we say I'm starving. So those people need daily bread, but do we? Again, is Jesus telling us to pray for that which we do not need? No. Bread, the word, is an all-encompassing word. And we even use it in our vernacular. Back in the day, the man was called the bread winner. It doesn't mean that there was like a sport where bread was the trophy, right? It's not the Hunger Games. No, breadwinner means the one who works and provides for his home. You would say that's my bread and butter. What is meant by that? That is my main source of income. Bring home the bacon. Does it literally mean we bring bacon? No. These are terms that mean wealth, that mean the things that are necessary for life. And even in the Bible, what about this very famous verse? Go to the ant, oh sluggard, consider her ways and be wise. Without having any chief, officer or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. Bread is not made by ants. So what is this? This is food in general, all manner of food. Proverbs says, whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense. I was talking to my children about this, the idea of works his land. Everyone didn't have wheat fields, but people have apple orchards, pecan trees. It's not the idea of if I work my field, then I have a lot of bread. Bread is a word that means food, and all manner of food, but here, Bread means even more than just food. It means everything you need for your physical life, the necessities of life. John Calvin says, here it is a still more extensive meaning for we ask not only that the hand of God may supply us with food, but that we may receive all that is necessary for the present life. John Gill, my bread is meant all the necessaries of life and for the support of it. That's what the word bread is signifying here. Everything you need for life. What are the necessities of life? What do we need in order to live? The Bible tells us that we are not our own, we've been brought with a price, so we're to glorify God in our bodies. So what does our body need in order to live to be able to glorify Him? 1 Timothy 6, 7, and 8. We brought nothing into this world, we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we are to be content. We need food, we need drink, we need clothing. Bible says we need that. God is the supplier of all food. He created everything that is edible, all that is growable, all that is drinkable. Not only does He create it, but He sustains it. Hebrews tells us that He upholds the universe by the word of His power. That's amazing. You know, he even makes food for our food. Whether you're a vegetarian, you only eat plants, he creates the systems, the pollination, everything that plants need to be able to grow. And if you eat meat, he provides the food that your food eats. We need clothing. It doesn't say what kind of clothing. It doesn't have to be the newest, the most expensive, stylish, and fashion. But again, clothing is wrapped up in this word too, bread. What we eat, what we wear, those things that we need for our daily necessities. And every fabric, every color comes from the Creator of all, our Father in heaven. We need shelter. Isaiah says, Then the Lord will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory, there will be a canopy. There will be a booth for shade by day from the heat and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain. The Lord would be the shelter for the people. Jesus said, foxes have holes. Birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has no place to lay his head." What was he implying there? Shelter is a normal, regular necessity in life, but the son of man, he didn't have one. Even the animals have homes and food and water. We need shelter to protect us from the elements. We are fragile, and if we're left to extreme temperatures for too long, perish. So in this word, in this one word, bread is wrapped up, food, clothing, shelter. And even health. Remember when Satan was going after Job? The second time he said skin for skin. All that a man has, he will give for his life, but stretch out your hand and touch his bone. in his flesh and he will curse you to your face." Why would he say that? Because Satan knows mankind. He's been studying mankind for centuries and he knows that we need healthy bodies to be able to do the things that we need to do. Now there are those in their twisted doctrines who say the sick are unable to glorify God because they're unhealthy. And that's associated with the prosperity doctrine. That's not what this means. It doesn't mean that if you're sick, you're unable to glorify God with your body. What it does mean is that sickness hinders you, right? If you're in the bed with a stomach virus, are you able to get up and do all the things that you need to do? No, we know that sickness is a hindrance to us, which is why James tells us to go to the elders to pray that we might be healed. That's why Paul said to Timothy, no longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. And this is telling us that everything we need for life, we are totally dependent upon God to supply. Food, drink, shelter, clothing, our very well-being, all of our physical needs. What do we know about these things? Those things that look stable are actually very fragile. You may say that you're healthy today, and maybe you are. But in one day, your health could change completely. You may have a home to drive to right now, but all it takes is one fire, and you have nothing. We may have tons of food in our cupboards and in the supermarkets and all that, and we can say, we don't need, as Americans, to pray for daily bread. We have home, we have clothes, we have cars, we have supermarkets. But in one day, our food supply could be poisoned. Rats could tarnish our water. Diseased terrorists could shoot poison gas over crops and livestock. Think of all the recalls of this found in this and this found in this. A car accident can take you from being healthy to handicapped before you can even press the brake. The point is, in a short period of time, everything, everything that we think holds us together, makes us stable, can be taken from us. And we forget that fact because everything flows and everything happens. And we go there and look at this, this, and we open it, there's that. And everything is already there. And we can forget the fact that it is God who supplies our needs. It is God who supplies our daily food, our daily shelter, our daily health, our daily safety, our daily comforts. It's not the government that keeps us safe. It's not law enforcement. It's not your doctor. It's not your diet. It's not oils. It's not your gym membership or anything else. It's not your employer who provides for It is Jehovah Jireh who provides. It is the Lord alone. And He tells us, get it into your mind to ask Him for the daily needs. Because if you don't, you may think all of these things will never change. And like that, everything could change. Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of life. Since He Himself gives to man life and breath and everything. Think of Egypt. Remember in Exodus 10 with the plagues? This is just one of them. So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night when it was morning. The east wind had brought the locusts. The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt. Such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before nor ever will be again. They covered the face of the whole land so that the land was darkened and they ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field through all the land of Egypt." This bountiful land with vegetation and fruit and crops Overnight, nothing. I think that can't happen to America. We know it can. So we are to pray, Father, give us this day our daily bread, because if you don't provide my daily bread, there is no hope of daily bread. If you don't feed me, if you don't clothe me, if you don't keep my house safe, if you don't keep me healthy, I will not be healthy. I will not be clothed. I will not be safe. I will not be fed. We must have the mindset that it is not man that protects us, clothes us, feeds us, but it is God alone. And Christ wants us constantly thinking in this way. and why he tells us to pray this way. Remember Job. This man was wealthy, beyond wealthy. One day. Now, there was a day. Brethren, there's a day. There's a day that's coming to each of us, and I don't know what it will be in that day. But there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house. They did this often, by the way. It's a day like any other day. There was no red flashing in the heavens that says, this is the day you lose everything, Job. There came a messenger to Job and said, the oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them. And the Sabians fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword. And I alone have escaped to tell you, his oxen, his donkey, his servants, gone. While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, the fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them. And I alone have escaped to tell you, his sheep gone. While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, the Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword. And I alone have escaped to tell you, While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house. And behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house. And it fell upon the young people and they are dead. And I alone have escaped to tell you. You can go from being the father of 10 to the father of none. You can go from being an owner of a beautiful home to homeless. You can go from having a closet full of clothes to naked. You can go from having three cars in your garage to walking. You can go from being in your strongest health to being bedridden. This can happen to a home, to a street, to a country. America is not safe. It's not that we're the most obedient or the most faithful, and that's why I've got... No, no, no, no. Are we not still weeping over what has just been made legal in New York? A nation that kills... Why have you not had a day like Joe? Why have you? Are we smarter than him? Are we more obedient? It is only because the hand of God has prevented such things from happening to us. That's the only reason. And at any moment, at any moment, brothers and sisters, that hand could be removed. And all the trials of Job could fall upon you. We are to go to him and ask for daily bread because it is a necessity. There is an urgency. We need to remember there is a God who provides for us. And we must not lose sight of that. And we forget when we get full. And we forget when we have abundance. Life and death, health and sickness, wealth and poverty are all in his holy hands. He keeps the food growing. He keeps the water drinkable. He keeps our bodies working. He keeps the thief away. Some of us went to Houston, August 17, 2017, through September 2, 2017. That's not very long. Hurricane Harvey caused $125 billion worth of damage in Houston. 68 people lost their lives. And many of us saw these people who had these mansions. There they were, piles of trash. All that they had worked for, all that they had bought, all that they had to boast and say, look at me, look at me, was in piles. Their homes unlivable. But we could go very quickly to such an end. The Lord sends the hurricane and the flood and the famine. The psalmist tells us when he summoned a famine on the land, and broke all supply of bread. God does that. He can do that. He is doing that. And there is no protection on America from him doing it again. We are always at his mercy and we're never to forget that whether we live in Haiti or Houston. So what are we praying in this petition? Remember, all of this is rooted and grounded and the reality of His name being made holy. Father, please give us bread, and drink, and clothes, and shelter, and health, but only in such a way that it makes Your name holy, it brings Your kingdom, and Your will is aligned with it. Please, Father, do this. And we're not to look at someone else's home, someone else's car, someone else's clothes, someone else's food, someone else's health, and covet. Because this is our daily bread that we're asking for. He does not always give his saints the same bread. In fact, sometimes it may not even look like bread at all. Remember what it says in Hebrews 11? Why don't you turn there? great hall of faith as it's called. I've taken you here before and I will take you here yet again. Hebrews 11 and verse 33, who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouth of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. That's the bread for some. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release so they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sawn in two. They were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute. You know the word destitute means? Lacking the daily needs. Afflicted, mistreated, of whom the world was not worthy. Wandering about in deserts and mountains and in dens and caves of the earth. What about Paul? 2 Corinthians 11, verse 23. Here's Paul relaying his testimony of God's supply of his daily bread. Far more St. Corinthians 11, 23. Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one. I am talking like a madman with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings and often near death. Five times I receive at the hands of the Jews, the 40 lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked a night and a day. I was adrift at sea on frequent journeys and danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea. Danger from false brothers in toil and hardship through many a sleepless night, look at it and hunger and thirst, often without food and cold and exposure. often without food, hungry, thirsty. What about Romans eight, one of my favorite and I'm sure your favorite chapters in the Bible. Verse thirty five, listen to this list. 835, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword, as it is written, for your sake, we are being killed all the day long. We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things, They went through these things. Some Christians went through famine. Some Christians went through nakedness. Some Christians were sawn in two and tortured and all of that. In these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Famine, brother, for the child of God, destitute, often without food, without shelter, exposed to the elements, and even in the midst of famine. So here's the question. Did God supply the daily bread for these Christians when famine was upon them? Yes, absolutely. Did Paul receive his daily bread when he was often without food and beaten with rods? Absolutely. Did Stephen get his daily bread when he was stoned to death? James, did he receive his daily bread when he was so killed? What about Richard Wurmbrand? I've shared with you many Some of the stories from this brother from Torture for Christ, he wrote that book. This pastor who spent 14 years being tortured and starved by the communists. 14 years. Did God give him daily bread every day of those 14 years? Yes. See, some have said this is a promise that no Christian will ever be hungry. No Christian will ever be naked. No Christian will ever suffer want or lack. But what you just read, there's no way to justify such a statement. So what is this a promise for? Again, this is totally and completely connected to the root of, your name be holy, your kingdom come, Your will be done. So, what do we need to do His will today? What do we need to bring His kingdom today? What do we need to make His name holy today? You say, but doesn't David say that I never saw the righteous forsaken or a seed begging bread? Amen. The child of God is never forsaken, though they're in a prison cell. They never beg for bread. Why? Because God supplies their need and they have meat that you know not of. God can satisfy the hungry stomach while they're being systematically tortured and they can find total satisfaction and contentment in Christ because they know that even in the midst of my suffering My father's name is being made holy. His kingdom is coming and his will is being done. And his grace is sufficient for me. And though they won't feed me, my father feeds me. And it may not be through ravens, but it will be by his spirit. And he will give me what I need. Moses went 40 days with no food. Jesus went 40 days and 40 nights. And then after that, he was tempted by the devil and he still couldn't eat. He's not promising us that we'll never get sick, that we'll never go without our home or our comforts. We could lose it all tomorrow. We saw Job. No, what he's saying is that whatever brings his name glory, whatever will extend his kingdom, whatever will make his will be done, he will supply your needs, Christian, in accord with that. And for some, that will be rescue and luxury and ease. And for others, it will be torture and sickness, hunger, and death. So the heart of the Christian going to the father, who is a good father, and will withhold no good thing, though we don't always call good what he calls good. He will withhold no good thing from the one who walks uprightly. The heart of the Christian prays this way. Father, if me being hungry or without home or without clothes brings your name glory, then give me grace to be satisfied in you. If the only clothing I will wear are the sheepskins and goats like we saw in Hebrews 11, and that's all I'm going to be clothed with as Nero tortures me for the screaming, Romans and the Colosseum, and that's what I'm going to be clothed with. As long, Father, as long as it is not meaningless, as long as it brings your name glory, then it is worth it because that is why I am created. That's why I exist. That is what I want more than anything else, even my own comfort. Brethren, this does not come by the arm of the flesh. None of us would want to go through pain, but he will give you grace sufficient This is about trusting Him as Father. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 25. I was naked. I was hungry. I was sick. You didn't visit me. When? When did we see you naked or sick or hungry and not minister to you? Whatever you did not do to the least of these, my brethren, you did not do to me. That means there are Christians who are hungry and naked and sick, who don't get ministered to because some people who claim to know Christ don't have a heart of compassion to reach out. That's the reality. Ultimately, brother, I'm calling you to rely on the Lord day by day to look to him as provider for all that is needed. To be content in what he deems good, even if it doesn't taste good. to trust him and his distribution of bread. This is a call to be like Christ. And what do we see of Christ? He not only trusted his father rather than turning these stones into bread, but he said, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. And more than that, he is the very bread of life itself. So if you're starved of physical bread, as long as you have the bread of life, then you're fed. If you're stripped of physical clothing, but you're covered in His robes of righteousness, then you'll never be naked again. If you're wandering without shelter, as long as you are in Him, the cleft of the rock, the city of refuge, the high tower, the strong city, then you will never be without a home. And if your body is on the very edge, of death because you're wracked with every disease known to man. As long as the great physician is with you and he's healed you from the sickness of sin, then you will never be sick again because by his stripes we are healed. He is the bread of life and all that we need is found in him. So ask him for the daily bread. Ask him for the things that you need and know that sometimes what that may look like is not what we think. but let us never lose sight that he is a good father and he will give you what you need to make his name holy, to spread his kingdom, and to do his will. And that's what the child of God wants more than anything else. Father, you are good and greatly to be praised. You are a good father. You are love. God is love. You are light. You are worthy. Father, if you do not give us bread in the way that we think, it's not because you lack, it's because your love is so great that you have something better. So Father, would you give us hearts and eyes to see the way you see, the way your son saw in the wilderness, hungry for 40 days and 40 nights, but still said, I will not turn these stones into bread, I trust my Father to feed me. In Jesus' name, amen. Jesus.