What Does the Bible Say About Prayer?

God Provides

The next area that we should consider when praying is found in Matthew 6:11, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Matthew 6:25-34 tells us how we are to do this:

(Matthew 6:25-34 KJV) “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? (26) Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? (27) Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? (28) And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: (29) And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. (30) Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? (31) Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (32) (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. (33) But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (34) Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

These verses tell us that we should not worry about provision; what we are going to eat or wear. Instead, we are told that if God provides these things for the animals and plants, we are worth more in God’s eyes and He will provide these things to us. When praying about these things, God knows what we need, however, we must ask ourselves, “Do we know?” The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:11-13 that he had learned that no matter what his situation, he learned to be content with what he had.

(Philippians 4:11-13 KJV) “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. (12) I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. (13) I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Paul learned that no matter what happened, God was going to provide for him and that he could continue doing all things through Christ. Too often we think that if we do not have all the latest conveniences, have the money to eat out and for entertainment, we are deprived. In developed nations many of us take for granted that we have a home with separate bedrooms, an abundance of food in the refrigerator, a car parked outside, and a source of income. Often, as professed believers, when we do not have these things, we get depressed and complain that we are poor. However, the vast majority of believers elsewhere in the world do not have any of these things, yet they rejoice in the Lord always being filled with the Spirit in their attitudes and behaviors (Philippians 4:4; Ephesians 5:18-20). We need to learn a lesson from our less fortunate brethren and learn that peace and contentment does not come with stuff. It comes with a close relationship with God Who will provide us with our every need, not our every want.