Give Us This Day

So often we pray the Lord's Prayer (or rather we SAY the Lord's Prayer) without any concentration on what is coming out of our mouth. As I have mentioned in previous posts, the Lord's Prayer is more of a road map of prayer for me. It helps me to direct my concentration and focus on the Lord during my prayer time. I often use each line as a header, as I have taught in previous posts.

Recently, as I was praying through the Lord's Prayer, I came to the line “Give us this day...” I recognized it as a petition all by itself. Not a prayer for bread or food, but a prayer for accepting this day as it comes. I began to think of Scriptures referring to Today: But exhort one another daily, while it is called To Day” Heb 3:13. And Jesus gave us commandment not to worry about tomorrow: Take therefore no thought for tomorrow: for tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matt 6:34

My thoughts were drawn to a verse of Scripture I have often shied away from: This is the day that the LORD has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24. In the past, I have been superstitious in that whenever I had declared this Scripture, it seemed that I was tested on it. But as I was praying this line – give us this day, I realized that it was casting all my cares (fears, superstitions, worries, anxieties) on the LORD and recognizing that THIS IS THE DAY HE HAS MADE and we are believing in Him to give us THIS DAY everything we have need to make it through the day.

I'm sure that I'll never pray through this line again the same way as in the past.

Simply Blessed

Yesterday, I found myself in the lowest depths of depression. I hadn’t felt that low in years. It was the most hopeless of feelings. By the evening, I was wondering what was even the point of living another day. I decided to write a letter to God and tell Him how I felt. It seemed to help a little and I was able to pray through the Lord’s prayer and talk about things I need.

First, this morning, my Daily Light Devotional ended with the verse, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.”

This morning, when I got to work and open my email, there was an email from someone I had met last year at the senior center. Out of the blue she had emailed me to say that I have been on her heart yesterday and she had prayed for me. I sobbed like a baby. I knew it was from the Lord, letting me know He was near.

One of the things that has been heavy on my heart has been getting my sink faucet replaced. Today in morning meeting, one of my colleagues said that one of our nurse’s husband a plumber. I very rarely see her, however in a meeting today she came in to eat lunch where we were meeting and I was able to ask her about her husband fixing the sink. This evening she let me know he could do it for $80 which is way less than I have been quoted.

This evening, one of our former residents’— who passed away this year - daughter came by to say hello and give us a gift. It was a sign that reads Simply Blessed. Yet another confirmation that God is watching over every detail.