Keys to a Powerful Prayer Life: Our Daily Bread

by David Chadwick

Jesus used the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 to guide his disciples in how to pray. I want to take you through this prayer line by line. You can think of each line as another key for your prayer life.

We must first enter into the presence of God with deep awareness and appreciation for both his Fatherly love and his divine holiness. After that, we can ask with boldness and confidence for heaven to come to earth. We want to partner with God's heart and his will for this broken world.

The next key is this: "Give us this day our daily bread."

What are your needs today? What is troubling your heart? Where are you lacking?

In Jesus's day, people did not have refrigerators or freezers. This term "daily bread" was basically a shopping list for the day. What needed to be picked up at the local market.

If you were to take a moment and write out a "shopping list" of things you needed to pick up, both literally or figuratively, just for today, what would you need? Hope? Food? Energy? Perspective? Money?

Take a moment and make a list of your "daily bread" needs for today.

The Bible says that tomorrow has enough worries of its own and we should not be anxious about those things (Matthew 6:34). In fact, no one is even guaranteed tomorrow. We must live for today.

Ask Daddy in heaven to supply your every need TODAY. He promises that he will. He gave manna daily to the Israelites as they wandered through the wilderness for 40 years (Exodus 16:35)! He has daily provision for your needs as well.

God is faithful! Ask him to show his faithfulness to you today. Chances are, he will do exceedingly more than that. Ephesians 3:20 says God "is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think." As you ask him for your "daily bread," know his heart is to give you that and more.