B E H I N D / T H E / B A R

It’s the phrase that causes you to roll your eyes especially when its coming from  a politician, a lawyer, a car salesman, or even some preachers.  I’ve had people say, “trust me,” and that fake sparkle flickers on their upper left tooth as they smile their disingenuous smile.  Suddenly the last thing in the world I want to do is trust them.  They read it in my face, and press me further, “no really, trust me.”

Trust is the very bedrock for a faith in God.  Yet, trusting God is not the easiest thing in the world to do.

I’ve been meditating on a little verse lately.  In fact I loosely referenced this verse in a blog a few weeks ago.  Its from Matthew 6:11, where Jesus teaches us to ask God to “give us today our daily bread.”

I’ve been asking this question lately:  What if we really HAD to pray this prayer?  I mean really HAD TO!!  In some parts of the world, and even here in the West, some people literally HAVE to pray this prayer every day.  But most people I know, don’t HAVE to pray it because they are fairly certain that they’ll be getting their next paycheck, or that food will be in the pantry at home tonight.  They expect that the roof over their head will still be intact, barring a freak natural or maybe not so natural disaster.

If some of us truly HAD to trust God for our daily bread we would turn in our keys, submit our letter of resignation, and ask for a refund.  Maybe I’m not giving the majority of western Christians the benefit of the doubt.  But if we were all honest, I think this would be true for many of us.  Why?  Because its easy to trust when you don’t have to.  Its so much harder to trust, when you have no other choice.

That’s what this line in “The Lord’s Prayer” is about anyhow.  Its not so much about the provision, but more about trusting Him for our provision.  He’s refining me in this area.  Its a lesson that goes hand in hand with the truth found in a similar verse in James 4:2 – “You don’t have because you don’t ask.”

Now some folks might disagree with me and argue that we already have what we need from God through Jesus Christ.  They might say that we don’ have to go around asking for everything;  everyday.  But I think its in the asking, where trusting begins.  That’s the point of recognition and trusting that God is our source.

Look – we buy a ton of groceries to feed the folks in our house.  The food we buy is for consumption for anyone and everyone who is hungry in the Greer household.  So when my three year old decides he wants a PB&J sandwich, he comes and asks us to make it for him.  Its already his.  We’ve already bought it and its waiting for him to ask for it.  We don’t hand the PB & J to him on our way home from the grocery store and say, “Here ya go little man.”  Can you imagine the disaster we would experience in the back seat of our car on the way home from the store?  PB&J everywhere.  No, we have it, ready and waiting for him, all he has to do is say, “I’m hungry, can I have a PB&J?” and bada-bing its his.

There are many things in life, even at this moment, that I am discovering that I need from God.  I know the things I need are available to me, because my Father is King above all other kings.  I simply have to understand that I must daily trust Him to give me my daily bread – today.

I pray that you would understand and know that too.  I pray that whatever it is you need to day, that you will ask Him for it first.  That you know that you are petitioning a God, who is a Father who loves you and sincerely invites you to

“Trust Me.”

“No Really, Trust Me!”