“Your Father Knows The Things

You Have Need Of”

“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Matthew 6:5-10

Do your prayers start downstream with your own concerns that you bring to God? We inform God of our issues, as if He did not already know. We plead with God, as if hoping to change God’s mind and overcome divine reluctance. Instead we should start upstream where it all starts.

When we shift direction, we realize that God already cares about our concerns – a loved one’s cancer, a broken family, a rebellious teenager – more than we do. Our Father knows what we need.

Grace, like water, descends to the lowest part. Streams of mercy flow. We begin with God and ask what part we can play in His work on earth. With this new starting point for prayer, our perceptions change. We look at nature and see the signature of the grand Artist. We look at human beings and see individuals of eternal destiny made in God’s image. Thanksgiving and praise surge up to Him as a natural resource

Prayer channels God’s supply to our needs.

Our Daily Bread – January 7, 2016