The Promise of Provision for All Our Needs (Part 2)
The Lord Jesus gave an exhortation against anxiety regarding our daily needs. He focused on the fact of God's personal care for our basic needs in Matthew 6:25-34. Three times He tells us "do not be anxious" (6:25, 31 and 34). Five times questions are asked that are designed to show the foolishness of anxiety.
Matthew 6:25-34 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing? 26 Look at the birds in the sky: They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you more valuable than they are? 27 And which of you by worrying can add even one hour to his life? 28 Why do you worry about clothing? Think about how the flowers of the field grow; they do not work or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these! 30 And if this is how God clothes the wild grass, which is here today and tomorrow is tossed into the fire to heat the oven, won't he clothe you even more, you people of little faith? 31 So then, don't worry saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' 32 For the unconverted pursue these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.
Why is anxiety foolish? It is foolish because it is futile in view of the Father's loving care and knowledge of our needs (cf. 6:25, 26, 27, 28, 30). He teaches us such worry is the product of being people of "little faith." Worry is the product of failing to reflect on the fatherly care God must have for us as His people since He shows such wonderful care for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. Finally, He shows that due to God's loving care and the temporary and evil nature of this world, our greatest priority and concern must be the spiritual (6:33-34).
The Promise of Provision Through Prayer
As members of God's family, all believers have direct access to God as their heavenly Father through their Great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. While God knows our needs before we ask (Matt. 6:32), and is intimately concerned, we are, nevertheless, to take our needs and those of others to God's throne of grace in prayer.
Hebrews 4:16 Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.
1 Peter 5:7 by casting all your cares on him because he cares for you.
Matthew 7:7-11 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 Is there anyone among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
1 John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have before him: that whenever we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, then we know that we have the requests that we have asked from him.
Philippians 4:6-8 Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things.
Since God knows and cares, why pray? Because God has chosen to work in our lives through prayer. James 5:16 tells us the fervent prayer of a righteous person accomplishes much.
- · Prayer is a vehicle of fellowship.
- · Prayer is an evidence of faith or a spirit of dependence.
- · Prayer is also a means of focusing our hearts on the Lord, His purposes, and His care.
Many of the Psalms are lament or petition Psalms. In them, we often find they begin highlighting a condition of trouble, sometimes even in a spirit of despair or frustration over the problems the author was facing. In the process of the Psalmist's prayer to God, however, as he takes his burdens to the Lord, he also gets his eyes on God's person, God's principles, and God's promises. As he does this, he gains a new outlook. The Psalms then finish in a spirit of confident expectation and joy in the Lord. God had not changed, but the Psalmist had been changed through the process of prayer (cf. Psa. 3:1-8; 5:1-12; 6:1-10; 7:10, 13). When our hearts are truly seeking God, prayer becomes a place where God is able to change us and mold us to His will.
Prayer is where we confess sin, give thanks and praise to God, and make our needs known in specific requests. But our greatest need is to be conformed into the image of God's Son, the Lord Jesus. The Lord promises that God, as a father kind of God, will not give us a stone if we ask for bread, nor a snake if we ask for a fish. In His perfect love and wisdom, He only knows how to give what is best to us. But we must understand that what we think of as bread or a fish, may in reality be a stone or a snake. This is why God often does not answer our requests with a yes, and why our prayer needs to be conformed to His will. Matthew 7:9-11.
James 4:3 you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on your passions.
This requires time and is perhaps why the Lord gives the three pictures of asking, seeking, and knocking in Matthew 7:7-8.
Prayer is not just a matter of asking, but of seeking God's direction and will, and waiting on Him just as one knocks and waits at the door for someone to hear and open the door. Keep asking, be patient, and be sure to ask what God's will is in the matter. Is what I am asking really what is best according to God's purposes and wisdom?
Hindrances to Prayer
The following is a list of some things that hinder our prayer life:
(1) Maladjustment to the Holy Spirit.
John 4:22-23 You people worship what you do not know. We worship what we know, because salvation is from the Jews. 23 But a time is coming-and now is here-when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such people to be his worshipers.
Jude 20 But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith, by praying in the Holy Spirit,
Ephesians 6:18 With every prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and to this end be alert, with all perseverance and requests for all the saints.
Psalm 66:18 If I had harbored sin in my heart, the sovereign Master would not have listened.
Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
1 John 1:9 But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness.
(2) Maladjustment to the Word of God (cf. also Ps. 119)
Proverbs 28:9 The one who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.
John 15:7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you.
(3) Failure to pray in faith.
Matthew 21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, if you believe, you will receive."
1 John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have before him: that whenever we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, then we know that we have the requests that we have asked from him.
James 1:5-7 But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed around by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord,
Hebrews 11:6 Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
(4) Failure to ask because of a spirit of self-dependence.
James 4:2 You desire and you do not have; you murder and envy and you cannot obtain; you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask;
(5) Failure to ask from the right motives, without concern for God's will.
James 4:3 you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on your passions.
James 4:15 You ought to say instead, "If the Lord is willing, then we will live and do this or that."
1 Corinthians 4:19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord is willing, and I will find out not only the talk of these arrogant people, but also their power.
Matthew 6:10 may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 26:42 He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will must be done."
(6) Failure to endure, fainting under pressure.
Luke 18:1 Then Jesus told them a parable to show them they should always pray and not lose heart.
1 Samuel 27:1-3 David thought to himself, "One of these days I'm going to be swept away by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of searching for me through all the territory of Israel and I will escape from his hand." 2 So David left and crossed over to King Achish son of Maoch of Gath accompanied by six hundred men. 3 David settled with Achish in Gath, along with his men and their families. David had with him his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the Carmelite, Nabal's widow.
Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait for the Lord's help find renewed strength; they rise up as if they had eagles' wings, they run without getting weary, they walk without getting tired.
(7) Wrong relations with people, an unforgiving spirit.
Mark 11:25-26 Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your sins."
(8) Pretentious praying, praying to impress people.
Matthew 6:5-8 "Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while standing in synagogues and on street corners so that people can see them. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. 7 When you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the Gentiles, because they think that by their many words they will be heard. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
(9) Religious zeal in the form of vain repetitions and cultic ritual.
Matthew 6:7 When you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the Gentiles, because they think that by their many words they will be heard.
1 Kings 18:26-29 So they took a bull, as he had suggested, and prepared it. They invoked the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, "Baal, answer us." But there was no sound and no answer. They jumped around on the altar they had made. 27 At noon Elijah mocked them, "Yell louder. After all, he is a god; he may be deep in thought, or perhaps he stepped out for a moment or has taken a trip. Perhaps he is sleeping and needs to be awakened." 28 So they yelled louder and, in accordance with their prescribed ritual, mutilated themselves with swords and spears until their bodies were covered with blood. 29 Throughout the afternoon they were in an ecstatic frenzy, but there was no sound, no answer, and no response.
Romans 10:2-3 For I can testify that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not in line with the truth. 3 For ignoring the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking instead to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to God's righteousness.
(10) Domestic breakdown in the home.
1 Peter 3:7
Husbands, in the same way, treat your wives with consideration as the weaker partners and show them honor as fellow heirs of the grace of life. In this way nothing will hinder your prayers.
