Give Us This Day

Jesus taught us to pray, "Give us this day...our daily bread."  We all say yeah yeah, like He gave them manna in the wilderness one day at a time.  We pray it like we agree.

But I don't function like that.  I like five year plans.  I'll even take a six month plan.  I never do day to day...not even with meals.  I plan for the week, buy groceries according to the plan, post the meals on the refrigerator.  My sister on the other hand would suddenly look up about 5 p.m. and say something like, "Oh my goodness, it's 5:00.  Are ya'll hungry?  What should we have for dinner?  Maybe I need to go to the store."  I would stand there incredulous.  Surely I was adopted.

We all quote Psalm 119:105 ... "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."  We know it, we sing it, we have plaques with it written in script.  But when you think about it, we don't actually do....it ....because a lamp lights up a little bitty area right in front of my feet so I'll know where I'm supposed to take the next .... step.  He did not say His word was flood lights.  His word is a lamp.  Like one you hold in your hand.  That lights up just enough so you stay on the.... path.  The path He's put you on.

Give us .... this day.  

If His word is the lamp and it's lighting up one day at a time, then it's imperative that I be in the word....every day, right?   And that I anticipate Him talking to me...telling me if I need to change directions or change my attitude or make a decision that will affect tomorrow.  So I need to be in the word, anticipating HIs voice and listening.  Then I need to obey.  Cut/dried.

My latest test of this principle involved my elderly parents.  My dad had Alzheimer's.  My mom was having terrible headaches that immobilized her so she could not care for herself much less my dad.  To anticipate both needing long term care blew us away because of the tremendous cost.  My dad needed someone with him.  My mom was not getting better...we were going from doctor to doctor.  Any plans I made one day were shot down the next.  

A few years before, a cousin had come to visit.  We ended up alone in my living room and I'm sure the reason was...to be sure I heard him.  I can tell you where he was sitting when he said this...I can see it in my mind's eye because it's come back to me often...it came back to me clearly with my parents.  "Mary Ann, we're to do only what God tells us to do today.  It may affect tomorrow....but we're only to do whatever it is He tells us to do, today."

Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise. They murmured in their tents, and did not obey the voice of the Lord. (Psalm 106:24, 25 ESV)

The people refused to enter the pleasant land, for they wouldn’t believe his promise to care for them. Instead, they grumbled in their tents and refused to obey the Lord. 

(Psalms 106:24, 25 NLT)

Both translations are remarkable.  I walk by faith and not by sight.  (2 Cor 5:7)  I walk by faith in the small ring of light He has given me today.   I take steps today because I know I don't need to see tomorrow...He sees it and will clearly tell me if I need to do anything about it...today.    I believe His promise to care for me.  I will not grumble and refuse to obey.  I will walk in the light given today.  

What a tremendous burden this lifts.  My daughter in law recently visited and I shared this with her.  They are living temporarily in an apartment, until one opens up in the city in their price range.  They have two months to look.  Huge city.  Incredibly expensive. 

There's absolutely no doubt God put them where they are now because of the way things happened that they could not possibly have orchestrated.  But they are on hold until  the next apartment is revealed.  So she can wait in angst or wait in peace.  If she is perfectly assured that God will tell her today what she needs to do today and that He cares for them and as their Good Shepherd will provide all they need, then she waits in peace.  She knows  He is a faithful God not only because of what she reads in the word, but because of all He's done for them in the past.    If she is not assured of any of that, she waits in angst. 

Stay in the Word.  Listen to His voice.  Do exactly what He says.  Take a deep breath.  Rest in peace, safe in His love.