I am a pastor, songwriter and worship leader. Several years ago I recorded a set of songs based on The Lord’s Prayer for a CD called The Vigil. Along the way, I penned a short book by the same title journeying through each of the verses and reflecting on their application to my life and the life of the contemporary church.
The song “All I Need” corresponds to our plea for God to “give us this day, our daily bread.” But the real issue isn’t about food, it’s about what our heart desires—or rather Who our heart desires. Here are some thoughts…
God is our Father in heaven, the Lord and ruler over all that exists. The directions that Jesus gave us about material sufficiency stand in stark contrast to how we tend to desire things.
As Jesus taught us to pray concerning provision, he wanted his followers to understand that we would be asking God to provide those things necessary to fulfill his will for us while on earth.
He can supply anything needed to facilitate his plans regardless of the economic situations governing our family or nation. He has sufficient resources to accomplish everything he desires and has called us to participate with him in accomplishing.
There are no shortages, unbalanced budgets, or debt crises in his Kingdom. His coffers are self-sustaining and inexhaustible. That is His responsibility.
We, however, bear the weight of seeking and obeying his will. It is in that place where we often experience his unmerited favor and miraculous provision.
And while there are no limitations as to what he can do or provide we must also be careful to remember that God--in his inexhaustible qualities and abilities--is in no way indebted or bound to fulfill our personal whims, visions, or ideas. He is a loving, generous Father who blesses his children when and how he wants. However we should never think he is at our disposal to supply whatever we ask as though we were redeeming some sort of divine gift certificate when we recite a list of handpicked Bible passages. We owe him our lives, he saved us from certain destruction, and we are his servants, not the other way around.
For me, this passage translates as: “Father please supply my needs for today so that I am able to move forward with the mission and message of your Kingdom.” As we expect him to answer, we must ask ourselves:
- Are we positioned for him to provide our daily bread?
- Are we willing to be content with what he gives us to accomplish his will?
Over the years, our faith community has responded to God’s leading by starting an international ministry called Village2Village, where believers here make a difference in the lives of children there through Christian school programs in Uganda, El Salvador and Belize. Not only has God met our needs; but he is also meeting the needs of others as we steward his provision toward his redemptive mission.
The question is not whether God can supply our needs; but rather, are we in the will of God? Because if we are, he has unlimited resources available to accomplish it.
Craig Smith and his family live in Van Buren, AR where he has been a pastor and worship leader for more than three decades. Craig has recorded albums for Benson, StarSong and Hosanna Integrity. These days, proceeds from his music fund his mission outreach, www.village2village.co . “The Vigil” CD is available on iTunes and the PDF of the companion book is available for download free of charge to our Unlimited Members on the website.
