Give us this day our daily bread.

— Matthew 6:11

It is often easy to make our prayers just one “Gimme, Gimme” after another. Give me good health. Give me a new car. Give me a new house. Give me a new spouse. Give me more money.

Some people spend much of their time simply making demands of God, as if He were their personal genie.

It is not wrong to ask God for what we need. The prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread,” encourages us to bring our supplications to Him. But there should be a balance in our prayers. Praise, thanksgiving, adoration, and gratitude will help put our needs into perspective. Pray with confidence to our Father who has promised to provide everything we need. At the same time, remember who He is, and remember the needs of other people as well. In Nehemiah, he commands the Jews, “Go your way. Eat the fat, drink the sweet drink, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared” (8:10).

Question to ponder:
How can we seek God’s face rather than His hand?