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A toast to Luke 11:1-4
Over breakfast this morning, I thought about today’s reading from the liturgy. It’s Luke 11:1-4, where Jesus teaches the disciples a short, simple prayer:
Abba God, hallowed by your Name!
May your reign come.
Give us today, tomorrow’s bread.
Forgive us our sins, for we too forgive everyone who sins against us;
and don’t let us be subjected to the Test.
I was having toast for breakfast (whole wheat), so the words “Give us today, tomorrow’s bread” seemed especially relevant.
To me, the words aren’t just a request for God to sustain me, but a statement of trust that God will sustain me. Do I believe that I already have today what’s needed for tomorrow? How can I believe this when I don’t know what tomorrow will bring?
This way of thinking can lead me to doubt. Ironically, it can also lead me to freedom! The reality is, I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. No one does. But I trust that when tomorrow gets here, I’ll do the best I can with what I have. And I trust that God can provide the rest.
What thoughts does this prayer raise for you?
P.S. On the Ask Sister podcast a couple of weeks ago, the A Nun’s Life community talked about other aspects of Jesus’ prayer, in the “God, a tempter?!” segment. Check out the conversation at Ask Sister episode 83.
Join A Nun’s Life Community for evening prayer and chat at 6 p.m. CST (your time zone) today at aNunsLife.org/live.
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{ 6 comments }
hey sr. max, this kind of faith is hard for me, and you hit the why of it on the head: the subtle difference between faith and trust.
i have never doubted the existence of god, not once, though, as i used to tell my students, i didn’t think “he” liked me very much. later i added that finally “she” and i had a long talk and now we get along way better (it wasn’t a gender issue, as supernatural beings have no gender; it was an accessibility issue).
i talk to god most of every day. and still, i have the hardest time trusting that god will take care of my needs. truly, max, so many of my needs have been unmet most of my life, this is a tough concept to grasp. does this mean i expect too much? or that god is deciding i do not need certain things, that i am mistaken in my definition of need?
this is very interesting. i pray daily for that easy trust so many seem to have with the creator. alas, my therapist tells me that our mothers are our models for god, and on that count i trust nothing but bad things. i pray still for a miracle in that respect.
Hi Marla, You make a great point re the subtle difference between faith and trust! We can have faith that God exists, but still wonder if God really can or does provide for our needs. At the same time, I find myself wondering if “faith and trust” is like the chicken and the egg — which comes first? Does faith lead to trust, or does trust lead to faith? You comment continues to be thought-provoking, my friend! Many thanks!
I so needed this post today Maxine! I was feeling a bit anxious with all the tests pre-cataract surgery. After all, they might find something really “bad”. Needed the reminder that no matter what happens, I’m not alone, and together, God and I will handle it.
Keeping you in prayer, Barbara, as you move toward surgery!
Actually faith is a huge issue, I know sometimes as human beings, we tend to be rushing. We want something and we want it right away. The point is, God really knows and understand each and everyones need. What i have realised is that, God is always trying to test our faith and trust.He want us to pray to him with no doubt, he doent wanna to be rashed. He wanna see if for real we are in need. To ilustrate, we can be praying for something but at that same time we are having doubting if God is really there listening to our petitions. By doing this, we are creating a bounder between God and us and as a mater of fact, God also keeps quiet cause he doest want be put torush or doubted. One good example in the Bible is Abrahim when it comes to trust and faith. God tested him by asking him to sacrifise his only begotten son Isaac and because Abraham trusted so much in God, he didnt even essited to do that and because of that act, God blessed him for the rest of his life because God saw that Abraham really trusted in Him.(Genesis 22:1-14) It is just the matter of having faith. We should learn to pray to God with all our heart and soul by knowing that He is there to listen to us. We should never loose hope in Him and and neither should we loose faith. Our God has no calender. The more we keep asking him and showing interest in Him, He will soon provide. The more we keep repeting what we want, the more He will realise that we want we are really in need. My sister Marla, trust in Him and while praying, remove all the doubts. Just trust in Him and you will see He hands upon him.
I really like your point that “our God has no calendar.” I confess that sometimes I wish God DID have a calendar and maybe a clock set to U.S. central time…. That’s where, for me, patience is a part of faith and of hope. Many thanks for your comments, Nicole!