December 5, 2022 – Our Daily Bread Devotional || ODB for Monday
Read December 5, 2022 – Our Daily Bread Devotional || ODB for Monday
READ MONDAY ODB DEVOTIONAL, OUR DAILY BREAD 5TH DECEMBER 2022 WRITTEN BY GLENN PACKIAM (OUR DAILY BREAD MINISTRIES)
TOPIC: Daily Dependence
KEY VERSE: Give us today our daily bread. Matthew 6:11
BIBLE IN ONE YAER: Daniel 1–2; 1 John 4
SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: Matthew 6:6–13
6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come, your will be done,on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
READ: December 4, 2022 – Our Daily Bread Devotional || ODB for Sunday
December 5, 2022 – Our Daily Bread Devotional INSIGHT
Some Bible versions translate “babbling” (Matthew 6:7) as “vain repetitions” (kjv, nkjv) or “empty phrases” (esv), which means to repeat the same words over and over again as the gentiles (non-Jews) did. They did so to be noticed and to be viewed as righteous or pious. This calls to mind the prophets of Baal who called on their god “from morning till noon” but with “no response” (1 Kings 18:26). Jesus wasn’t condemning public prayer but prohibiting mindless, mechanical repetition. The hypocrites (Pharisees and others) proudly prayed like this “in the synagogues and on the street corners” (Matthew 6:5) so that people would see them. But while on earth, Jesus “offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission” (Hebrews 5:7). Unlike the ungodly prayers of the hypocrites, “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).
READ ALSO: December 3, 2022 – Our Daily Bread Devotional || ODB for Saturday
December 5, 2022 – Our Daily Bread Devotional MESSAGE
One morning our younger kids decided to get up early and fix breakfast for themselves. Tired from a grueling week, my wife and I were trying to sleep until at least 7:00 a.m. on that Saturday morning. Suddenly, I heard a loud crash! I jumped out of bed and raced downstairs to find a shattered bowl, oatmeal all over the floor, and Jonas—our five-year-old—desperately trying to sweep (more like smear) the gooey mess off the floor. My children were hungry, but they chose not to ask for help. Instead of reaching out in dependence, they chose independence, and the result was definitely not a culinary delight.
In human terms, children are meant to grow from dependence to independence. But in our relationship with God, maturity means moving from independence to dependence on Him. Prayer is where we practice such dependent ways. When Jesus taught His disciples—and all of us who have come to believe in Him—to pray, “Give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11), He was teaching a prayer of dependence. Bread is a metaphor for sustenance, deliverance, and guidance (vv. 11–13). We’re dependent on God for all that and more.
There are no self-made believers in Jesus, and we’ll never graduate from His grace. Throughout our lives, may we always begin our day by taking the posture of dependence as we pray to “our Father in heaven” (v. 9).
REFLECT AND PRAY
What’s the “bread” you’re praying for today? How do you reveal your trust in God as you call out to Him?
Dear Jesus, You’re my Creator and my Sustainer. Please help me to trust in You.
ALSO, READ December 2, 2022 – Our Daily Bread Devotional || ODB for Friday
Our Daily Bread Devotional 5th December 2022 || ODB Today Message . Our Daily Bread Ministries (ODB) is a Christian organization founded by Dr. Martin De Haan in 1938. It is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with over 600 employees. It produces several devotional publications, including Our Daily Bread. our daily bread booklet