Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“He said to them, ‘When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
And do not bring us to the time of trial.’”
NL Daily Devotion for Sunday, August 30, 2020
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: God provides for humanity’s daily needs, even as the world fights to deprive many people of their basic needs.
Many of us already have an understanding that the “daily bread” we request of God in the Lord’s Prayer means more than simply bread. It is a plea that God provide for all our needs. The challenge comes in determining what are our needs, and what are our wants.
There are days I am absolutely sure I need my cell phone. I’ll go back to the house if I’ve forgotten it (which rarely happens, as it is attached to me 24/7). I have a mini panic- attack when I know I’m out in the world without it. What if I need to make a call if my car breaks down? How will I find the way without my GPS? How will I pay for my breakfast?
Ok, I can see how my cell phone is really a functioning object of my desire to make my life simpler (and waiting in lines less boring). But there are so many more things that are not as clear as this. What do we truly need? Food, clothing, shelter. Yes. Relationships and love? Yes. Self- actualization? That’s tougher, isn’t it? Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs suggests that physiological needs, safety, love, esteem, and yes, self-actualization are all critical to human well-being.
What humans don’t need are cell phones, cars, computers, bling—you get the idea. That doesn’t mean these things are evil or unnecessary for daily functioning in our culture. It does mean that those are not the things God cares most about. God desires that we look outward at the needs of others more than we look inward at our own desires. When we pray for the needs—true needs—of humanity, we can actually become less dependent on the things of our desire. God responds and acts through us as we begin to provide for others the things that all humans need to survive.
There’s no doubt there are many people in the world who go without basic needs. (And many of us who have lots of stuff still lack for love and self-esteem. Perhaps everyone is in need of something.) This doesn’t mean God doesn’t provide. It means our world is broken. God does provide, and at the same time the world works against God to deprive people of the things they need. This planet holds everything humanity needs to survive, even though it has been made inaccessible to many. We can respond by actively working against those agents that fight against God.
Mothering God who feeds us all . . . open my heart and guide my mind to give to those who hunger. Amen.
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