364-The Lord's Prayer Series 5-Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread#
364-Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
(JP Text Group - Shalom Organization)
Dear family, peace in the Lord, welcome to your arrival. Today we continue to share the Lord's Prayer series.
Sharing the fifth talk of the Lord's Prayer: Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
Matthew 6:9-13
9 Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored. 10 May your kingdom come; may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever. Amen!
Let us first pray together:
Heavenly Father, thank you and praise you! On this wonderful Sunday, we begin our worship and listening. We receive supply and strength from your word, and the daily bread we need will be given to us every day, allowing us to live without pressure. Let us find freedom in the truth and cast our burdens on the Lord Jesus. You will grant us rest and renew our minds through the truth. The Holy Spirit also helps every brother and sister who seeks you, so that they can receive your supply. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.
Today's topic is: Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
After we believe in the Lord, we do not live in a vacuum; we still live on earth. Although we belong to the heavenly nation, we live on earth now, and we inevitably encounter issues of food and clothing, which are very practical. Our God has also thought of our needs, and when we have needs, we can pray to Him.
When you have worries and concerns in your heart, you can pray to Him. He gives you the promise: the daily bread you need will be given to you every day. The Lord Jesus, in teaching us to pray, cares about our daily needs. Food is a concern for everyone, but the Lord Jesus does not want us to worry about these things. He says He will surely give us what we need for the day. When we wholeheartedly follow the Lord Jesus, rest assured, He will take care of everything for us.
Sharing the first point: Do not worry about food and drink; He is the provider
Matthew 6:24-26:
24 No one can serve two masters; either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money (money means wealth). 25 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
After we believe in the Lord, we wholeheartedly trust Him. We pray about everything, and He will surely guide our path ahead. We cannot believe in the Lord and then try to grasp the world by ourselves. As Jesus said: a person cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve two masters at the same time; it will never be balanced. You will either hate one or love the other, or you will be devoted to one and despise the other. So Jesus tells us to follow Him wholeheartedly and not to worry about other things. We cannot follow Jesus while worrying about what to eat, drink, or wear.
I know many people, especially those in full-time ministry, start to worry about what to do for their future, how to provide for their food and drink. Many people, while serving, still think about grabbing wealth, which goes back to what Jesus said: you cannot serve two masters. What is Jesus' answer to us?
Verse 25: Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.
Eating, drinking, and clothing are our basic needs, and they are essential; our God knows this. Imagine a situation where you prepare everything for a child before they are born, including food and clothing. If the child is born and immediately worries about whether there is milk to drink or clothes to wear, that is unnecessary. If He allows you to be born, He will surely prepare for you. After we belong to Jesus, God's power is great; He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. The Lord who created the universe and everything in it, now that you belong to Him, He will supply all your needs.
Is not life more than food? Which is more important, life or food? Life is more important than eating and drinking. Since God can give you His life, the issue of food and drink is too easy for our God. He can save your life and will surely take responsibility for your food. God does not want us to worry about food and drink.
Reading Matthew 6, you will find a central theme: Do not worry. This is what the Lord Jesus repeatedly tells those who listened to Him preach at that time. He knows we have many reasonable reasons to feel pressure. We live in a real world and inevitably have to worry about practical issues of what to eat, drink, and wear. Our heavenly Father knows we need these things, but even if we have such needs, He does not want us to worry. He wants us to let go of these worries and pray to Him.
When you pray to God, you acknowledge that He is your Lord, that He has the ability and willingness to help you. Prayer should not become a burden! It is because you know He loves you, so you call out to Him, telling Him your worries, your pressures, and your concerns. When we worry, we are putting these burdens on ourselves; when we turn these burdens into complaints and constantly tell those around us, we are putting this burden on them, and they may not be able to bear it.
God gives us an effective way: when you have worries and concerns inside, please pray to our heavenly Father, because carrying them yourself is of no benefit. When we have pressure and problems and pray to God, you are saying: Father, I know you care for everything about me. By telling you my pressure and problems, you will surely solve my issues.
What is the center of your life now? Is it holding onto your worries, or is it praying to God to release your worries? Learn to release the pressures and anxieties in your life. Learn to let go because He cares for you. Tell Him your worries because He has promises in this regard. When you tell God about this problem, you are placing it in the hands of the Father who can solve it and loves you. He will digest the problem and give you the best answer, allowing you to live without pressure.
Look at a verse, Matthew 6:26: Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
In this verse, Jesus does not want us to worry about what to eat, drink, or wear. He wants to tell you: your life and your body are more important than food and drink. If God takes care of and supplies everything for the birds, how much more will He take care of the issues you need in life? So do not live with pressure; do not live with worry. The preaching of the Lord Jesus illustrates the problem well because too many people carry heavy burdens and walk forward, feeling more and more pressure, leading to the common occurrences of depression, anxiety, etc. These are all caused by pressure.
Imagine the Lord Jesus facing this large crowd; He must have been smiling while preaching. At this moment, birds flew over their heads, and Jesus pointed to the birds and said: Look at the birds of the air. What are the birds of the air?
What is the difference between flying birds and birds in a nest? Flying birds are completely different from those in a nest. Flying birds represent those searching for food, and they are not worried while searching. But too many people are busy and worried at the same time. Some people argue that since God cares for all the birds, why are there still some birds that starve to death? Brothers and sisters, please remember, birds that often fly out to find food hardly ever starve; except for the lazy ones! They are the ones that refuse to move and die last! They do not count.
As long as you believe in the Father's provision and are willing to seek and work, you will not starve. But too many people are too busy, flying all day without letting themselves stop, causing their hearts to have no rest. How many people can truly stop and observe the world around them? Too many people drive fast; they pursue higher efficiency to accomplish goals and various achievements; they eat fast food, but human anxiety increases.
I hope everyone can take a little time to stop and observe the birds around you. You can take a walk in the park on the weekend, watch those birds soaring in the sky, singing in the trees, and see how free and carefree they are! Since Jesus tells us to look at these flying birds, find a time to see how these birds show us what a carefree life looks like. Our savings and stored food must be more than the birds, but our pressure is too great.
Flying birds do not sow, do not reap, and do not store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? In the wild, you rarely see birds starving because the Father provides for them; the food chain is always there. But only when birds are kept in cages and neglected by people will they starve. Recently, I saw a news report about an abandoned zoo where a marine aquarium was left abandoned due to mismanagement, and a dolphin was forgotten in the swimming pool. That dolphin could not survive there and died.
Have you ever thought about this? If that dolphin were in the ocean, it would not have died, right? Brothers and sisters, birds will only starve if they are kept in cages and neglected by people because people cannot constantly supply and care for them. If they are placed in nature, there is certainly someone who cares for and supplies them, and that is our God. Amen.
Now think again, who is it that catches these birds and keeps them in cages? The bird catchers. You can understand the bird catchers as those who use traps and temptations to catch these birds and put them in cages. Why am I telling you all this? Many times we are tempted by the world and caught in the traps of the enemy because the devil tells you that you must work harder and do more jobs; otherwise, life will not be good, families will not be happy, and marriages will not be fulfilling.
Many people have this notion that they must keep working, keep doing, so they do not have rest because they feel that this is the only way life can get better. Life may improve a little, but the heart is filled with pressure, anxiety, and worries, and they are bound by these things, just like birds trapped in cages.
The devil knows what you worry about, and this will prevent God's grace from flowing. Therefore, the devil hopes you will get busy, busy enough to forget who you are, busy enough not to have time to spend with family, not to have time to spend with children, and not to have time to stop and take a walk to let your heart rest. When you keep working, the devil knows this will fill you with troubles.
Too many people dare not stop because once they stop, too many things will be lost, so they keep working and ensure that their bodies cannot have any problems. Brothers and sisters, this is actually a lie because they do not know the Father's provision. It must be understood that worry, pressure, and anxiety can lead to poor health; this is not faith, and it will cause people to fail. What God gives us is faith, victory, abundance, grace, and success, which is completely different from the concept of worry and pressure that the devil conveys. I encourage everyone to read Psalm 91; during this time, Psalm 91 has been applied by many people, and I want to give you a new perspective.
Psalm 91:1-4:
1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." 3 Surely He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings, you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
In times of danger, know that God is our protection. God will deliver us from all kinds of problems; He is our shield, our fortress, and our trust. But there is an even more important message in this passage: in Psalm 91, the first promise God gives us is: He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler.
God promises to deliver us from the snare of the fowler. If this has nothing to do with us and is meant for birds, there would be no need to write it in the Bible; it must be for us. He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler. Who is the fowler? The devil's schemes, the attacks around us, the influences of the environment; these bind us like a cage, preventing us from flying out! We have dreams, but we cannot get out! If there is no provision, we will worry, we will be anxious, and we may even feel like we are going to die. But God says He will save you from these things, allowing you to see His provision.
Dear family, if you still feel defeated and under heavy pressure, I encourage you to look at Psalm 91. Please remember, he who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. He is your helper, the Most High; you should return to His secret place, not back into the cage!
Today you should declare: The Lord is my refuge, my fortress; I acknowledge Him as my God, my provider for everything today; I believe in Him. This way, you are returning to His protection, which is better.
Birds live in nature, and they hope to soar! This is good for birds.
Binding ourselves brings too much pressure, which we cannot bear. You should dwell in the secret place of the Most High, where there are God's promises; He will supply you with everything! Starting today, learn to tell our heavenly Father about your pressures and burdens. You say: Lord, I am now bound by my mortgage and car loan; please give me wisdom to be free from these, Amen.
To get out of these problems and worries, first, do not let your heart be bound by them. Do not feel that the problems cannot be solved. Do not think that if the world leaves you, it cannot turn. You must hand the problems over to our Lord; you acknowledge that He is the Lord of the world! Without our God, the world really cannot turn; without Him, we truly lose hope. You are watched over by the Most High; dwelling in the secret place of the Most High, you will soar freely like a bird in the sky. You will see the food provided by God and no longer worry about food. Amen.
Let’s look again at the verse we just read, Matthew 6:26: Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow, do not reap, and do not store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
What is being emphasized? The Lord Jesus is telling us how birds live. They do not sow, but we sow; they do not reap, but we reap; birds do not store too much in barns, but our barns are full, yet we cannot live freely like birds. Of course, everyone must not misunderstand; this does not mean we should all quit our jobs, spend irrationally, or not have some savings in the bank. No! What I am saying is, do not let your heart be bound by these things. Amen.
We can work, we can spend, and we can even store food in barns; these are not issues. The problem is, do not let your heart be filled with worry while doing these things. God will give you your daily bread. Amen. Everyone must not go to extremes and say, "I know the Father will provide for me, so starting tomorrow, I will do nothing…"
Because indeed, some people convey such messages, saying that since everything is accomplished on the cross, we do not need to work, do not need to save money, because God will supply every day… You will find that such people become poorer and poorer; they are not birds; they are birds in the nest, and they will starve. Amen.
Proverbs 10:4 says: Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.
Do not be lazy; work diligently. Please remember that diligent work is not the law, but when you work diligently, do not carry worries or pressure. Because believing that the Father is your provider, He will surely bless all that you do. The Bible also says that whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might. What does this mean? It means to find ways to do things well, but not with worry and pressure. Instead, pray to the Lord to give you wisdom on how to do things best. Enjoy working rather than suffering through each day.
Everyone should read Ecclesiastes 9:10: Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.
This is our duty. Like birds, when they are hungry, they flap their wings and fly to find the food that the Father has prepared! Hallelujah. Our daily work is like birds going out to find food; it is to enjoy it. You can imagine that when birds are looking for food, they are also appreciating God's creation. Can we adjust our thinking? Do not treat work as a burden, worry, or pressure; enjoy it.
The skill that God has given you, when you use it, is enjoying the joy and peace that God wants to give you. You should rely on His wisdom. Amen. Relying on God's wisdom, as a good steward of finances, spend with a plan, do not exceed what you earn, clear credit card debts, and treat others generously and cautiously.
Of course, this does not mean you should not plan for tomorrow. God does not want us to worry about tomorrow; you can live each day without pressure. Rest assured, God always has a way out for you. God wants you to focus on your profession, but He does not want you to be overwhelmed by it. Even if you are serving in the church, do not treat it as a burden, saying, "Lord, what should I preach today? I did not sleep last night and do not know what to say!" That becomes a burden! Amen.
Remember, your provision does not come from the earth, nor is it produced under pressure; your provision comes from the Father. God can provide for birds, and He will surely provide abundantly for you. Whenever there is worry and pressure, turn your head to our heavenly Father and pray. Amen.
Once, after Jesus finished preaching, everyone had not eaten all day, and the disciples were a bit anxious, saying, "Teacher, stop talking! Quickly send everyone home! This is the wilderness, and there is no food." Jesus said, "You give them something to eat!" The disciples were in a dilemma, not knowing what to do. There were five thousand men, not counting women and children; what should they do?
At this time, a little child said, "I have five loaves and two fish." Jesus said, "Bring them to me." Jesus did not think this was small, nor did He worry about food and drink. He took the five loaves and two fish, looked up to heaven, and gave thanks. Do you know that looking up to heaven and giving thanks is a prayer? If we took these five loaves and two fish, we would say, "How can this feed so many people?"
Many times, we have different focuses when looking at problems. We see pressure and lack because we do not see the Father's power. What Jesus did on earth was to show us how to act, how to rely on the Father; He is our example. Amen. I do not want everyone to live each day with worries, especially about what to eat, drink, or wear. Our heavenly Father will surely supply you. He can provide for the birds, let alone you, who are much more valuable than they! So do not worry, my dear family.
Sharing the second point: What we need today, He will provide for us
First, let’s look at a passage, Matthew 6:27-34:
27 "Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28 And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
This passage is one that I hope everyone often meditates on, especially those under work pressure or economic pressure, or those who have many worries. Please meditate on this passage: Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? What does this mean? Can worrying make us taller? Can worrying add a little to our lifespan? The answer is clear: no. Since it cannot, do not do these things; do not do meaningless things.
Some people say they have pressure. When there is pressure, do not worry; pray to God; this is the way out. Amen. Do not worry about what to eat, drink, or wear. When you have pressure and worries, tell our heavenly Father; this is much better than worrying by yourself. Everyone has pressure, but if the pressure is not released, it will accumulate in our bodies and affect our health.
In today's rapidly developing society, mental health issues are becoming more serious, and many people's physical conditions are deteriorating. What is the reason? It is caused by pressure. It must be released! Praying to God is a way to release it. Why worry about clothes? God tells us about the flowers of the field. Why mention the flowers of the field? Because no one goes to those places; in people's eyes, why bother making them so beautiful? When we decorate our homes, we usually make the most prominent places extremely luxurious, while no one goes to or cares for the less visible areas.
But God is not like that. God created this nature; sometimes, when we go to very remote places, we find that they are also beautifully decorated by God. This is God's provision. Jesus speaks these words to tell us: Do not lose faith, do not worry, and do not be anxious! If God can take care of nature, He will certainly take care of everything for you! Hallelujah! So do not worry; your heavenly Father knows everything you need.
Some say He knows, but I still have lack! This indicates that at this moment, you already have worries in your heart and need to pray to God. Tell your worries and problems to the Father, and also find the promises that the Father gives you in the Bible. Keep praying until this pressure is released, and you no longer worry about this matter. This means that God has already answered your prayer, and you have already received it. God has prepared everything; you just need to take it! Amen. This is what God hopes for us: to pray to Him about everything.
Everyone must not treat prayer as a task; it is not a Christian duty but a form of intimacy! Amen. Do not say, "I cannot pray." It is just like chatting with a good friend; whatever you need, whether it is gratitude or requests, you can talk to Him. There is nothing to worry about. It is like a child talking to their parents; you cannot say you cannot do it! Many times, we are afraid of saying the wrong thing, afraid that God will be unhappy after we speak. I can assure you, do not worry; it does not matter if you say the wrong thing. Our heavenly Father knows what you truly need. He will give us our daily bread. Amen.
Living under pressure, many people feel insecure, thinking that having a lot of savings in their accounts will give them peace of mind; they think that being able to hold onto some things tightly will give them security. So they desperately save money, buy houses, buy cars, and various material possessions, thinking that having these things will give them security. They work hard to save and grab, wasting their lives on these things, not realizing they are storing up everything for others.
Ecclesiastes 2:22-24:
22 What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? 23 All their days, their work is grief and pain; even at night, their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless. 24 A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God.
Ecclesiastes can open many people's hearts and help them let go of these worries. The preacher tells us that people labor under the sun and what do they gain? Daily worries turn their labor into grief, and at night, they cannot rest, leading to insomnia. In Solomon's time, it was already said that if you live in worry, you will have insomnia at night. Today, many people ask how to solve their insomnia problems. Many people are just overwhelmed with too much pressure that they cannot release. I tell these people, please listen to my sermon in order. When you understand how much Jesus loves you and that the Father provides for you, you will receive it, and you will sleep well at night.
Sometimes we worry about our health, sometimes about family, sometimes about this and that, and in the end, we cannot sleep. What should we do? Here God tells us to pray to Him. Amen. What is our blessing? To enjoy blessings in our labor; this is God's hand supplying us. Hallelujah. God does not want us to be busy without rest; He wants to give us what we need today every day, not letting us worry about tomorrow. Hallelujah. Let’s look at a passage about what happened to the Israelites.
Exodus 16:1-5:
1 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. 2 In the desert, the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted; but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death!" 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way, I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day, they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days."
After the Israelites followed Moses out of Egypt, they faced very real issues: what to eat, drink, and wear. Let’s not forget, looking around, there was no supply in the wilderness; trying hard would not help. Can you grow crops in the desert? Dig a well? That is unrealistic! In such an environment, the people lost hope, felt pressure, and began to complain. They said, "If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted. Now you have brought us out here to starve!" Did God not know they would be hungry when He led them out of Egypt?
The behavior of the Israelites is also the behavior of many people. When they are hungry, they do not pray to God but complain to their leaders: "Why does God let such things happen to me? Why does He not provide for me? Does He want me to starve?" God never said He wanted to starve these people; it was their own thoughts, the result of pressure.
I do not want everyone to complain when facing pressure; instead, bring these to God in prayer: "Lord! I need food now; please provide for me!" What did God say to Moses? "I will rain down bread from heaven for you!" It is clear that God knows their needs! They just need to pray to God, and God says, "Okay, I will give you bread from heaven. You do not need to plant; the people can go out and gather enough for each day."
Why does God do it this way? Wouldn't it be better to rain down more? If He rained down wheat, couldn't they gather a lot? On the sixth day, they could gather double; this is God's provision for them. My question is, why does God not provide a week's or a year's worth of food at once? We always hope to have food stored in barns for safety and peace of mind, so we do not worry. But God's blessings do not seem to work that way.
What you need today, He provides for you today, as if He only gives you enough for that day. We are not satisfied; we say, "Lord, give me a month's worth; give me a year's worth!" God does not work that way. If we always want more, it leads to greed. In fact, God's provision is to live well today. God will provide what you need today; pray to God for what you need today, and then do your duty. God will surely give it to you.
Do not worry about what will happen in ten years or fifty years. Tomorrow, God will naturally provide for tomorrow. Hallelujah! Just like today, many people worry that they must make their children study hard, saying, "You must study hard; otherwise, you will not be able to support yourself in the future. Look how hard it is to live in this world!" You are passing your worries and pressures onto your children. Do you know that twenty or thirty years from now, in that era, God will provide the skills they need, and they will surely survive? We only need to tell them to rely on God and pray to Him about everything. God provided the daily food for the Israelites, but they needed to gather it early.
Let’s look at this passage, Exodus 16:16-21:
16 This is what the Lord has commanded: Everyone is to gather as much as they need; take an omer for each person you have in your tent." 17 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 18 And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed. 19 Then Moses said to them, "No one is to keep any of it until morning." 20 However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them. 21 Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away.
I believe many people have read this passage many times. I want to give you a new perspective: God only provided the food that the Israelites needed for that day. Some wanted to store it for the next day, but it became infested with maggots and spoiled because God did not allow it to be kept until morning. This was God's test to see if they would trust in His provision. We often struggle to believe in God's provision, and we particularly want to store things for tomorrow or ten years later, only to find that many things cannot be used.
The older generation often has the habit of storing things. When things are worn out or old, they are reluctant to throw them away, and the house is filled with old items. Throwing them away is hard; new things cannot come in, leaving us in a dilemma!
Brothers and sisters, do you see what God’s provision for the Israelites was? Do not keep it until morning! Gather as much as you need, according to your portion, and it must be gathered before the sun rises. This teaches all Christians not to be lazy but to work hard. No matter how great your faith is, if you say, "I believe God will provide today," but you sleep until the sun rises, will you go out to gather manna? Sorry, it will have disappeared completely! So the lazy will surely become poor, even under the New Testament; this principle has not changed.
What do we believe? We believe that God has already sent down the blessings we need today. Get up in the morning, joyfully and happily work, and enjoy the blessings God gives you. Hallelujah! God wants us to be diligent workers. We have rest; we work with God's rest, so believe that God has prepared everything you need.
Let’s continue to look at Exodus 16:22-27:
22 On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much, two omers for each person. The leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. 23 He said to them, "This is what the Lord commanded: Tomorrow will be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning." 24 So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. 25 "Eat it today," Moses said, "because today is a sabbath to the Lord. You will not find any of it on the ground today. 26 Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any." 27 Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none.
What do you see? God blessed them by saying that on the sixth day, they could gather double, and the next day it would not spoil or get maggots. God knows and provides the laws to supply us with everything. Why did He give them double blessings on the sixth day? Because the seventh day is the holy Sabbath, and He does not want them to work but to worship God on that day, allowing their bodies to rest. This is why we should stop our work on Sundays to worship God in church, allowing our spirits to receive nourishment and our hearts to regain rest and strength. Otherwise, if we keep working, our hearts will become restless and pressured.
However, when God was training the people, some of the Israelites still did not listen. On the seventh day, some went out to look for food. Why? They did not believe in God's provision, and as a result, they found nothing! Brothers and sisters, we need to live in God's rest and provision. As long as we live according to His words, you will surely be blessed.
God tested the Israelites to see if they would listen to His words because this was much more comfortable than the days they had in Egypt, where they worked without rest. But they had worries in their hearts and could not stop, still going out to work on the Sabbath. God said this is a day of rest; I hope you do not go out to work today but enjoy rest in My presence. This is a worry-free life. Living according to God's words and believing that God provides every day will eliminate your worries, and your actions will change accordingly. Amen.
For example, when some bad things happen, such as famine, war, or plague in certain areas, people start to hoard food. Why? It is because they do not know God and do not believe in His provision. They think that doing this is planning for the future! But do you know? When people do this, it actually causes unnecessary panic and trouble. I want to tell everyone that God provides for us all. Hallelujah!
God told the Israelites, "For six days, I will provide you with double blessings; on the seventh day, you should not go out; you should enjoy rest in My presence!" I hope everyone can receive this message: What you need today, He provides for you today!
Finally, let’s look at a passage, 1 Peter 5:7-11:
7 Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. 8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. 11 To Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
When your heart is filled with worries and you do not cast them on God, it is easy to fall into the devil's trap! You can easily become a target for the devil to devour! The more worries you have, the more pressure you have, and the devil can condemn you, give you negative thoughts, and lead you down the wrong path. What should you do? When you have pressure and worries, when you feel anxious about what to eat, drink, or wear, or when you start to worry about your work and family, what should you do? You must cast all your worries on God, returning to His words. The more difficult it is, the more anxious you feel, the more you need to listen to the word; the less rest you have, the more pressure you feel, the more you need to gather, to listen to the word because this is your solution and the channel through which you can cast your worries on God.
If things are already very bad, and you do not go to church, saying you do not have time to go, then you do not go; if you do not have time to listen to the word, you do not listen; if you do not have time for spiritual practice, you do not practice, your worries will only increase, and your pressure will only grow. How can you release it? The busier you are, the more problems you have, the more time you need to spend on God's words. This way, you can cast your worries on Him. In the process of listening to the word, you will know that the Father loves you, and you can cast your worries on Him. Hallelujah!
Otherwise, it is easy to fall into the devil's trap, binding yourself just like a bird trapped in a cage! The devil cannot eat everyone; he is looking for those who can be eaten, and these people have a common characteristic: they are filled with worries, filled with pressure, and overwhelmed by negative emotions.
You must resist him with firm faith. How can you develop firm faith? You must believe that our heavenly Father has already prepared your daily bread. Do not worry about tomorrow; know that Jesus has accomplished all blessings for you on the cross, and salvation has already been given to you. He can not only save your life but also save you in all aspects of life. You know He loves you and is willing to care for you, so do not fall into the devil's trap. Do not always live in worry. Hallelujah!
We know that for many people, this feels like a struggle. When you are worried, reading the Bible, listening to sermons, and attending gatherings can feel very difficult. You can understand it as suffering, but remember, when you go, you are receiving strength and blessings from God. Know that our God is the God of all grace. Wherever you have problems, God will have grace in that area. Amen.
Our Lord has called you in Christ, not to create more worries and pressures for you, but to let you enjoy His eternal glory. No matter what your current problems are, whether they are financial, family, or health issues, please cast your worries on our heavenly Father. Remember, He cares for you. He can take care of the birds in the world, and He will surely take care of you because you are much more valuable than the birds. He will give you strength, so come before Him, through listening to the word, reading the Bible, and praying, to receive this strength! Hallelujah!
Let God's words be the beginning of your strength this week! Every day when you wake up, read a passage of God's word. You can listen to our Daily Grace Point; it only takes two to three minutes to finish. Keep these truths in your heart and live each day with the truth, believing that our heavenly Father has already prepared everything you need. In His rest, you will have more strength. Hallelujah!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, thank you and praise you! Thank you for supplying us with such words! You teach us how to pray and also tell us why we should pray. You have prepared everything we need, and you do not want us to worry about tomorrow. You hope we live well today and enjoy and observe the various graces you have prepared for us today.
We are willing to start this week with your words and also to start this new day with your words. In your words, I will no longer worry; you are my provider. You will surely give me my daily bread today. Hallelujah!
You are my heavenly Father, my provider; I will no longer worry about these things. Please give me wisdom to enjoy this work, not as pressure or worry. You also give me love so that I can love those around me, not with bitterness.
Please grant me the wisdom I need; please supply me with everything I need for life, and bless me through what I do. I am a person loved by you, and what I touch will also be blessed. You will bless all the work of my hands, allowing me to see your glory in what I do. Thank you and praise you; I am a blessed vessel! Everyone who interacts with me will receive the abundant grace of Jesus Christ. Thank you and praise you; all glory belongs to you. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.