May 30 Devotion - The Lord's Prayer -Give us this day our daily bread

As believers we have the great privilege through Jesus Christ to pray directly to God the Father, and should be living in a daily and constant dependence on God’s provision.

Jesus said:

“It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

«مَكْتُوبٌ: لَيْسَ بِالْخُبْزِ وَحْدَهُ يَحْيَا الإِنْسَانُ، بَلْ بِكُلِّ كَلِمَةٍ تَخْرُجُ مِنْ فَمِ اللهِ»

Matthew 4:4

We are to ask for our daily bread and more importantly have daily sustenance on The Word of God as our Bread of Life. There is nothing wrong with praying for our daily needs but Jesus did not say to pray for tomorrow’s bread but only for today’s because He said “Give us each day our daily bread.”  Nothing is said about tomorrow’s bread. Just like the manna that came down from heaven each day.

Jesus also said:

 Seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 

أَمَّا أَنْتُمْ، فَاطْلُبُوا أَوَّلاً مَلَكُوتَ اللهِ وَبِرِّهِ، وَهَذِهِ كُلُّهَا تُزَادُ لَكُمْ.

Matthew 6:33

Even though there is nothing wrong with praying for many things, we need to keep things in perspective, that whatever we need or want may be given to us but we need to first seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and Your unfailing, deep, everlasting, and inseparable love. Help me Lord to read and meditate on Your Word daily and to feel connected to and dependent upon You daily. LORD, I pray that out of Your glorious riches You strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can seek first Your Kingdom and righteousness before all my needs and wants. God I praise You, revere You, worship You, I stand in awe of You, and glorify Your Holy Name. I declare to the world that Christ is my Lord and Saviour. In the name of the King of kings and Lord of lords, in the holy mighty name of Your only begotten Son Jesus, I pray. To Jesus be the power, the glory, the majesty, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

May 29 Devotion - The Lord's Prayer - Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven

After Jesus had finished describing the wrong way to pray, He illustrated the right way to pray by using the following prayer:

 

“‘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 testing,
    but deliver us from evil,

for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

 

أبانا الَّذِي فِي السَّماءِ،

لِيَتَقَدَّسِ اسْمُكَ،

10 لِيَأتِ مَلَكُوتُكَ،

فَتَكُونَ مَشِيئِتُكَ،

هُنا عَلَى الأرْضِ كَما هِيَ فِي السَّماءِ.

11 أعطِنا اليَوْمَ خُبزَنا كَفافَ يَومِنا،

12 وَاغفِرْ لَنا خَطايانا،

كَما غَفَرْنا نَحنُ أيضاً لِلَّذِينَ يُسِيئُونَ إلَينا.

13 وَلا تُدْخِلنا فِي تَجرُبَةِ،

بَلْ أنقِذْنا مِنَ الشِّرِّيرِ. [a]

لأنَّ لَكَ المُلْكَ وَالقُدرَةَ وَالمَجدَ،

إلَى أبَدِ الآبِدينَ. آمين›

Mathew 6: 9-13

 

 

Of course, if this prayer is simply memorized and repeated without a faith, commitment and sincerity, it becomes the same sort of babbling that Jesus had just condemned. 

 

 

‘Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’ means to me: As angels dwelling in heaven follow God’s commandments we should follow His commandments on earth. We should carry out God’s plans on earth the same way it is carried out by the angels in heaven.  We pray for His perfect will to also be done on earth and in particular, in us believers in our lives. We should be furthering His Kingdom here on earth and share the good news of God’s love for humanity with all those we can, so that this world would be more like His Kingdom.

 

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and Your unfailing, deep, everlasting, and inseparable love. LORD, I pray that out of Your glorious riches You strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can follow Your commandments and help further Your Kingdom here on earth and share the good news about Your deep love for humanity because You ‘want all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.’ ⁵ For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave himself as a ransom for all people.’ 1 Timothy 2: 4-6  Father God, I praise You, revere You, worship You, I stand in awe of You, and glorify Your holy name. I declare to the world that Christ is my Lord and Saviour. In the name of the King of kings and Lord of lords, in the mighty name of Your only begotten Son Jesus, I pray. To Jesus be the power, the glory, the majesty and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

In Him,

Wagdi Henein 

May 28 Devotion - The Lord's Prayer - Hallowed Be Your Name

 

After Jesus had finished describing the wrong way to pray, He illustrated the right way to pray by using the following prayer:

“‘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 testing,
    but deliver us from evil,

for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

 

أبانا الَّذِي فِي السَّماءِ،

لِيَتَقَدَّسِ اسْمُكَ،

10 لِيَأتِ مَلَكُوتُكَ،

فَتَكُونَ مَشِيئِتُكَ،

هُنا عَلَى الأرْضِ كَما هِيَ فِي السَّماءِ.

11 أعطِنا اليَوْمَ خُبزَنا كَفافَ يَومِنا،

12 وَاغفِرْ لَنا خَطايانا،

كَما غَفَرْنا نَحنُ أيضاً لِلَّذِينَ يُسِيئُونَ إلَينا.

13 وَلا تُدْخِلنا فِي تَجرُبَةِ،

بَلْ أنقِذْنا مِنَ الشِّرِّيرِ. [a]

لأنَّ لَكَ المُلْكَ وَالقُدرَةَ وَالمَجدَ،

إلَى أبَدِ الآبِدينَ. آمين›

Mathew 6: 9-13

 

Of course, if this prayer is simply memorized and repeated without a faith, commitment and sincerity, it becomes the same sort of babbling that Jesus had just condemned. 

 

And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. 

وَكانَتِ المَلائِكَةُ يُنادِي أحَدُها الآخَرَ:

«قُدُّوسٌ، قُدُّوسٌ، قُدُّوسٌ اللهُ القَدِيرُ.
مَجدُهُ يَملأُ كُلَّ الأرْضِ.»

Isaiah 6:3

At the time when Jesus was on Earth a person’s name was indicative of his character.  We are to honour or hallow God’s name for His name is Holy. The whole earth is full of His glory. We should honour, revere, worship, hold sacred, be in awe of and glorify God’s name.

                                                                                                

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and Your unfailing, deep, everlasting, and inseparable love. LORD, I thank  You that I can call You Abba (Daddy) Father. Hallowed be Your Name Lord for You are omniscient (all knowing), omnipotent (all powerful), omnipresent (present everywhere at the same time). Lord I join the angels in singing and declaring that You are Holy and the whole earth is full of Your glory. God I praise You, revere You, worship You, I stand in awe of You, and glorify Your Holy Name. I declare to the world that Christ is my Lord and Saviour. In the name of the King of kings and Lord of lords, in the mighty name of Your only begotten Son Jesus, I pray. To Jesus be the power, the glory, the majesty, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

In Him,

Wagdi Henein