ARM Prison Outreach International
"Ministers’ Minute" Volume II Number 8
"THE LORD'S PRAYER -- TRUSTING GOD FOR EVERY NEED"
Matthew 6:9-13
It was testimony meeting at church and an elderly lady who had had an exceptionally rough time stood and said, "I’ve lost my family over these last few years; my savings has dwindled to almost nothing since I have been having so many health problems. I’m lonely, I’m poor, and I’m sick. I don’t have anything but the Lord." Then she sat down looking fully dejected. Everyone just sat there feeling pretty sad and not sure what to say next. But in a moment she stood back up and said, "Wait a minute. I don’t have anything but the Lord, but come to think of it, He is all I need".
Psalm 73:25,26 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Often, our problems seem insurmountable, but God is able to handle them with ease! Here is the main point of our message today: God can and will meet every need if we will allow Him to. The book of Psalms reverberates with struggles and is full of human emotion. But it’s wisdom concludes that GOD IS ABLE TO MEET OUR EVERY NEED.
Psalm 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
Psalm 34:10 The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Ps 34:17-18 17 The righteous cry and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. 18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 145:15,16 The eyes of all look to you, Lord, and you give them their food at the proper time. 16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
The Lord’s prayer is like an insurance policy, detailing what needs God will supply:
1. To your feelings of inferiority He supplies a place in His family.
"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. " .. you’re a child of the King!
I once made the statement that I was suffering from an inferiority complex. My friend consoled me immediately by saying, "No you aren’t. It’s NO complex. YOU ARE INFERIOR!"
Because of inferiority and insecurity people do sinful things. Many of the sins that are committed are due to our deep-seated feelings of not measuring up to what we ought to be, what we would like to be. Three sins come to mind immediately: First, there is dishonesty. Many lie about their accomplishments or abilities, bragging in order to convince others they are OK.
Have you ever talked to someone who was always fabricating his accomplishments or abilities? Whether it was how many medals he won in the war or how much money she made or how high her grades were in school, they were covering up their own feelings of inferiority by exaggerating the accomplishments of the past. But we don’t have to lie to cover our feelings of being unworthy. We can simply face our deficiencies and shortcomings by admitting them and thanking our Creator for willingly being our Father! We can say, "I’m a child of the King" without resorting to dishonesty or pride. Here’s a great little poem:
So if you are a blood-bought, born-again, baptized believer, don’t live discouraged by your failings, live in joy that the Creator loves you and has brought you into His family. He’s your Father.
ARM FAST
FACT: In July of 2003, ARM mailed a prisoner Bible course EVERY 16
MINUTES! A new prisoner/student enrolled in a Bible course EVERY 34
MINUTES!
2. To your confusion God supplies His Purpose
"Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
"Who am I? What am I doing here? Where am I going? What is the meaning of life? Why is all of this happening to me? Welcome to the Rat Race! One man said, "The trouble with getting into the Rat Race is that the Rats ALWAYS win! You’ve seen those wheels in the hamster cages? It’s full speed ahead, but going nowhere. It only leads to exhaustion. Modern proverb: "Man is the only animal who runs faster when he is lost."
If you can relate, you need to seek to understand God’s purpose for you --that is, His kingdom and His will-- for your life. God created you to, first, have fellowship with Him and, second, so that you could be His instrument in bringing others to fellowship with Him. There’s purpose. There’s a cause. One that is eternal and meaningful!
3. To your worry, God supplies His provision:
"Give us today our daily bread."
Ever worry about how you will make it in the future? Ever worry about your health or your financial situation?
Suffering from a bad case of the flu, a man phoned his doctor to get an appointment. When he was told that it would be three weeks before there was an opening, he became outraged and bellowed, "Three weeks? The doctor can't see me for three weeks? I could well be dead by then!" Calmly, the receptionist replied, "If you do die, please have your wife call to cancel at least 24 hours before the appointment so you won’t be billed for it."
We worry about everything- health, finances, future- God says relax, I will provide your daily bread, your daily needs. "Forgive us our debts. . ."
4. To your guilt, He supplies His Pardon!
"Forgive us our debts. . ."
The only answer to my guilt is His pardon- not rationalizing away my guilt or keeping myself too busy to think about it. Guilt is a universal problem- we’ve all blown it. "All have sinner and …."
Jesus came so the guilty could go free. Luke 4:18-19 The Father has sent me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's grace." (NIV)
He forgives Completely, Instantly, and Repeatedly.
You need the freedom of a clear conscience.
The movie, "Meet Joe Black" is about a businessman, Bill, who meets the death angel, Joe Black. Just before he is ushered into eternity, Bill asks Joe Black, "Should I be afraid?" Joe says, "A guy like you has nothing to be afraid of." That is only true for those who have found forgiveness in Jesus.
Have you come to Jesus for the pardon for your guilt?
5. To your strained relationships, He supplies His Peace
". . . as we forgive our debtors."
Strained relationships are part of life. Kindergarten report card- "Gets along well with others." Not true of all of us! When I do things that hurt others I suffer from guilt. The answer is pardon.
When others hurt me it causes resentment and makes me miserable. (Guilt and resentment are the Siamese twins of misery.) The answer for both is forgiveness. (from God and for others). We need to learn to let go of the past if we want to move on and Christ gives us the power to do that.
6. To your temptations, He supplies His Protection.
"And lead us not into temptation. . ."
A 104 year-old woman was being interviewed by a reporter. "And what do you think is the best thing about being 104?" the reporter asked. "No peer pressure" she responded.
1 Corinthians 10:13- common problem and common solutions. Part of the good news of the gospel is that we don’t have to be slaves to sin any longer. How sad to talk to people who are trapped by sin and feel helpless to get away. Whether alcohol, drugs, pornography, anger, gossip, or greed -- if you are willing, God will protect you from temptation.
7. To your fear, He supplies His Power
". . . but deliver us from evil."
There is a lot of evil in the world and only a fool would have no fears.
Doug Taylor tells this story-
I was flying from San Francisco to Los Angeles. By the time we took off, there had been a 45-minute delay and everybody on board was ticked. Unexpectedly, we stopped in Sacramento on the way. The flight attendant explained that there would be another 45-minute delay, and if we wanted to get off the aircraft, we would reboard in 30 minutes. Everybody got off the plane except one gentleman who was blind. I noticed him as I walked by and could tell he had flown before because his Seeing Eye dog lay quietly underneath the seats in front of him
throughout the entire flight. I could also tell he had flown this very flight before because the pilot approached him and, calling him by name, said, "Keith, we're in Sacramento for almost an hour. Would you like to get off and stretch your legs?" Keith replied, "No thanks, but maybe my dog would like to stretch his legs."Picture this ... all the people in the gate area came to a completely quiet standstill when they looked up and saw the pilot walk off the plane with the Seeing Eye dog! The pilot was even wearing sunglasses. People scattered. They not only tried to change planes, they also were trying to change airlines.
There is plenty to be afraid of, but God’s power can deliver you from evil! Some of us feel like victims. Circumstances seem to be out of control, and we don’t know how to handle them. The fact is you can’t control circumstances, but God can and He offers deliverance from evil.
Conclusion:
Seven basic problems- God’s answers to my needs:
But, I can’t say....
Psalm 27:4-6 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in
the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the
LORD and to seek him in his temple. 5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me
safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set
me high upon a rock. 6 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who
surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing
and make music to the LORD.
May you have great physical
health and continuing spiritual vitality for the tasks within the Father's
purposes!