This, then, is how you should pray:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”…
“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:9-13, 31-33)
Jesus’ “teaching grew out of his own experience. When he told his followers not to worry about tomorrow, we must assume he led them by example. He wasn’t always looking ahead anxiously… No: he seems to have had the skill of living totally in the present, giving attention totally to the present task, celebrating the goodness of God here and now…
And he wanted his followers to be the same. When he urged them to make God their priority, it’s important to realize which God he’s talking about. He’s not talking bout a god who is distant from the world, who doesn’t care about beauty and life and food and clothes. He talking about the creator himself, who has filled the world with wonderful and mysterious things, full of beauty and energy and excitement, and who wants his human creatures above all to trust him and love him and receive their own beauty, energy and excitement from him.
Of course, because we live in a world filled with anxiety, it’s easy to let it rub off on us. But the underlying principles of the whole Sermon on the Mount come together at this point in a huge but exhilarating challenge. God’s kingdom, and the way of life that goes with it; the ‘righteousness,’ or covenant behavior, the way of life, that marks out God’s people; these are the things you should aim at. Then you’ll find that food, drink and clothing look after themselves.” [Wright, Nicholas Thomas. Matthew for Everyone, Part One. p. 66-67]
Let’s pray as Jesus taught us to pray (v 9-13). As we do so, let’s be filled with His Spirit, and empowered to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness – here, now, today, each day. And let’s live today trusting in our heavenly Father, who knows and gives all that we need.
Song – “Seek First” – Housefires III
– BR