Our Daily Bread

Heavenly Father, I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to write this.

---

Understanding what prayer is has been a tumultuous task lately. What has been clearly instructed to us by our Lord is not what many people usually follow, including myself Why is such a simple thing such as prayer become more complicated than ever? As we go through this, keep in mind that there are many different ways in which people communicate with the Lord our God. We speak in different languages, tongues, lengths, motives and expectations. But do we know whats really going on?

Take a phone for example, you use it to call someone you know, you have a chat and then you disconnect the call. While this may seem like a very simple thing, there is a lot going on in the background. There are packets of digital signals which are carrying your words in the form of radio waves and are sent to the nearest cell tower. Then that cell tower routes it through the appropriate cell towers to reach the one closest to the person you are talking to, then the same happens for the return response. This all happens in a matter of seconds and is a nice display of technology. As the distance between callers keeps increasing, the delay of the voice also increases, as observable on international calls.

Even though we may not be aware about the workings of these towers, radio waves and signals, we still use the phone and it helps us immensely. We get to stay connected with our families even through long distances, we get to text our friends and hang out even when they are physically not present. We also get to access the internet and research about things to have immediate answers to our questions, entertainment is available on our fingertips, shopping your favorite products is a click away. Finally, we get the privilege to call the emergency services when you are in trouble and distress, leaving you feeling less anxious about life.

This is what might be a physical representation of how prayer works in the spiritual realm. Lets look at how this could be. Every person on this earth is created by the Lord in His image, with His signal encoded in us. There is constant communication between Him and us even though most of us are unaware of it. Some people call it your conscience, the voice which asks you to do the right thing, while others call it intuition. Wicked people are said to lack conscience, which means they are completely away from God. Whereas people who seek righteousness will feel a sense of remorse when they do something wrong, which means they are drawing near to Him.

The nature of people is sin, because of their separation from God. The further away from God they are, the more delay there is in receiving a response from Him. Through Christ, we are redeemed and now have the opportunity to become the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:21). Through this, the closer they get to Him, the more they experience conscious response to prayers and also become intercessors, making them something like an antenna. Where ever you are placed, a part of you is always tuned into the frequency of God, the objective here is to increase this awareness from part to whole.

Prayer is one of the ways you can complete this objective. As your prayer life grows stronger, your relationship with God will deepen, to an extent where you can hear and see what He wants to show you. The right way to put it is to be sensitive to the voice and instruction of the Holy Spirit. There are many ways to approach prayer, one of which is to be aware of your thoughts and direct them to holiness through scripture. This purifies the mind which makes way for the Holy Spirit to speak to you, else His voice may not be discernable amongst all the clutter we have in our heads. It is written in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to "Pray without Ceasing", which I strongly believe is to keep praying in our hearts.

To grow in prayer is to see results. It is not about asking something and then receiving the very thing you ask for, rather, its about that connection you have with God, where you see the way he responds, often miraculously, and the joy and comfort it then brings to your heart. When you realize this, you will stop asking for anything but for the deepening of that connection with him, it is more about the conversation rather than the result. Although we need material things, when Jesus taught us to pray, there was no mention of asking for things other than "Give us today our daily bread".

We might interpret this as sustenance or daily food for survival. But in actuality, this signifies daily spiritual nourishment. The word "daily" from original greek manuscripts comes from the word epiousios (ἐπιούσιος) which also translates also to "Supersubstantial" or "Superessential", which means something which is extremely necessary and beyond our basic understanding. Rhema (ῥῆμα) is a greek word which denotes a word that God speaks or puts on your heart.

To live our lives in fulfillment, we need to recieve our daily Rhema. As it is written in Deuteronomy 8:3 that "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God", the "word" in this scripture translates to Rhema. When it is essential for our survival, it becomes a point for us to ask and receive it daily.

He further proclaims in John 6:51 that “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” which indicates that our life is in daily connection and communication with Jesus, receiving His words and learning from Him. The fulfillment you receive from this is beyond words, it makes your day and you will be totally exhilarated because of it. There is also a daily spiritual guidance which you receive, that helps you grow in Him. One can only know by experiencing this, by seeking it with your heart daily in prayer, as Jesus himself set an example to us by asking from the Father in prayer.

The example set in the Lord’s Prayer is something we might just recite, but do we believe? Do we ever wonder how Jesus was praying, his tone and intensity, his physical and spiritual posture, his intentions and asks, was his eyes closed or open? It is written in Luke 22:44 that "And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.", can we even fathom praying like Him?

Yes we can, but not in our strength, as he now dwells in us through the Holy Spirit. If we seek earnestly, He will reveal the depths of prayer to us. It is written in John 6:35 “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." this indicates that if you are truly hungry to pray as such, he will ensure you are filled. Based on the Lords Prayer, the elements which should constitute your prayers are as follows:

1. Praise, Exaltation, Thanksgiving, Lifting his name above all

2. Seeking the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness

3. Leaning into a state of Surrender and Submission to the Will of God

4. Desire for Eternal Life while on Earth

5. Requesting our Daily Rhema (Word, Instruction, Utterance)

6. Repentance and asking for Strength to Forgive others

7. Wanting to not be Tested, Tried, Tempted; Promising to Obey his Decrees

8. Asking for Deliverance from Attacks, Infiltrations, Torment and Difficulties of the Devil

For a moment, if you would get a glimpse into the heavenly realities, you would never cease praying. You would see that Darkness is overwhelmingly active, prying its way into the areas of your life where Gods light does not shine yet. However, no matter how strong the attack, it just melts away in Gods love and His surrounding grace whilst in prayer. Prayer can be refreshing and powerful. After all, you are talking to the one true God, there should be some amazing things happening when you do.

If you say you do not know how to pray, seek counsel of the Holy Spirit. Have fellowship with people who do know how to flow with the Spirit in prayer, surround yourself with people who are choosing to confront it and not avoid it. Dont know where to start? Just go in your room, close the door and start talking to God about your day and about the things that are bothering and stressing you out. Believe that He is listening to you and is concerned about the intricacies of your life. Not getting answers to your prayers? Maybe you are positioned too far from Him and hence there is a delay. For it is written in James 4:8 that "Come near to God and he will come near to you".

Know that our God is a prayer answering God! He is observing everything that you are and He already knows what you need before you ask him (Matthew 6:8). Trust and confide in Him, then you will begin to see growth in your emotional, mental and even physical health. You will also begin to experience miracles, supernatural occurences and hear His audible voice. We are meant to walk in power and authority as followers of Christ, living life in spiritual abundance. May the love of God ignite a fire in your heart to go in to your room, close the door and pray to your Him who is unseen, and he shall reward you!

Praise God!