Once there was ab...
Illustration
Once there was a family who used the Lord's Prayer as their table grace. One night, as they were gathered around the dinner table, and the father got to the phrase, "Give us this day our daily bread," the youngest child said in a loud whisper, "Ask for cake."
Luther reminds us that when Jesus taught us to ask for bread, he was instructing us to ask for everything a Christian needs to sustain life. All necessary food, clothing, shelter and also the work we do, our family and friends and even the government which protects us, we should ask for in prayer. Bread means everything we need to have a safe and happy life. But, when the little child asked for cake, it represents our asking for things we don't absolutely need, such as luxury cars, designer clothes, and more sweet desserts than our bodies can handle. We have a lifestyle that even kings in another era would envy. Perhaps it is all right for us to have many of these things, but it is not God's duty to see that we do. We have no right to expect them as our due. When Jesus taught us to ask for bread, he meant bread, not cake.
Luther reminds us that when Jesus taught us to ask for bread, he was instructing us to ask for everything a Christian needs to sustain life. All necessary food, clothing, shelter and also the work we do, our family and friends and even the government which protects us, we should ask for in prayer. Bread means everything we need to have a safe and happy life. But, when the little child asked for cake, it represents our asking for things we don't absolutely need, such as luxury cars, designer clothes, and more sweet desserts than our bodies can handle. We have a lifestyle that even kings in another era would envy. Perhaps it is all right for us to have many of these things, but it is not God's duty to see that we do. We have no right to expect them as our due. When Jesus taught us to ask for bread, he meant bread, not cake.
