July 4, 2008

Key Passage: Matthew 6:5-18

Topic: Christian Living

"Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." (Matthew 6:8, ESV)

Jesus teaches about prayer and fasting in today's passage. And He tells us that the Father knows exactly what we need before we even ask.

So, if God already knows our needs, why should we take them to Him? Won't He take care of it all anyway?

Well, we take our needs to God because:

1. He wants a relationship with us. Like any father, He wants to hear from His children. He wants us to tell Him what's on our minds.
2. He wants us to trust Him. He knows if we bring our requests to Him and watch Him work on our behalf, we'll learn to trust Him more.
3. God knows that He is one of those needs, that deep inside us is an emptiness only He can fill.
4. Bringing our needs to Him will change us into people He can use to meet the needs of others.

It's comforting to read the words of today's verse and know that He knows what we need even before we ask. But He does want us to ask.