Focus: All Of Life

Text: Mt.6:8

"Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him."

Make no mistake about it; God is interested in your life, all of it. God is concerned in all facets of your life - body, soul, and spirit. He cares about you. He wants you to be totally well. Peter says, "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you" (1Pet.5:7). Peter was quoting the psalmist who said, "Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved" (Ps.55:22).

Jesus Christ taught us to pray, "GIVE us this day our daily bread. And FORGIVE us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And LEAD us not into temptation, but DELIVER us from evil" (Mt.6:11-13). By telling us to pray this prayer, it means that He wants our welfare, our wellness, and our wellbeing. He is not the cause of our sickness any time we get sick. He is not the cause of our pain, penury or poverty. He is not the cause of our worries, weaknesses, fears, and doubts. He is the brain behind our stupidity, ignorance and troubles. 

He doesn't take pleasure in our miseries or tragedies. He loves it when we prosper or make great progress in life. God is not in any way a sadist - someone who hates to see you doing well or being happy. As a matter of fact, God is happy providing for our present needs, forgiving our past blunders, and securing our future. He has gladly settled our past, He is ably supplying our current needs, and He is wonderfully securing us against future challenges. 

He is our supplier, sustainer, and securer or rescuer. He is our provider, pardoner, and protector.

For Christ to tell you to ask for Him for your daily bread means that Christ knows that our Father in heaven cares. He provides. He is committed to meeting our domestic needs - our daily physical and material necessities. For Christ to tell us to ask God for forgiveness means that Christ knows the heart of the Father, and that He is ever ready and willing to pardon us for our past and present sins - our spiritual and emotional needs. For Christ to tell us to ask God to lead us away from temptations and deliver us from the evil one means that Christ knows how ever ready God is to rescue and secure us from the troubles of life and to keep us from harm's way and to make us break free from the force of the evil one. Christ also makes us understand that God has all it takes to meet our needs, pardon our sins, preserve us from trials, and protect us from the power of evil. He teaches us to conclude our prayer with these words, "For thine is the KINGDOM, and the POWER, and the GLORY, for ever. Amen" (Mt.6:13). He owns the kingdom and reigns over it as the King, and He possesses infinite power and eternal glory.

God cares for your life - every aspect of it. He cares about your present needs, He gives pardon for your past and present sins, and He is able to deliver and preserve you from all sorts of future harm.

God is in charge of your life from the past to the future, and He takes charge of every facet of your life.

Entrust your whole life to God. All of life is in His hands, and He is your God and your Father. He is capable and reliable. He answers prayers and responds to human needs. You can entrust your whole life into the able hands of God.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter