Jesus, sometimes I end up doing things I am not proud of, as I try to get my daily needs met. There are times when I spend every waking moment trying to make sure all my needs are fulfilled. There are times when my life has become a rat race, as I labor trying to make enough money to pay my bills. This way of life doesn’t leave me much time or energy for having good Kingdom relationships with others. Help me solve this problem.

Jesus, help me see that all the people who haven’t allowed God to be their heavenly Father are responsible for meeting all their own needs. Make it clear to me that even the Christians who are untrained think they are still responsible for meeting all their own needs. Show me that, in that case, if they are going to get anything, it is going to have to come through their own time and efforts. There usually isn’t enough hours in a day for them. Also, help me see that even those who are rich are driven by deep desires for more. They can’t hoard enough money to make them happy; and they can’t spend enough money to satisfy the craving in their heart. Show me a better way to live life.

Jesus, help me see that God has a much better plan for me. Teach me that the Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:38 principles of living and giving will change my life. They will change how the time and energy I spend living it is expended. My human needs are vital for my survival; but, teach me that God has a way for me to get those needs met without being a slave to them. Help me see that He can do it without me being placed in an environment that makes me spend all my time and energy to ONLY take care of those needs. Teach me that if my daily supply flows through God, I and my friends will be set free from the slavery to money.

Jesus, help me start looking to God’s knowledge, foreknowledge of the future, understanding, wisdom, and power. Empower me to allow Him to show me how to do business, have business relationships, handle my finances, and how to structure my priorities. Help me allow God to build my relationships by showing me who to trust, who to join, who to help, who to train, and who to avoid. Show me what my life would look like if I allowed God to guide me in getting my daily needs met.

Jesus, teach me how to not worry, saying, ‘What shall I eat?’ or ‘What shall I drink?’ or ‘What shall I wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and my heavenly Father knows that I need them. Empower me to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these THINGS will be given to me as well (Mat 6:31-33).

Jesus, teach me how to let God lead me into where I work, what I buy, and what I want. Show me that it will bring a joy and happiness that I can never provide on my own. There are things I have to have in order to survive; but, teach me that the way I go about getting them can be so enhanced by God that my needs are met WHILE I am being a blessing and a help to all those around me. Let my focus move from just being on me and my needs. Lead me into a win/win relationship with all those around me. Teach me how to have a life of cooperation, team work, friendships, and mutual respect.

Jesus, teach me that this “daily bread” represents the principle behind every aspect of my daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, and lifetime needs. Show me that it is the difference between me using all my intelligence, talents, skills, time, and effort to meet my own needs, or God taking care of them supernaturally. Let this part of this prayer be me asking God to join me in my pursuit of getting my needs met. Help me ask Him to meet my daily needs in such a way that it brings joy and happiness to me and to all those around me.

Jesus, I am willing to start letting God influence me as to which job I will take, what positions I will accept, and how much time I will spend working. So, I now pray these words: “Give us today our daily bread.”