11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
I can speak to the faithfulness of God in answering this prayer. But I have been noticing something significant of late. The phrase "give us this today" governs the rest of the prayer. All too often I find myself limiting scope of this phrase to just daily bread. But that clause governs the entire second half of the prayer. Provide for our physical needs (daily bread) TODAY. Forgive us our sins (as we forgive others) TODAY. Lead us not into temptation TODAY. Deliver us from evil TODAY. Too often my prayers in these areas are long term and in this is revealed my sinful independence and pride. I want provision from The Lord so that I have enough for the rest of my life (and then some). I want deliverance from temptation forever so that I never struggle with lust, anger, dishonesty, or any other sin again. Why? So that I can life life how I want free from guilt. The Lord, on the other hand, calls us to daily dependence. I think this is because he knows my proclivity towards independence and long term deliverance would lead to independence (me thinking I delivered myself) rather than dependence on Christ for daily deliverance. This why we are told by Christ to "daily" take up our cross (Luke 9:23). This why in the wilderness any extra manna that was collected beyond what was needed for that day rotted (Exodus 16). This is why I feel encumbered by sin when I go days doing it on my own without daily dying to myself and depending on Christ.
