People-Centered Prayer:
Daily Provision – Emotionally

“Give us this day our daily bread.” – Matt. 6:11

God has made provision for the “whole man” and every part of our being and make-up is covered by His Covenant with us.

If you are feeling lonely today, be assured that, “He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” – Heb 13:5.

He cares about the individual who feels all alone. “God sets the solitary in families” – Psalm 68:6.

We are acceptable to God at all times. “He has made us accepted in the Beloved.” – Eph 1:6.

Whatever people may think of us, the Lord is “a great protecting Rock, where I am always welcome, safe from all attacks” – Psalm 71:3 (TLB).

For the orphan, God is our Father. For the widow, He is her husband. For the bereft, He is our Comforter. No matter where we find ourselves emotionally, the Lord is there for us.

All we have to do is call. “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Whatever emotions we are experiencing at this moment, the Lord has a solution for us. (Eph 4:31,32).

Val Waldeck

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From His Eye Is On The Sparrow
365-Day Devotional

People-Centered Prayer
Daily Provision – Mentally

“Give us this day our daily bread.” – Matt. 6:11

Our God is Lord of all – including our minds. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” – 2 Tim 1:7.
He is able to accomplish in mille-seconds what Psychiatrists are unable to achieve in years of counseling. He made us and He knows how to “fix” us when things go wrong. It is all part of our daily bread. (Phil 2:5).

In other words, we are to have the attitude of Christ at all times. This is the Will of God for our lives and the Lord promises perfect peace to those who will consistently focus their minds on Him. (Isa. 26:3).

How do we do that? Philippians 4:8 tells us the secret. We are to refuse our minds permission to dwell on anything that does not comply with the Biblical criteria.

We all know that we have to keep our tongues in check. Not everyone realizes the importance of keeping our minds in check as well. What we think, we become according to Proverbs 23:7.

Our minds are the cause of most of our problems and we need to ask the Lord for His provision of daily bread in this vital area of our lives.

Val Waldeck

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From His Eye Is On The Sparrow
365-Day Devotional

People-Centered Prayer
Daily Provision – Physically

“Give us this day our daily bread.” – Matt. 6:11

The Lord not only paid the price for our sin, but He also made provision for the healing of our bodies. (Isa 53:5).

The prophet Isaiah looked forward to the Cross. The apostle Peter looks back and he says: “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed.” – 1 Pet 2:24.

He is still JEHOVAH-RAPHA, the Lord our Healer and we may, therefore, take all our physical needs to Him.

Are we tired? “But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” – Isa 40:31.

Are we ill? “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” – James 5:14,15.

Whatever our problem, or the cry of those around us, the Lord has made provision and we may ask Him in faith for daily bread to meet that need.

Val Waldeck

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From His Eye Is On The Sparrow
365-Day Devotional

People-Centered Prayer
Daily Provision – Spiritually

“Give us this day our daily bread.” – Matt. 6:11

The Father has made the greatest provision of all time for us by sending His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die for our sin and make us fit for Heaven. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Rom 5:8.

We have been redeemed, cleansed, forgiven and blessed beyond anything we can imagine in this life and the next. Every spiritual blessing is ours in Christ Jesus and the Lord says we lack nothing. (Eph 1:3).

God has given us Heaven’s Best – the Lord Jesus Christ – and there is, therefore, nothing of lesser value that will be withheld from us.(Rom 8:32).

The Lord says we are “complete in Him” (Col.2:10) and that by “His divine power [He] has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,” – 2 Pet 1:3.

We are loved, blessed and precious to the Lord. (Rom 8:1).

Are you feeling spiritually inferior? Do you feel unable to pray or read your Bible because you do not feel “good enough” for God?

The Lord says today, enjoy Him and every spiritual blessing He has made available for you. (1 Cor. 3:21-23.

Val Waldeck

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From His Eye Is On The Sparrow
365-Day Devotional

People-Centered Prayer
(a) Our Need For Provision

“Give us this day our daily bread.” – Matt. 6:11

An Old Testament saint prayed a very simple, yet profound, prayer one day: “Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food allotted to me; Lest I be full and deny You, And say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God.” – Prov 30:9.

Here was a man who relied wholly on the Lord to provide him daily with “bread” sufficient for his needs. This is the secret of contentment.

When we say “grace” (or thanks) to the Lord at mealtimes, it is an acknowledgment that we recognize His Hand behind our blessings. Many people believe they earned their provision and refuse to thank God.

It is only when their health or wealth is taken away that they begin to realize just how fragile human beings are. We are dependent on the Lord every moment of our lives.

If you feel panic rising within you today as you wonder how you are going to meet your bills at the end of the month, turn your face to the Lord and call on the God of Provision.

He loves to give and His provision is daily – sufficient for our current need.

Val Waldeck

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From His Eye Is On The Sparrow
365-Day Devotional

People-Centered Prayer

“Give us …” – Matt. 6:11

We usually start with our petitions – our “give me”. The Prayer of Jesus is so very different. We have learned that true prayer is God-centered, Kingdom-centered and People-centered.

Once we have come into the Presence of the Lord and focused our spiritual eyes on Him, entering into a time of worship, we find ourselves interested in the things He is interested in – His Name becoming known to mankind, His Kingdom being extended into the hearts and lives of individuals and nations, His Will being done on earth as it is in Heaven.

Now we have His permission to turn to our own needs.

Some believe it is selfish to ask God for blessing, but the Lord says. “You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.” – James 4:2.

God wants us to ask. He desires to bless us in order that we may bless others. It is His Will. “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others” (2 Cor. 9:8 NLT).

We must take note, however, that this prayer is not just “give me”, but “give us”. What we pray for ourselves, we must also pray for others.

Val Waldeck

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From His Eye Is On The Sparrow
365-Day Devotional

Kingdom-Centered Prayer:
Heaven

“Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.” – Matt. 6:10

The Ying-Yang sign is very popular at the moment. Basically is says that there are two powerful forces in the world – one negative and one positive. The secret to a harmonious life, they would have us believe, is to get a “balance” between these two forces.

An interesting concept, were it not for the fact that our God is the Supreme Ruler of all Creation. He has no equal. Even Satan is a created being, with severe limitations. (Deut. 4:35).

His Will is done in heaven. That is what Jesus said, and He should know. He came from Heaven and He returned there once His work on the Cross was complete.

Listen to His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane: “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” – John 17:4,5.

How foolish of us to resist Him or to hold back when He calls for us to surrender something – or someone – in obedience to His Will.

Val Waldeck

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Kingdom-Centered Prayer:
Only One life

“Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.” – Matt. 6:10

Someone once wrote: “Only one life, ’twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

Our time on earth is very, very short when compared to eternity. How we live our lives now – the things we do and say – our possessions – will seem very insignificant once we reach Heaven. The only things of lasting and eternal value will be the fulfillment of His Will.

The Lord never does anything without purpose. You and I were born at a specific time in order to fulfill a specific part of His plan for this world. How tragic that so many people have passed through this life without surrendering their wills to His.

The importance of a surrendered life cannot be over-emphasized. His Will must be done on earth, among people and by people. That must be our prayer, said Jesus.

How we live impacts others and it is sad when a believer’s life speaks so loudly, the people around cannot hear what he/she is saying.

St. Francis of Assisi once said: “Preach the Gospel at all costs and, if necessary, use words.”

Val Waldeck

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Kingdom-Centered Prayer: Doing The Will Of God

“Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.” – Matt. 6:10

It is one thing to say, Your Will be done – and quite another to actually do it. For example, we believe in praying, but how little we pray.

We believe the Bible to be God’s inspired Word, yet how seldom we read it and meditate on its message. We believe we belong to the Lord and that we are stewards of His resources, but how we fight giving offerings to the work of His Kingdom, paying tithes and donating alms for the needy.

Somehow we often seem to find ourselves living in two worlds – the “real” world, where we call the shots – and the “spiritual” world, where we believe certain things but feel no need to act on them.

God has only one world, and this is it. He expects unwavering, sincere, willing obedience to His revealed Will and is satisfied with nothing less. (Luke 6:46).

This prayer is also an acknowledgement that we are prepared to trust Him, even when we do not understand His Will, knowing that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” – Rom 8:28

Val Waldeck

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From His Eye Is On The Sparrow
365-Day Devotional

Kingdom-Centered Prayer:
His Will

“Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.” – Matt. 6:10

This is the third petition in the Prayer of Jesus. It is a Kingdom-based prayer that the Will of God may be accomplished at all times and in all circumstances, regardless of how we feel about or perceive things.

How often we “pray answers” rather than prayers! We attempt to advise God as to how things should happen – or not happen – as we apply our puny wisdom to the affairs of this life.

He has plans and purposes that we know nothing of, but which will be accomplished because He is God.

What really concerns us, however, is His revealed Will, declared in His Written Word and to which He requires our positive response. (Micah 6:8)
When we pray, “Your Will be done”, it is an act of supreme surrender of our will to His. We are saying, “We will obey Your Word and do Your Will. I’ll do it Your Way, Lord!”

“Doing it His way” is only possible if we know what “His Way” is! Are you reading your Bible daily to find out what God has shown to be His Will?

Val Waldeck

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Excerpt from His Eye Is On The Sparrow

From His Eye Is On The Sparrow
365-Day Devotional