This series of devotions are focused around Soren Kierkegaard’s “Christian Discourses etc.” The biblical text to consider during these devotions is: Matthew 6:24-34.
What then does the poor Christian live on? On the daily bread. There in s/he resembles the bird. But the bird, which true enough is not heathen, is yet not a Christian either – for the Christian prays for the daily bread. But then is s/he not even poorer than the bird, for the fact that s/he must pray for it, whereas the bird gets it without praying? Yes, so the heathen thinks. The Christian prays for daily bread, by praying for it s/he receives it, yet without having anything to keep over night; s/he prays for it, and by praying for it s/he keeps away the anxiety at night, while s/he sleeps soundly, to awaken the next day to the daily bread which s/he prays for. The Christian therefore does not live on the daily bread like the bird or like a character in a fairy-tale who takes it where he finds it; for the Christian finds it where s/he seeks it, and s/he seeks it by praying.
In prayer we envision the Reign of God. In that Reign, we are fed, nourished for the day, and reminded of the source of all that brings us life. Who knows what the day may bring but we do know that we can always enter this day with vision. The vision is that of God bending down to care for God’s beloved so that we are not anxious about what we would eat or drink or wear. We are not birds. We are children of God. We are children of promise who need not be anxious about life’s daily predicaments. But we need one another to keep bringing such a Word to us…for comfort and for the willingness to be daring within the day at hand.
Connection: Pray for daily bread and then…dig in.
Lord of that which is possible, but at times, beyond our seeing and hearing, lead us into the richness of your grace and the abundance of your love so we may enter this day without the grand anxieties that often cause us to turn away from you. Praise to you, O Lord. Amen.
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