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Prayer is a personal conversation with our Father. It should not be filled with clever Christian clichés or worn-out prayer phrases. It is fresh, real, and raw—like any meaningful conversation in our lives. Using the Lord’s Prayer to learn about how we are to pray, we see the principles of revering the person of God not only in quiet prayer time but also in the car on a backed-up road when we are in a hurry and in the interaction with our children at the end of the day when fatigue has set in. We have considered our need to submit to the Father’s will. Now we will focus on dependence.

Luke 4:3–4
The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’”

After fasting for forty days, Jesus was confronted by Satan. The first temptation presented to our famished Lord was to turn stones into bread. Food was something Jesus wanted and needed. He, the Creator, could have easily turned stones into bread. The offer was inviting to Jesus. But, as hungry as he was and as tempting as the offer was, Jesus refrained. His reasoning is very instructive: “Man shall not live by bread alone,” and Matthew adds, “but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

The response of Jesus moves us beyond the substance that could have satisfied the stomach for a short time, to the Person who can satisfy the soul for eternity. Jesus was dependent, not on the material thing, but on the One who provided the material thing. What a lesson that is for us! We are tempted to trust in what is supplied. Jesus reminds us to always trust in the One who supplies. 

Father, we are easily satisfied by things. We sometimes believe that a thing, a situation, or a fulfilled dream will bring satisfaction to our hearts. Remind us that no material thing or person can meet our crying needs. Only you can, and we need to be reminded of that often. In Jesus’ name. Amen.