My prayer is simply this: "Father, thank you for this day replete with your grace and provisioning.
" Each morning as I arise from bed and my feet hit the floor; I pray this prayer and feel no need whatsoever to say anything further.
If one fully understands the meaning of the words in this prayer, one will be aware that it is complete in many ways.
Three words provide the meat of this prayer: replete - fully or abundantly filled grace - unmerited favor provisioning - the act or process of providing Jesus urged people to become "as little children".
This prayer is in that spirit.
Jesus had taught that God was to be regarded as Father.
Insofar as He is my Father, and knows what I need before I ask Him, then I feel that it is appropriate to expect Him to function as a loving Father throughout the day at hand.
Therefore, it is appropriate to simply thank Him at the start of the day for all of His goodness that will be forthcoming.
Insofar as each day begins with a thank you, there is no particular need for retrospection regarding yesterday.
Thanks were given for that day at its beginning.
There is no need to pray for things pertaining to tomorrow for we were taught to "Give no thought for the morrow.
" So, for this day, and this day only, I give thanks in advance.
Since God is my provider of everything that I need, I fully expect this day to be replete or abundantly filled with anything that I need.
Grace, means simply unmerited favor.
Thanks to Jesus, we know that God is even kind to the unthankful and evil: "But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
" Luke 6:35 Merited favor would be favor granted because of your deeds or the deeds of another entity that obtained pardon and righteousness on your behalf.
The grace referenced in this article is totally unmerited favor.
In the verses shown below we see that our Father makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good alike without partiality and sends rain on both the just and the unjust: "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
" Matthew 5:44-45 So regardless of your behavior or posture which you believe that you have with God because of your standing, you benefit from His grace or unmerited favor, and it is this aspect of His grace which the prayer in this article references.
In my lifetime I have prayed for many things both material and spiritual.
I have prayed for wisdom, understanding, spiritual stamina and strength, spiritual growth, etc.
I have also prayed for reasonable bodily health and all that pertains to it.
Additionally I have prayed for an adequacy of income, employment, relationship skills, etc.
etc.
In fact I doubt if there is anything that I have not prayed for at one time or another.
As far as I am concerned, those prayers are a matter of record and I have no intention of repeating myself! In fact, I do not need to.
I probably acquired this attitude from reading the Bible and noticing that God himself distained ever needing to repeat Himself in something that He had previously said.
The prayer in this article uses the word provisioning to refer to anything and everything I need both on the material and spiritual plane to live the day at hand successfully.
There is no need for me to try to micro-manage God's provisioning by detailing anything.
He is the provider and I am the receipient.
Therefore, I find it appropriate to simply start each day thanking Him in advance for both His grace and provisioning.
"Father, thank you for this day replete with your grace and provisioning.
"