在某個週六早上，我們家幾個年紀較小的孩子決定早起為自己做早餐。而我和妻子經過了精疲力竭的一週，打算至少睡到早上七點。在好夢正酣時，我突然聽到砰然一聲巨響！我跳起來衝到樓下，只見一個破碎的碗與撒了滿地的麥片，而我們五歲的小孩喬納斯正拼命地想把地上的黏稠物清掃乾淨（但在我看來更像是在塗抹）。我的孩子們在飢腸轆轆之時，選擇了不尋求幫助。他們沒有選擇倚靠我們而是靠自己，最後的結果當然是早餐泡湯了。

從人的角度來看，孩子們應該從事事依賴逐漸成長為自主獨立。但在我們與上帝的關係中，成熟卻意味著從獨立自主轉變為凡事倚靠祂。我們藉著禱告學習越來越倚靠上帝。耶穌教導祂的門徒（以及我們所有相信祂的人）向天父上帝禱告，說：「我們日用的飲食，今日賜給我們」（馬太福音6章11節），這正是一個教導我們要依賴祂的禱告。飲食在這裡可說是食物、拯救和引導的隱喻（11-13節），我們倚靠上帝供應這一切，甚至更多。

在基督裡沒有只靠自己的基督徒，而且我們也永遠離不開上帝的恩典。願我們一生都是由倚靠上帝做為一天的開始，向「我們在天上的父」（9節）禱告。

One morning our younger kids decided to get up early and fix breakfast for themselves. Tired from a grueling week, my wife and I were trying to sleep until at least 7:00 a.m. on that Saturday morning. Suddenly, I heard a loud crash! I jumped out of bed and raced downstairs to find a shattered bowl, oatmeal all over the floor, and Jonas—our five-year-old—desperately trying to sweep (more like smear) the gooey mess off the floor. My children were hungry, but they chose not to ask for help. Instead of reaching out in dependence, they chose independence, and the result was definitely not a culinary delight.

In human terms, children are meant to grow from dependence to independence. But in our relationship with God, maturity means moving from independence to dependence on Him. Prayer is where we practice such dependent ways. When Jesus taught His disciples—and all of us who have come to believe in Him—to pray, “Give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11), He was teaching a prayer of dependence. Bread is a metaphor for sustenance, deliverance, and guidance (vv. 11–13). We’re dependent on God for all that and more.

There are no self-made believers in Jesus, and we’ll never graduate from His grace. Throughout our lives, may we always begin our day by taking the posture of dependence as we pray to “our Father in heaven” (v. 9).