foreknown, and, in his Divine foresight, is already provided. He knows where you are to get each morsel you are to eat, every article of clothing you are to wear, and the roof that is to shelter you. For he has himself declared that "the very hairs of our heads are all numbered," that "not a sparrow falleth to the ground without our Father, and that we are of more value than many sparrows;"[1] and he bids us, "Fear not, therefore."[2] We may then pray for our "daily bread" with full trust that the Lord in his providence will supply us, and those dependent upon us, with all we need, provided we look to him, and at the same time do our duty.
But it may be asked, If the Lord is our heavenly Father, and if he knows all our wants, and is able and willing to supply them,—why does he require us to pray for them? why will he not supply them without prayer? The answer is,—because he wishes us to feel and to acknowledge our dependence upon him. And the reason he so wishes, is, to prevent our falling into pride and self-dependent states of mind, the effect of which would be to separate us from him, and thus to shut out the influence of his Spirit, which would be to shut out heaven and eternal happiness. The first end of the Lord in regard to us, is, to secure our salvation, our eternal happiness in heaven; for that we are created, for that we live. Now, heaven is not merely a place, but a state of the mind: it is a state, in which the heart is open to the Lord, and so is receptive of the blessednesses which are ever flowing
