Our Daily Bread

“Give us this day our daily bread…”—Matthew 6:11

Prayer, like eating, must be done daily. When our Lord said, “Give us this day our daily bread,” He was bringing to mind the Israelites’ sojourn in the desert when God the Father had supplied their food daily. The Israelites had just come out of slavery in Egypt and had been wandering in the wilderness without food or water. They grumbled against Moses, demanding water, and God supplied it. Again, they grumbled against Moses and his brother Aaron, supposing that they had been led to a place with no food. Then they complained that when they were slaves in Egypt they'd had food every day, but since being freed, they had received nothing. God answered their complaint by deciding to rain bread down from heaven for them daily. And He gave strict instructions through Moses:

"Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not”—Exodus 16:4.

Each day the people gathered as much as they needed per family, no more, no less. If they took more than they needed for the day and tried to keep it overnight, by the next morning it became infested with maggots! The point? Trust God each and every day for what you need.

When Jesus told us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” He didn’t necessarily mean that we need to pray for our physical food to be supplied daily as the Israelites did, although that can be implied, especially for believers in countries where they may not have access to food. But for those of us who have ready access to food, this prayer takes on a slightly different dimension. Jesus’ intention here is that we might understand our need to be consistently aware that God is the Sustainer and Provider of our lives.

In many ways, we are beneficiaries of circumstances that we have not created. We didn’t cause ourselves to be born in this place at this moment in history. God did. We didn’t give ourselves the ability to understand different things and perform certain duties. God did. It all goes back to God. He is the one who gave us the ability to have and make wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18), which enables us to obtain that daily food, and more. And whether we realize it or not, He is the one who sustains us, although we may not acknowledge it or be aware of it. Christ’s prayer then is for us to live in the knowledge that He does supply our daily needs, and that we are beholden to Him.

My brother or sister, I pray that God may make us acutely aware of His presence in our lives. Not that we might be fearful, or merely dutiful, but that we may be faithful. I pray that we may be faithful stewards of all that He has entrusted to our care. He is the Lord of Life and has given us more than we could ever ask or deserve. As we pray, we acknowledge His Lordship, and we become active agents of grace and blessing to others. We must be conscious of our many blessings and their divine source, so that rather than hoarding them, we can help others who have need or are hurting. So, as we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” may we acknowledge His Lordship, and may we become His answer to others’ prayers by sharing with those in need, rejoicing in the knowledge that He is working both in us and through us. Amen.