Daily Bread

Daily Bread

Introduction

“Give us today our daily bread”

Matthew 6: 11

This is a verse many of us are familiar with. It is part of the most famous prayer – The Lord’s Prayer. That, in turn, is part of Jesus’ most famous teaching – The Sermon on the Mount. Something about that familiarity has led me to accepting the words at face value, and recently it struck me that there is so much more going on here. If we just dig beneath the surface a little.

This little verse, 6 words in English, or 8 in Greek, packs a mighty punch and should draw our attention to the words of wisdom in Proverbs and the work of God in Exodus.

Community and Timing

Before we get there let’s examine the small words here; us and our. These are repeated throughout the prayer (Matthew 6: 9-13) and they tell us. Quite clearly, that we are to be in community. The provision is to be shared, it is a request for us all to make for each other. We are not praying “Meet my needs today”, we are praying “provide us with what we need today”. The difference is key. This recognises that what God provides is not simply mine, that acknowledgement enables us to share more freely and generously with one another.

It is also important to note the timing of the request – today and daily. Such a focus prevents greed, stops selfishness, and ensures one person or group is not stockpiling at the expense of others. This focus on daily provision should also tell us that we are to come to God daily. We are not asking for all that we need in this life in one go. It’s not even a year or month at a time; daily provision is the cadence. As such our prayers should be daily. This rhythm of prayer and provision is one that fosters trust in God. If we got all that we might ever need in one go we would soon forget that God had provided. By seeking daily provision we are learning to trust God everyday.

So far we see, from this short verse, a sense of the community life the followers of Christ are to lead, and an instruction to seek and trust God daily.

Wisdom

Let’s look now at Proverbs, for I am sure Jesus is referencing this, and there would have been people in the crowd who knew this.

“Keep falsehood and lies far from me;

    give me neither poverty nor riches,

    but give me only my daily bread.”

Proverbs 30: 8

Proverbs 30 is recorded as the sayings of Agur, and we know nothing of a person with this name, or Jakeh who is listed here as his father. However, these words are still packed with wisdom and are, I believe, referenced by Jesus. What is particularly useful for us is verse 9.

“Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you

    and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’

Or I may become poor and steal,

    and so dishonor the name of my God.”

Proverbs 30: 9

This sounds a lot like Jesus at the end of the Lord’s Prayer.

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

Matthew 6: 13

In this we see that daily provision is also about God protecting our hearts, and teaching us to trust Him. A lesson He taught the Israelites in the wilderness.

The Work of God in Exodus

In Exodus 16 God provides manna and quail for the Israelites. In this provision there are two instructions.

“This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take one omer (~2 litres) for each person you have in your tent.’”

Exodus 16: 16

“Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.””

Exodus 16: 19

God is providing for the Israelites, He gives them food in the wilderness. He is also testing them – will they trust Him? The plan is for God to lead them into the promised land, the question is will they trust Him? Will they always acknowledge Him? Daily provision means they must recognise their dependence on God, they must live in a place of trust, even in a time of great uncertainty.

This is why Jesus teaches us to pray “give us today our daily bread”. It is a prayer of dependence and trust.

Having started with this very short verse we have considered two connected passages in the Old Testament, and this has brought us a much richer understanding of this line of the Lord’s Prayer. We can see that we are a community sharing needs and provision. This simple verse is about provision, protection, dependence and trust. It is God who provides and protects, we simply acknowledge our dependence on Him, and live in a place of trusting His provision and protection.

Practical Application

• Reflect on what God has provided you with, and give thanks to Him.

• Consider your community, thank God for His provision, and seek Him for the needs within that group. Ask Him if He is using you in that context.

• Consider your daily need today, bring it before God in dependence and trust.