Our daily bread

Matthew 6:11 (NIV)

“Give us this day our daily bread.”

Christians recite the Lord’s Prayer routinely, but do you know what the Lord was really indicating when he said “give us this day our daily bread”?  What is bread?  Why does Jesus include this in His model prayer?  Why do you need to rely on the Father in Heaven for this bread?  What is the emphasis of the words “day” and “daily”? 

The word Jesus used for “bread” (“artos”) means food of any kind.  But, what kind of food?  Is it food that we eat like baked bread?  Yes, it can be.  John MacArthur made the controversial statement in his audiotape teaching on the Lord’s Prayer (he called it the Disciples’ Prayer) that nations who have not followed Christ are nations that suffer the most from hunger.  Yet, it is not God who withholds food from His creation, but those He created who, through poor planning, corruption, selfishness, and other sinful ways, cause hunger and famines in their lands.  God provides physical food for every created human being in the world.  Recall that Jesus said in Matthew 6:31-32 that God provides food.   We in America take food for granted, but this verse reminds us that it is God who provides food for our physical nourishment.  President Woodrow Wilson once said, ““Witness the fact that in the Lord's Prayer, the first petition is for daily bread. No one can worship God or love his neighbor on an empty stomach.”  Never thought of that, have you?   

 

Bread is also representative of life itself.  Jesus said that He is the “bread of life” (John 6:35) where He meant that only He is the source of satisfaction and fulfillment in life.  Note that He said in v 35 that it is His bread of life that enables His followers and believers never to be hungry or thirsty.  He’s referring to spiritual food that nourishes and sustains our souls.   This is related to His fascinating statement in John 15:5 that “apart from Me you can do nothing”.

God provides physical and spiritual bread on a daily basis.  He provided manna to His people wandering in the wilderness on a daily basis.  He tells us not to worry about tomorrow (Matt 6:34).  God only promises to provide your needs for today.  It is what you do with His daily provisions that matters, but it should be received with thanksgiving and joy every day.  Most never think that what they eat was given to them by God.  Most never think about God’s daily grace.  Sarah Ban Breathnach has a wonderful quote: “Grace is available for each of us every day - our spiritual daily bread - but we've got to remember to ask for it with a grateful heart and not worry about whether there will be enough for tomorrow.”    

                                                                                                                                  

Have you ever thought about all the different kinds of food that God provides---grains, nuts, vegetables, fruit, animals, dairy products, condiments, etc---God created it all.  Without God’s created food, you would die.  In the same vein, have you thought about all the spiritual food God has created---grace, mercy, forgiveness, salvation, His Holy Spirit, prayer, power, and His Holy Word.  Without these spiritual foods, you will die for eternity.  In fact, Jesus described God's Word as spiritual food---"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).  And while proclaimed Christians will not face eternal death, it is sad to write that most Christians are spiritually undernourished.  They do not study or follow the Word of God; thus, are too weak to overcome temptation and inadequate to serve God and others.

May you start each day for the rest of your life with this prayer and realize the depth of its meaning and significance in your life and the lives of your loved ones.