Daily Bread for Today

Have you ever stopped to think how much we eat in any given day? In the military they call it “three hots and a cot.” And those are just the main meals. In between we consume any number of snacks to hold us over. We are a little like the Hobbit, Pippin, who questions whether their guide, Aragorn has heard of the various meals of the day – including ‘breakfast,’ ‘second breakfast,’ ‘elevenses,’ ‘luncheon,’ ‘afternoon tea,’ ‘dinner,’ and of course, ‘supper.’

Without our ‘daily bread,’ we human beings can grow weak, tired, and irritable. If we go too long without sustenance, we can endanger our health or our very lives.

We take our need for physical food for granted – as our grocery and restaurant budget can confirm. But Jesus taught us to ask for sustenance – both physical and spiritual – when he taught us to pray, “…give us this day our daily bread…” (Matthew 6:11)

Spiritual Food

Bread was central part of the diet for ancient people, as it remains for many today. The point that Jesus made in teaching us to pray for daily bread is that spiritual food is just as essential for any of His followers.

So how does someone find this daily bread? How does God answer the prayer prayed for it? What does this spiritual bread look like and what does it do?

Jesus said of Himself: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35, NLT) So we find our daily bread through having a relationship with Jesus. We “receive our daily bread” through spending time with Him in prayer, reading the Bible, worship, and fellowship with other believers.

Our request for daily bread should come from a spirit of humility, thanking our Heavenly Father for His loving care for us. At the same time, the receiving of God’s provision builds our faith as we see God move in our lives in tangible ways.

The Apostle John declared, “”In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1, NASB) He is so intimately connected with His Word that John declares that Jesus is the Word. So when you read and study the Bible, you are “receiving your daily bread” – you are taking Jesus into your very being, just as physical food becomes a part of our physical body.

Another way to receive daily bread is by regular attendance in a church or a Bible study. We grow as we feed on the Word of God, whether it is on our own or in the midst of a group of believers. That is why the Bible encourages us to continue gathering with other followers of Jesus:

And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. (Hebrews 10:25, NLT)

Recognizing God as Our Provider

When Jesus speaks of prayer for our daily bread, His Jewish followers would have immediately thought of their ancestors who received literal “daily bread” from heaven as the traveled through the wilderness. The children of Israel had been slaves in Egypt until God’s miraculous deliverance. As they wandered through the wilderness, God provided manna from heaven to sustain them. In the same way, we can trust in God’s provision, both physical and spiritual, as we pray for our daily bread.

God is our loving, heavenly Father. He cares for His children and He wants to provide for their needs – both physical and spiritual. You can trust that as you pray the prayer Jesus taught us to pray – “give us this day our daily bread” – that your Father in heaven hears your prayers and will move on your behalf to meet your needs.

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