MORE THOUGHTS ON DAILY BREAD
Matthew 6:11

"Give us this day our daily bread" is one of the most familiar of the petitions from The Lord's Prayer.  In our previous study we learned that bread encompassed more than mere food.  It had reference to everything that was needed for life.  Now we ask ourselves the question, What was Jesus teaching us?

First, there is that strong teaching that we need to have a day-by-day dependence upon God.  In Jesus' day workers were paid at the close of the day.  Usually their wages were so low that they could only buy food for one day at a time.  There was this sense of dependence.  Today, with our freezers and refrigerators and cupboard shelves, we can stock up on our basic necessities:  there is food for tomorrow.  Our sense of total dependence upon God is diminished.  We need to remember that, although the food may be on the shelf, it has come from God.  Everything we have has been provided for us by God.  It was James who wrote, Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow (James 1:17).

Second, we need to live one day at a time and not to worry about the future.  There is this element of trust in God.  Remember the account of Israel and their days in the wilderness.  The manna was to be gathered everyday.  It did no good to horde it, as it only became worthless.  It did no good to store it, as it only rotted away.  God was saying to Israel, "Trust Me, I will take care of you everyday."  We are so driven by tomorrow that we fail to appreciate today.  We have a problem of trusting God for tomorrow because we have not learned to trust Him for today.

Thirdly, we need to learn to feed spiritually upon the Lord.  Listen to these words of Jesus as recorded in John's Gospel:  Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses was has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."  Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty" (John 6:32-35).  In this passage, Jesus equates Himself with the bread.  Friends, if we are to grow spiritually, we need to feed upon Him.  And how can we do this?  We can do this through the fellowship we have with Him in His Word.  We can do this through worshiping Him in spirit and in truth.  We can do this through sharing with others who are in the Body of Christ.

"Give us this day our daily bread" is more than just a request for God to bless our meals.  It is a commitment of ourselves to Him.  It is a prayer of our dependence upon Him for every provision for our life:  physical and spiritual.

Lord, We would pray that You would provide for us not only our physical food but our spiritual food also.  Give us a hunger and thirst for who You are, then come and fill that need in our lives.  Become our daily bread.  We pray this in Your holy name.  Amen.

 

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