Give us this Day Our Daily Bread (Matt. 6:11)

Some people have tried to spiritualise this petition and read it as if it were referring to heavenly food. But such a use of Scripture robs it of its true meaning. What Jesus has in mind in this petition is earthly necessities, and no doubt under the heading of bread he also had in mind clothing and other normal necessities.  Nevertheless, this petition reminds us of a very important pair of truths. One is that we are dependent on God for temporal as well as spiritual needs; the other is that the Lord is willing to provide both.

 

With regard to divine provision of temporal needs, we know that God told Adam and Eve what they could eat. Of course, they would have to take steps to ensure they had food, such as tending the garden in Eden, but at the beginning it is clear that God was concerned about the temporal needs of his innocent creatures. Following the Fall, God showed he was still concerned about those needs. For example, after the flood, when God made a covenant with Noah, he gave promises about the regularity of the harvests. The children of Israel were given a daily supply of manna. Paul and Barnabas informed the people of Lystra that God had sent them harvests from heaven in order to make their lives happy and as an incentive to seek him.

 

We also see in this petition an example of the simplicity of faith. Faith in God assumes that he knows what to give to us. It also assumes that there will be constancy in God, that he will not change; daily prayer for the same thing is not mindless repetition. Rather it is the expression of the awareness that he will not change in his character, that what he did yesterday he will do today and tomorrow.

 

This petition is suitable for us whatever our position in society. After all, all that everyone needs is found in this petition, whether that person is rich or poor, old or young. The petition is also an expression of confidence in the sovereignty of God, that whatever a person’s circumstances God is able to meet his or her daily needs. Connected to this understanding of God as the sovereign is that he reveals that sovereignty in his providence. If at this moment, we were to think of what is involved in answering one person’s request for daily bread, we need to take into account the preparation of it and the distribution of it, and then multiply that providential action millions of times. Added to this must be a grasp of the sufficiency of God, that he is able to supply all that is needed for every person that asks him for his provision. And we can also say that the petition reveals awareness of the delight of God in meeting the temporal needs of petitioners.  

 

It is likely that the great lesson from this petition is that there is no need to be anxious about most of the things we are anxious about. Normally, anxiety is caused by thinking about the future, although obviously there are many matters that cause present anxiety. There is a difference between valid anxiety and invalid anxiety. Paul had on his heart the care of all the churches, that was valid. But it would not have been valid for him to worry about what food they would eat in a month’s time. We know that anxiety about earthly things can really drain our hearts. Here, in this petition, Jesus reminds us of one aspect of the heavenly Father’s constant care, and thinking about this should help us with invalid anxiety.

 

There is also a reminder here that we should not forget God in the daily affairs of life. As we know, there is a difference in knowing that God can care and believing that he will care. This petition is a simple statement of our confidence that God cares for his people, and that he provides for their needs. We may buy our food from a supermarket, but God is the real Supplier.

 

We may wonder if there is a connection between this petition and the one that proceeds it which is concerned with doing the will of God. Even a basic thought will lead us to realise that normally we need physical strength to do his will because it will involve actions of different kinds. God answers this petition not only to relieve our hunger and other needs, but also to ensure that we will serve him.

 

The place of the petition in the Lord’s Prayer

This petition is the first petition that is concerned with one’s personal situation. The previous petitions focus on general concerns with the glory of God’s name and the spread of his worldwide kingdom throughout the future history of earth. Now there are three petitions that are expressions of one’s personal needs: provision of daily needs, forgiveness of others, and kept from temptation and the devil. The structure of the prayer reminds us of our priorities – God’s kingdom comes before our personal interests. It also enables us to maintain a spiritual balance – God and his kingdom bring greater blessings than things can give.

 

This is the only petition in the Lord’s Prayer that is concerned with practical needs. This, in itself, does not suggest that our personal needs are unimportant. Yet it does point to the fact that our practical needs should not be the only priority in our prayers for ourselves. We are not to let our temporal needs outweigh our concern about our spiritual needs.

 

The significance of a daily petition

The petition also indicates that we should pray at the beginning of each day. This possibility may be strengthened by recalling that the Hebrew day began at evening, so in a sense praying for bread at that time would include the evening hours and then the daylight hours. It would be strange to pray for bread after we have received it. Whether that is the case or not, the petition is indicating that the beginning of each day should involve prayer that our legitimate needs of that day would be provided by God.

 

Obviously the petition also indicates that we should pray every day. In other words, it is pointing out that there should be a regular pattern to our lives. Prayer is not to be spasmodic or irregular. Of course, there will be times when sudden prayer will have to be made. Yet regular prayer is a crucial element of healthy spirituality.

 

Again, the petition is highlighting the fact that we should live one day at a time. One of the consequences of modern life, with all its technology and inventions, is that we can make plans for the future. Obviously there is nothing wrong with doing so. Yet it can create the outlook that is more concerned with what is going to happen tomorrow rather than with what is meant to happen today.

 

The petition and our relationship with God

The obvious message that this petition reveals is our total dependence on God. In the past, this was not so much an issue as it is today. Our forefathers did not have the means of supply that is characteristic of capitalist economies, and often their cupboards were empty. Today we have deep freezes that are full of food; and barring a prolonged loss of electricity we know that we have sufficient food for many days. Yet we should not let our modern way of life rob us of this comfortable reality, which is that God should be relied upon for our daily food.

 

An aspect of our dependence on God is that we acknowledge that he is the one who has equipped our modern society to exist in the way that it does. Think of how the grain grows in the ground and is watered by God until the harvest appears (of course, this is a reminder that God works in advance of our prayers – the bread for which we pray today was prepared by God long before we thought about it). Think of how many people are involved in order for a loaf of bread to reach us. There usually are farmers, lorry drivers, bakers and shop assistants involved, not to mention electricians and water engineers. That process can be multiplied hundreds of times each time we take a trolley out of a supermarket. Some of the items we use come from other parts of the world. So we can add sailors and dockers, pilots and airport workers to the list. God is in control of the entire process, and we acknowledge his sovereignty each time we pray this petition. Great is the ability of God as the Controller of events.

 

A second feature of this petition is that although it is concerned with our practical needs, it is also an expression of spiritual awareness. We can make this petition because we know that God has made a covenant in which he promised that there would be seed-time and harvest. This covenant commitment was made by God after the judgement of the Flood in which many millions of the human race perished for their sins (Gen. 8:22f.). The earth was a place of judgement for them, but it is a source of blessing for us. We make this petition in the knowledge that the Lord is kind to us and faithful to his word. Great is the covenant-keeping faithfulness of God to his people.

 

This petition also provides us with a third aspect of our relationship with God, which is that it is an antidote to anxiety. Paul in Philippians 4 tells us not to be anxious about anything, but by prayer and thanksgiving to make our requests known to God. When we do so, Paul assures us that the peace of God will protect us. Here, in the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus is teaching his disciples to bring their practical concerns to God every day. In that chapter in Philippians, Paul said that such prayer would contribute to the attaining of contentment. Contentment comes from having the presence of God; and praying this petition intelligently and devotedly will result in contentment.

 

A fourth aspect of one’s relationship with God that arises from this petition is that it reminds us of an aspect of life that brings anger to the heart of God. This aspect is that people are deprived their daily bread. The deprivation is not caused by God’s refusal to provide enough food for the inhabitants of the world. Even with all its tragedies, famines and other problems that affect the amount of available food, there is still plenty food in the world. One of the ironic contrasts seen in some news bulletins is a report of a famine in Africa followed by a report detailing the latest profits of the supermarkets. As Peter Lewis put it, ‘The problem is not a God who does not care but a race that will not share.’

 

The petition and some aspects of spirituality

I will mention briefly some features of daily Christian life that this petition brings to mind. Each of these details is obvious, so I only need to mention them.

 

First, we cannot use this petition as a substitute for other required activities. Paul reminds the Thessalonians in 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12: ‘For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.’ A person cannot justify idleness by pretending to pray. On the other hand, sometimes one will do without his daily bread if he or she intends to fast as well as pray.

 

Second, this petition is an encouragement to simplicity of lifestyle, and if practised it would deliver us from one area of the great temptations that affects modern life, the temptations that are connected to materialism. Most materialistic concerns are not aspect of necessity today. Instead they are optional, and if we realise that we don’t need them, then living out this prayer will help us not to focus on them.

 

Another sin which the petition highlights is the sin of gluttony. When a person engages in this sin, it is a sign that he or she has forgotten that the food has been given to them in order to live sanctified lives, and that what they should take is what is sufficient for each day. 

 

A further sin, which an understanding of this petition will weaken, is the sin of jealousy. Once I realise that what another person possesses is under the control and decision of God, and that what I possess is under the same control and decision, I should not be envious of what God has given them in providence.

 

Third, this petition reminds us that we should not be selfish in our prayers for daily needs. The petition does not say ‘Give me my daily bread’, but ‘Give us our daily bread.’ To begin with, the ‘us’ includes all the children of God. John questions the genuineness of a Christian commitment that is willing to allow another Christian to go hungry: ‘By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?’ (1 John 3:16-17). 

 

Similarly James teaches that sharing with hungry Christians is an essential feature of true faith: ‘What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead’ (Jas. 2:14-17). 

 

John Wesley once sent a letter to a man whom he knew was in difficult circumstances. In the letter he quoted Psalm 37:3: ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.’ He also enclosed two £5 notes in the envelope. His friend replied, ‘I have often been struck with the beauty of the passage of Scripture quoted in your good letter, but I must confess that I never saw such useful expository notes on it before.’

 

Of course, our sharing of what God gives us is not to be limited to God’s family. Yet they do have a stronger demand on what we have: ‘Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith’ (Gal. 6:10).

 

Fourth, this petition encourages us to pray for physical strength in order to contribute to God’s kingdom (the first three petitions of the Lord’s Prayer) and to resist the spiritual dangers that we face (the next two petitions of the Prayer). It is the case that a person who is physically weak will find it difficult to get involved in activities that promote God’s cause. It is also the case that a person who is physically weak (tired and hungry) is often prone to question God’s dealings with him, is easier prey for the devil’s temptations (to steal, for example), and is more liable to argue with his brethren than forgive them.

 

Fifth, this petition reminds us that our prayer requests should be submissive to God. In praying for bread we are praying for one of the most basic commodities in life. To pray for a loaf of bread is not the same as praying for a new car or a new house. It is a reminder that we confess the sovereignty of God in the allocation of his good gifts. We draw near to him confessing our need and acknowledging his love and his wisdom in knowing what to give us and to withhold from us.

 

Conclusion

It is inevitable that this petition will be based on experience of previous petitions being answered. We do not pray it once in our lives. So it will be offered with gratitude for numerous previous examples of the Father providing for our temporal needs. We are all aware of the hymn, Count Your Blessings. Among them is this amazing daily provision for our temporal needs.

 

When we pray this petition, we are expressing brotherly love for the many Christians who have little access to the regular resources that we have. The words ‘Give us’ include all the followers of Jesus. So while we may not know most of them personally in this life, we are involved personally with them when we use this petition. There is no reason why we should not pray for all people in need, but there is a special blessing when we pray for the people of God in their needs.