Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

This portion of the Lord's Prayer humbly shifts the focus from God to us. We have called God our Father, we have noted His exaltedness in heaven, we have requested that His name be kept pure and holy and magnified, and we have asked for His kingdom to come to us and His will to be done on this earth. Now we ask for Him to grant something specifically on our behalf - daily bread.

We have spent the first half of this prayer magnifying God and therefore humbling ourselves. We can do nothing, for God has the power. Thus we acknowledge our dependence on Him when we ask Him to give us anything. We realize here that everything comes from Him. "G:ive us this day" is a repeated request. Each day we pray this prayer, we are asking for a "right-now" blessing. And despite our sinfulness, God provides. He provides this day and every day. When we hear, "our daily bread," we likely think of food. And that's fine, for we do indeed need food for sustenance. And God does indeed provide that for us. But more specifically - or generally, depending on your perspective - our daily bread speaks of our needs. It's a plea for the Lord, the Creator of the universe, to give us everything we need for today. And isn't it amazing that He does. We are to be humbled throughout this prayer. Even in asking for a blessing to fall upon us, we affirm that it is by His grace and according to His pleasure and purpose to bring it to pass.

We may not get everything we want, but surely, at the end of your day, even if you're homeless and hungry, God has provided you with what you needed. Now tomorrow is a different day. So pray this prayer then too, and watch God work. Consider Luke 12:4-7, in which Jesus said:

"I tell you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."