Matthew 6:11 “give us this day our daily bread”

As Jesus shows us how to pray, He starts off with the first four requests in the prayer having nothing to do with our own personal needs or wants.  He sets the tone for us in prayer that we must recognize who God is, Our father.  How great God is, he must be Hallowed. Who the kingdom belongs to, Him. Whose will is best for us and the world, His!  And now He goes into our practical and I would even say our spiritual needs.  Today’s daily bread. 

This reminds me of when I first moved here from New York, I had a roommate. All in all, it was a good experience, we ended up being close friends. One early morning, when we first moved in together, I woke up one morning, famished.  As I dragged myself into the kitchen to make my coffee, and I had some leftovers in the fridge that I was going to warm up, that I was looking forward to. But when I opened the door to the fridge it was nowhere to be found.  Looked in the trash and saw the to go carton in there and I knew exactly who the culprit was. Today I laugh looking back to that morning, but I was not too happy when it happened. Looking back I was able to stop at Starbucks on the way to work and get something to eat. But for the disciples and even Jesus as they were on mission they may not have known where their next meal was coming from.  

Many of us have refrigerators full of food, where we may not even worry or have to think about where our next meal is coming from. This is a blessing that I know I have taken for granted, and maybe you too.  There are many who live among us who experience food scarcity, who don’t know where their next meal is coming from.  We serve many of these at our food programs in Lake Worth at Proclaim on Fridays and Saturdays. Many of you are a vital part of this ministry. Does this mean that we still shouldn’t pray for our daily bread? Absolutely not, I think in the practical, we pray for it, and at the same time we thank God for his faithful provision in our lives, and pray for those who don’t have at this time.  To take it even further, I think praying for this provision also highlights and should connect us to how our Heavenly father wants to use us to be that provision for someone else who is in need.  

From the spiritual point of view, we should be reminded “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God” Matt 4:4.  The word of God, The bible  is our spiritual bread that we need for our spiritual sustenance.  And ultimately Jesus is the bread of Life and we should pray and remember to get our portion of Him daily. 

John 6:32-35 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 

So as you pray the Lord’s prayer today, reflect on these truths as you ask for the father to provide today’s daily bread. 

And remember Jesus Loves you, and so do I!

Pastor Will