Give us today our daily bread (Matthew 6:11)

"Give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11)

After having us to pray about God’s name, God’s kingdom, and God’s will, it might seem anticlimactic for Jesus to have us pray next about our meals. We can rest assured, however, that it isn’t. The first three petitions lead us to commit ourselves wholly to God. This one leads to the natural and logical request for God to provide the energy we need to live our lives totally committed him. How can we live for him if our basic physical need for food goes unfulfilled?

Many interpreters understand “bread,” rightly in my view, to stand as a symbol for all of our basic needs. We should depend on God for the needs of the day, whatever they may be. A farmer prays for rain so his crop will grow. A mother prays for patience so she can care for her children in a godly way. A student prays for the ability to recall the information she has studied so she can do well on her exam. The Reformer Martin Luther was right when he argued that for everyone to have daily bread we need a thriving economy, good employment opportunities, and a just society. Let us pray, therefore, against what hinders such things and for what promotes and contributes to them.

We should not substitute the words “me” and “my” for the words “us” and “our.” This does not mean we shouldn’t pray for ourselves, but Jesus is reminding us to pray for others as well as ourselves.  Part of what it means to love our neighbors as ourselves is to remember to pray for them. We can hardly pray for them, however, until we discover their needs, which we can do when we take the time to get to know them and listen to them and show a genuine concern for them. Obviously we can’t know all our neighbors personally. Many are far removed from us and yet since we know of their needs we still must pray for them. The victims of the recent earthquake in Nepal readily come to mind. But for those closer to us—our next door neighbors, family members, coworkers, fellow church members, etc.—we can learn of their needs as we build relationships with them and love them. And as we learn of their needs we must remember to pray for God to meet their needs.

Let us also note the word “daily.” We must pray this day for God to supply our own needs as well as the needs of others. This means we are to rely on the Lord one day at a time. We will deal with tomorrow when it comes…if it comes. But God has given us today. We must learn to depend on him to provide for our needs one day at a time.