Jump Start # 298
Luke 11:3 “Give us this day our daily bread.”
We continue our look at the model prayer as taught by Jesus Christ. Jesus knew how to pray. He understood the value of prayer. He knew what God wanted to hear. He knew what we needed to say.
The first request that Jesus makes in this prayer is our verse today, “Give us this day our daily bread.” You remember when Jesus was tempted by Satan to turn stones into bread, that Jesus responded, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” It is easy to think that Jesus didn’t care about bread and that food didn’t really matter, but it did. He taught the disciples to pray for it. He asked God to give it.
This may be the simplest sentence in this prayer that we are looking at, but if you give it some thought, there are some profound things to consider. First of all, this request realizes that God is the giver of bread. Even though the farmer may plant the grain and harvest it and another person works the grain at a mill until it becomes flour and finally someone adds ingredients and bakes it and someone puts a piece of bread on our plate and we eat it, it is a gift from God. Many people were involved in the process but it is God who gives the bread. Without God there is no bread.
We also notice that this is a prayer to be prayed every day. Jesus taught, “Give us THIS DAY our daily bread.” What about tomorrow’s bread? What about next week’s bread? There needs to be prayers for those as well. We must realize that our times and culture has taken away much of the “daily” aspect of this. In our Lord’s day, going to the market was an everyday event. In a world without freezers and refrigerators, produce and ingredients were purchase every day. There was an awareness of “our daily bread.” Most of us have pantries stocked with food that would last us several weeks. Few of us go to the grocery store every day. We can lose the concept of the daily gift from God in all of this. But still, every meal represents gifts that come from God. We don’t pray for the “year’s” bread or even the whole month’s bread, but today’s bread—this day!
There is another interesting aspect about daily bread that has fascinated me for a long time. Long before a person has prayed this prayer, God has already been busy towards that end. Think about this. If I were to sit down and ask the Lord to give me this day by daily bread, the crop has been planted, grown, harvested, milled and baked in order for me to have bread today. Many months of growth and process have already taken place—most without my awareness or consideration. But God has.
Another thought here. How did Jesus intend for God to “give” the daily bread? Was it to appear like manna did for Israel in the Old Testament? Was it to magically appear on a plate? None of those are true to the New Testament. Part of God’s giving is my doing. I am to work. Work is not a curse but something God wants us to be engaged in. Work is good. Through that process I earn wages in which I can purchase bread. God’s hands are in all of those things. My job, my abilities, my opportunities, my blessings from God and make it necessary for God to give me bread. I think some have the idea that I can just ask God, and then go turn the TV on and some how food is going to arrive. God partners with us. We are part of the gift.
There is one other thought about God giving us our daily bread. Jesus didn’t say it here in this prayer, but I think it was just expected. After God gives us the bread, we ought to be thankful. We have asked. God has answered. Even Miss Manners would understand that a person ought to be thankful. To ask without being thankful borders on being selfish and spoiled. I wonder how many times God has answered requests that I have made without me later thanking Him. Shame on me.
Daily bread isn’t limited to just bread. It goes beyond daily food. What about health? Ever had the flu, the bad kind? Every minute you are sick seems like forever. You wonder if you will ever feel normal again. Weak, puny tired and just pitiful. Then we get better. Our strength returns. We can eat anything, and we do. Back to work. Back to our busy schedules. Days, then weeks pass, and we forget about being so sick. We feel great but we don’t think much about it. Daily bread…daily health? Daily opportunities. Daily jobs. Daily blessings. Daily hope. All of a sudden, this simple sentence becomes profound and impressive.
Remember, “give us” is a request. It is not a demand. You ask and you ask with reverence and kindness, realizing who you are talking to. It is God, the giver of bread.
It is interesting to note that later on Jesus would call Himself the bread of life. He is the bread that we need, every day. Give us our bread, physically and spiritually. We need it and can’t live without either one.
Roger