Give us this day our daily bread
Matthew 6:11
For much of my life, I was satisfied with the idea that these words from The Lord’s Prayer mean that we were to trust God for our daily food. And I’m sure that’s part of it. But now I realize it means so much more than that. Jesus is telling us that we need to come to Him in complete dependence not only for our personal needs but for all we need to meet the needs of others He brings into our lives. And I need to depend on Him daily for whatever He has planned for me to do.
In Exodus we read about the people of Israel in the desert after being saved from slavery in Egypt. God provided manna every morning. They were instructed to gather it daily, and only enough for one day. God was teaching them that He would provide again the next day and every day after that.
I love the message about Jesus feeding the multitudes with the only food the disciples were able to obtain from the crowd – five loaves of bread and two fish. He miraculously multiplied that small offering into not just barely enough to feed everyone, but there were 12 baskets of food left over! What stands out to me in this scripture is that the disciples had to keep coming back to Jesus for refills. He didn’t give them the complete amount all at one time they would need to distribute.
Jesus said, I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst (John 6:35). He revealed Himself as the only way to receive eternal life. He invites us to come to Him for salvation. When we receive His gift of salvation by faith, we also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit who comes to live in us. We need to depend on Him daily to align our hearts and minds and will with God’s.
Again, for much of my life I had no idea of this truth. I believed in God, I was attending church regularly, but there was no understanding that God had a plan for my life. No understanding that God had given me His Spirit to equip me for the life He had planned. No understanding of spiritual gifts God has given every believer to accomplish His work.
Like the Israelites, I need to come to Jesus daily, and throughout the day, in complete surrender to His will and trust in His provision. A love relationship with Him brings peace, joy, and a sense of purpose as I live my life for Him. He provides everything I need to follow Him and to encourage others in their walk with Him.
PERSONAL REFLECTION
Do you make time with the Lord a priority in your life? Do you recognize your need for Him daily?
What keeps you from spending time with Him daily? He calls us to come to Him all who are weary and burdened and He will give us rest for our souls (Matthew 11:28).
Great thoughts, again! Thank you. We can thank God for our troubles because they draw us to Him. I love John Piper’s words: “Christ must be our prize, our treasure, our joy. He must be a satisfaction so deep that when death takes everything we love but gives us more of Christ, we count it gain! He certainly is our sustenance–the eternal Bread of Life!