“Give us this day our daily bread.” Matthew 6:11
Notice the plural. The “us” and the “our” run right through the Lord’s Prayer. Our Father in heaven. Give us our daily bread. Forgive us our debts. Lead us not into temptation, etc.
So here is a prayer that will help us not only to acknowledge our dependence and to grow in gratitude, but also to deepen our compassion for others whose needs are greater than our own.
The word “daily” reminds us that God has a track record of faithfulness. He has been providing for billions of people across every continent of the world, and He has been doing this on a daily basis for thousands of years!
Affirming God’s faithfulness is an antidote to anxiety. Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on” (Matt. 6:25). Why shouldn’t we be anxious?
Jesus tells us: “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them” (6:26). Do you see what He is saying? Your heavenly Father is faithful. He feeds the birds. He clothes the flowers. You are more to Him than birds or plants, and you can trust Him to provide for you.
These are anxious times, and the Lord’s Prayer reminds us that our God is faithful. When we ask God to provide for what we need, we are not asking for something strange or unusual. This is what God does for His people. He does it daily, and you can trust Him to do it for you.
Use the Lord’s Prayer to intercede for the practical needs of others. Pray for a hungry world. Ask God to bring to mind the needs of others. And if God has given you what you need for today, may the Spirit prompt you to be the means by which He provides for someone else.
