Give Us this day Our Daily Bread
(Matthew 6:9-13 NASB)
"Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. {10} 'Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. {11} 'GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD. {12} 'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. {13} 'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen."
There have always been those who try to separate the physical from the spiritual. This cannot be done. The whole of one's life is an act of worship, it is the outworking of one's beliefs. This is true whether a Christian or an Atheist. To live is to be religious, to live is to practice our faith. The spiritual cannot be separated form the physical, they are inseparably bound together. One man said, "that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural, and afterwards that which is spiritual." We might say, "It is impossible to be a spiritual or religious person if I do not exist in the first place, but once I do exist I become a spiritual and religious person, whether Christian or not.
We who are Christian must have first been born of the flesh to have later been born of the spirit, or, born again. So also our following of God after we are saved depends, to some extent, on the physical condition of our bodies. If we are to worship our God, as the "Lord's Prayer" instructs us too, we must maintain a reasonable physical existence. In order to praise Him with our lips, our lives, our thoughts, to glorify Him in all that we do, we must be alive, able to do, think, speak and pray.
We have learned that the Hallowing of God's name is, and is to be, the goal of our existence. We are to seek His glory, His honor, the coming of His Kingdom, His will on earth as it is in Heaven. That is why we are now instructed to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." We must seek the Glory of God and in order to do that we must have all things necessary to the maintenance of our bodies. Therefore, we know we are praying according to His will when we pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." The Scriptures reveal elsewhere that when we pray according to the will of God we can be certain of a positive answer.
(1 John 5:14-15 NASB) "And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, He hears us. {15} And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him." Is it not reasonable to conclude that having instructed us to pray for our daily bread, it is the will of God to supply that bread for us? Yes, beloved, it is the will of God that all our physical NEEDS be met.
So then, as Christians we must learn to pray, and then to rest in the promise of an answer. In Matthew 6 Jesus put it this way, "Do not be anxious then, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'With what shall we clothe ourselves?' {32} "For all these things the Gentiles seek; (The unbeliever seeks after and is anxious to obtain material things because he does not have God as His Father.) for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. {33} "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; (While praying, "Give us this day our daily bread".) and all these things shall be added to you. {34} "Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:31-34 NASB)
It is the will of God that we have everything pertaining to life and Godliness. Therefore, we can pray and then rest in His integrity and grace. "Give us this day our daily bread."
First, in this petition we ask God to supply all our material needs, our bread. The basic necessities of life are the focus of this petition. It is not wrong for us to want and petition God for our physical needs, our daily bread. Fact is, it is wrong not to do so faithfully. This glorifies our God by declaring Him to be the giver of our daily provision for life. It glorifies God by declaring our dependence upon Him for even the simplest of things, a piece of bread.
In a general sense we know that God provides the necessities of life to every living creature.
(Psalms 145:15-16 KJV) "The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing."
(Psalms 104:10-24 NASB) "HE SENDS FORTH springs in the valleys; They flow between the mountains; {11} They give drink to every beast of the field; The wild donkeys quench their thirst. {12} Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; They lift up their voices among the branches. {13} HE waters the mountains from HIS upper chambers; The earth is satisfied with the fruit of HIS WORKS. {14} HE CAUSES the grass to grow FOR the cattle, And vegetation FOR the labor of man, So that he may bring forth food from the earth, {15} And wine which makes man's heart glad, So that he may make his face glisten with oil, And food which sustains man's heart. {16} The trees of the LORD drink their fill, The cedars of Lebanon which He planted, {17} Where the birds build their nests, And the stork, whose home is the fir trees. {18} The high mountains are FOR the wild goats; The cliffs are a refuge FOR the rock badgers. {19} HE made the moon for the seasons; The sun knows the place of its setting. {20} Thou dost appoint darkness and it becomes night, In which all the beasts of the forest prowl about. {21} The young lions roar after their prey, AND SEEK THEIR FOOD FROM GOD. {22} When the sun rises they withdraw, And lie down in their dens. {23} Man goes forth to his work And to his labor until evening. {24} O LORD, how many are Thy works! In wisdom Thou hast made them all; THE EARTH IS FULL OF THY POSSESSIONS."
Martin Luther once said, "Even to feed the sparrows God spends more than the revenues of the French King would buy." If then He cares for the sparrow in such a way how much more will He provide for Christians who work and pray for their daily bread. God feeds us, beloved, but we must petition Him for this daily bread. Such dependence, and the declaration of the same, reminds us daily of the truth, and, it puts Him on display as the great provider. As Christians we ought to be, above all other humans, a thankful and humble people.
Next, I offer this brief observation. This petition includes a request for the blessing of God ON the bread He gives. This is necessary if we would gain any benefit from it.
(Matthew 4:4 NASB) "But He answered and said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD." This verse of scripture has a clear spiritual application but, I believe, it also says something about the physical as well. One can eat the finest of foods filled with all the vitamins and minerals necessary to sustain life and still die of malnutrition. It is not the food we eat that gives life. Rather, we only benefit from the food we eat as God causes it to give up it's nutrients and our bodies to use them properly. His word of blessing must accompany our eating or it will be in vain. This blessing is taken for granted by most, but, it must not be the case with the people of God. Therefore, we pray, "Give us this day our daily bread."
Further, by this petition, we seek God's blessing ON our labor. The Christian does not pray for God to give him his daily bread so that he doesn't have to work. Neither does he work so he doesn't have to pray. Rather, he prays for the ability to work and the blessing of his work as the instrument by which God will give him his daily bread. One man said this, "work performed in obedience to God as a means of gaining that which God has promised to supply is a prayer for ones daily bread." With this I fully agree. When the Christian goes out to earn his living by the sweat of his brow he is putting himself in the way of God's blessing and promise. He is living out this very petition, "give us this day our daily bread," his actions may be viewed as a prayer to God for the meeting of his needs. His health, intelligence and everything else it takes to do his job successfully is the answer to this prayer.
De 8:18 "But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is HE WHO IS GIVING YOU POWER TO MAKE WEALTH, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
If, as I have said, this petition begs God's blessing on our labor, we must be careful about two things. One, that our labor is of a legitimate sort, and, two, how we give ourselves to legitimate labor. Legitimate labor is that which meets the NEEDS of people and can be performed to the glory of God. Farming or mining a useful mineral form the earth are a couple of legitimate means of gainful employment. On the other hand selling pornography or operating a gambling establishment will not benefit mankind and one could not do this kind of work to the glory of God. Can you imagine a person praying, "Give us this day our daily bread," only to spend the rest of the day selling pornography or running a Casino? The petition asks for God's blessing upon our labor, therefore, we must make certain our labor is of the legitimate sort.
We must also be careful HOW we give ourselves to legitimate employment. We dare not say, "bless my cheating and laziness." Bless me with adequate provision while I trick my employer into thinking I am doing a good job. The farmer who intentionally fails at farming, to obtain government aid, dishonors God and cannot expect His blessing. To pray this petition is to ask God's blessing on our work, therefore, we must be engaged in legitimate work and we must work at it in an appropriate way.
Then notice that we are told to pray, "GIVE us this day our daily bread." We come to God as beggars. Our purses are empty, our coffers of merit bankrupt. There is not a man on earth who DESERVES a day of breath or a morsel of bread to sustain his body, not one! For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, together we have become useless, there is none righteous not one, all are enemies of God deserving of His wrath and that alone. Men have nothing to offer God in trade for their daily provision. They have done nothing and can do nothing to merit His favor. Rather, we are dependent on His grace and mercy, therefore, we must pray, "GIVE us this day our daily bread." Christians realize, as did the Apostle Paul, that there is nothing good that dwells in us but that which has been given to us. We have no money, no worth, nothing with which to barter, we are at His mercy. But that mercy endures forever toward those washed by the blood of the Lamb of God. That mercy comes to us through the righteousness of Christ in the form of everything pertaining to life and Godliness. That mercy is our inheritance in Christ through faith. Therefore, we are told to pray, "GIVE us this day our daily bread." Where then is boasting. (1 Corinthians 4:7 NASB) "For who regards you as superior? And WHAT DO YOU HAVE THAT YOU DID NOT RECEIVE? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?"
If all that we have and all that we are is the product of grace and mercy how dare we be PROUD of anything at all. We are beggars of God's graces, of our very bread, and should, therefore, be a THANKFUL people as we see His incredible abundance of blessing in our lives. Deserving nothing at all, we marvel that He, "GIVES", us each day exactly what we need. Let us be a thankful, as opposed to a proud, people.
Next, this petition demands that we always remember our Brothers and Sisters for it says. "Give US this day OUR daily bread." How foolish is that man who takes care of one part of his body and not the other. Would a man be wise to watch carefully what he puts into his stomach while he lets all his teeth fall out? No, we would consider him foolish. Likewise the Christian who cares nothing for the rest of the Body of Christ is a very foolish and careless person doing himself, and others, harm. Indeed he may not be a Christian at all. I say that because one of the identifying marks of a Christian is his love for other Christians. This love demands that we each be concerned for the others needs. Therefore, we are to pray, "Give US this day OUR daily bread."
It is the beast who grabs his portion of meat and flees to eat it alone while threats of danger rumble forth from his throat. The Christian, on the other hand, is as concerned for his brother's well being as he is his own. When we come across a Brother or Sister in need of daily bread we must understand that our EXCESS is their Divine PROVISION. The ability to provide, given to us by the Father, is the answer to our prayer and to theirs, "Give US this day our daily bread."
(I speak of providing for Brothers and Sisters in GENUINE NEED. Not of those who are dissatisfied with an already adequate supply. Nor do I speak of the lazy and rebellious, these need to feel the pain of hunger for their own correction and motivation. If a man WILL NOT work neither should he be allowed to eat, (2 Thessalonians 3:10), certainly he should not be given that which comes to the Godly by sweat, labor, and prayer.)
So, we are to pray for AND work for our fellow Christians. The present petition teaches us to PRAY for the brethren while Ephesians 4:28 tells us that we are to LABOR for them as well. "Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order THAT HE MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE WITH HIM WHO HAS NEED." "Give US this day OUR daily bread."
Now we must consider that it is our, "Daily", bread or material provision that we must pray for. This teaches us that God doesn't give us all we need at once but does so continuously and in portions sufficient for the day. Alexander Mclaren, form the early twentieth century, wrote, "Note the beauty and blessedness of this method of supplying our needs. It gives to each moment its own special character, it gives to each the glory of having in it a fresh gift of God. It binds all together in one long line of brightness made up of an infinite number of points, each a separate act of Divine love, each a glittering sign of His presence. It brings God very near to all life. It draws us closer to Him, by giving us at each moment opportunity and need for feeling our dependence upon Him, by bringing us once again to His throne that our needs may be supplied. And as each moment, so each day, comes with its new duties and its new needs. Yesterday's food nourishes us not today. Today's strength must come form this day's God and His new supplies. Each day we rise to realize and declare a renewed dependence on God. Each day we look into the unknown hours of the day and pray, "Give us this day our "DAILY" bread." Yes, we have to exercise forethought as concerns the future for we are taught in the scriptures to mimic the ant and the bee. But that is a very different thing from the anxious forebodings in which we are all so prone to indulge. These are profitless and harmful, robbing us of strength and contributing NOTHING to our wisdom or to our security. They are contrary to this law of Divine dealings that we shall get our rations as we need them, not sooner; that the path will be opened when we come to it, not till then. (End Quote) Therefore we pray for our, "DAILY", bread.
Finally, this petition teaches us to be CONTENT with God's provision of our daily needs.
(Philippians 4:11 NASB) "Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be CONTENT in whatever circumstances I am." (These circumstances are God's daily provision.) (Luke 3:14 NASB) "And some soldiers were questioning him, saying, "And what about us, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be CONTENT with your wages." (This does not forbid the seeking of advancement or fair pay. Rather it counsels us to know when enough is enough. And it says, that when we have agreed to a certain pay rate for certain work, we are to be content)
(1 Timothy 6:8-10 NASB) "And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be CONTENT. (These things are the basic necessities of life promised by God.) {9} But those who WANT TO GET RICH (The desire to get rich reveals that one is not happy with God's daily provision.) fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. {10} For the LOVE OF MONEY is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by LONGING FOR IT have wandered away from the faith, and PIERCED THEMSELVES WITH MANY A PANG."
When we take this petition to our lips we are asking God to give us what we need, not what we want. Therefore, we must, by grace, train ourselves to be content with what God determines we need. We must pray that God would enable us to "want" only what we really need. He may determine that one needs to be relatively poor having the bare necessities of life. Likewise, He may determine that another be relatively wealthy having much more than just food and shelter. These things must be left up to God. We, on the other hand, must be thankful at the end of each day for His provision, what ever form it has taken. The Christian must not be ashamed or embarrassed if he has been given much in the way of material provision or little, for both have come from the hand of God and are perfectly suited to us. Consider the words of Ecclesiastes 5:18-20. "Here is what I have seen to be GOOD AND FITTING: to eat, to drink and ENJOY ONESELF IN ALL ONE'S LABOR in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for THIS IS HIS REWARD. {19} Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has GIVEN riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his REWARD AND REJOICE IN HIS LABOR; this is the GIFT of God. {20} For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him OCCUPIED WITH THE GLADNESS OF HIS HEART." What a blessing of grace this is. To be so filled with the joy of working and partaking of the blessing of God that you take no thought of the brevity of life. Such freedom only comes from truth learned and applied to one's heart by the Holy Spirit.
Will we be rich or poor? God will determine that by the exercise of perfect wisdom. Ours is to pray for our daily bread, to rest in His promise to give it to us, and to rejoice and be glad with whatever form that provision takes. Let's conclude today's lesson with Matthew 6:25-33. "For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing? {26} "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? {27} "And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span? {28} "And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, {29} yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these. {30} "But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith? {31} "Do not be anxious then, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'With what shall we clothe ourselves?' {32} "For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. {33} "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.