“Give us today our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11 NIV)
What do you think ‘our daily bread’ means in this passage?
I used to think that our request to God in this petition referred to our physical food only.
Now, I believe that when we ask God to give us our daily bread that we are asking Him to give us everything we need to live; physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Matthew 4:4 NIV says, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
What does it mean to “live on every word that comes from the mouth of God?”
As I shared in my last blog, Isaiah 41:10 is helping me a lot personally these days. It says, “So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Trusting God to be with me and to strengthen me during a time when I feel so weak on my own, is enabling me to persevere through my life’s current challenges.
A few other examples of those life-giving words are…
Philippians 4:19 (NIV) says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
God’s glory is great, and it will never end. Likewise, His desire and ability to meet all of our needs is great and will never end. We can trust Him now, and for all of eternity.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) says, “ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”
We tend to think of ‘prosper’ in terms of financial prosperity only. But, according to Strong’s Concordance, the meaning of “prosper’ in Hebrew – as it was originally written, is much deeper. Strong’s Concordance says that ‘prosper’ means completeness, wholeness, soundness, welfare, rest and peace. (James Strong, Expanded Edition Strong’s Complete Word Study Concordance (2004), p. 1985)
Malachi 3:10-12 (NIV) says, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. TEST ME in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty. (Emphasis mine)
The Biblical account of the widow who gave two mites (Mark 12:41-44) shows us God’s heart on this topic.
There are other Scriptures that I could include here, but I will come back throughout the week with those as “Words of Encouragement.”
My prayer is, “Thank You, Lord, for giving me the daily bread that I need. Please help me to learn more about You and Your promises, through Your Word, the Bible. Please help me to stand on those promises, and to trust You for everything. May others be blessed as they learn to trust You more as well. In Jesus’ Name, AMEN.
