“Give us this day our daily bread.” Matthew 6:11
We’re all familiar with this verse of the Lord’s Prayer, but have we ever stopped to ask what it means? What is the bread the Lord is referring to? How does it come to us? How will we recognize it when it comes? Well, let’s let the Bible interpret itself. Jesus said, in John 6:35, “I Am the bread of life.” He also said, “For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” John 6.33.
So, when we ask God for our daily Bread, we are really asking Him for more of Jesus, a more intimate fellowship with Him, that will empower us to endure temptation, and bring us into a oneness with Him! But many don’t understand what that means, or what to look for when that Daily Bread is supplied. Let’s go the Word of God again. John 6:32-33“Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
So, when we ask for our daily bread, we are asking for many things, but primarily, we are asking for His Word to be made flesh in our lives. That’s a big statement, but it means that we’re asking for the promises of God to show up and manifest in us as we apply the Word of God; we are asking for a deeper and more workable knowledge of the scriptures; that we experience greater revelation in order to access the benefits of the New Covenant when we need them! We’re asking for the manifest presence of God to show up when we need Him to. He is the Bread of Life, and He brings life into dead situations, dead relationships, dead dreams and aspirations that seemed to die a long time ago! Or at least haven’t happened yet! He is the Resurrection and the LIFE! And He IS our Daily Bread! And He does give life to the world!
So, when we ask Him to give us THIS DAY our DAILY BREAD, it becomes a day of celebration! We begin to mark the day in order to be ready and vigilant for the supply of daily bread we asked Him for. It may come in word form from a brother or sister in Christ! It may come in a phone call, or a sudden realization. It might just be something that comes to you when you’re sitting at a stop light and listening to a song on the radio. It might be an inspiring revelation during worship at church! It may come in the form of hunger for more knowledge of God. But when you ask Him, you need to know He will and does respond! Why would He not respond to the very prayer he prescribes to us to pray; “Give us this day our daily bread.” He will respond, and we would be wise to be ready to receive! That’s what asking in faith looks like!
With Love,
Pastor Tom