The second petition found in the Lord’s Prayer is “Give us this day our daily bread…” This reminds me of how important it is to rely on the Lord on a daily basis. Not just to be disciplined in praying and giving thanks each day, but also to remember that the life He has given us is a day-by-day existence.
In the book of Exodus the Lord provided for His people after they escaped Egypt and began their forty year journey in the desert. He provided their daily sustenance in the form of manna which, clearly, provided all their nutritional needs. His command, however, was that no one gather more than they needed for the day. In this way, they were completely reliant on God providing each and every day and had to take that step of faith that He would deliver on His promise.
I don’t know about you, but I know I often try to save up...ok, hoard...those things that I feel make my life easier or better. It’s tough to rely on the unknown, but for me it’s even tougher to rely on the known. I know that God is in ultimate control and He will always be faithful to provide me exactly what I need; He promised that. So why is it so difficult to trust in that promise? I guess we’re all so conditioned—even those of us in the Christian faith—to be resourceful in our day to day existence that being confident in what we don’t physically see is unnerving. God’s intervention is often intangible, yet His work is quite remarkably present if we slow down and really examine what circumstances are going on in our lives.
Jesus did not refer to Himself as the Bread of Life just as a whimsical title, nor was He trying to be elusive; He was stating a simple fact. We are only sustained in this life—and beyond this life of humanity—by believing on Him. He told us we needed to pray for our daily bread and I, for one, try to do just that.
Blessings!
Greg Morton
Copyright © November 1, 2013
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