Well, here we are again after something of an extended break!

Daily Bread

Continuing with the Lord’s Prayer, we get to the next petition which switches the focus. So far, the prayer has been God-centred – His name, His holiness, His will. In summary, the prayers have been ‘in heaven’.

But now it’s very much down to earth. Give us this day our daily bread. Daily bread is a recognition of our dependence on food. And at the most obvious level, Jesus is referring to our dependence on our Father to provide us with our physical needs. In the West, the majority of us are ‘distanced’ from the source of our food – we don’t see it grow or processed – which can lead us to be ‘distanced’ from the source of that food, namely God himself. 

So this prayer is not about reminding God that we need bread every day – he knows that already – in fact that is the very context of the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:8 see also Matthew 6:31, 32). Rather it is to remind us of our dependence on God and to acknowledge and thank him on a daily basis.

Manna

It’s also likely, when Jesus’ hearers heard the word ‘bread’, that their minds will have gone to the provision of manna in the wilderness. The book of Exodus recounts how the whole nation had just been released from slavery in Egypt, and were now wandering in a wilderness. They were hungry and cried out for food. God provided in a miraculous way with manna – bread from heaven – which came every day except on the Sabbath. Many lessons here. It was God’s provision, all they had to do was gather it. It was sufficient – no-one went without – but they couldn’t hoard it (except for the day before the Sabbath). It foreshadowed God’s ultimate provision of our greatest need in sending Jesus (I am the bread of life John 6:48-51).

The people’s reaction is interesting. At first they were obviously grateful. But some had to test God – What if we try to keep some for the next day (it went bad), what if we don’t gather enough for the Sabbath (you go hungry because there is none on the Sabbath). 

Then after a while, they got bored with it. So they complained. They wanted more variety, something that was more interesting. In recounting this is Psalm 106, the psalmist writes about a ‘wanton craving’ (for meat). God’s response was to give them what they wanted, but he also sent a ‘wasting disease’ amongst them.  

God’s provision for us is always sufficient. To want something more or different is to distrust him and think that we know better.

The Word

There’s also a relationship between bread and the Word. In his testing in the wilderness, Jesus (quoting from Deuteronomy) said how ‘man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’ (Matthew 4:4). Our lives consist of more than food – we need to hear from God himself and are also dependent on him to speak to us. The primary way he does this is through the Bible – his Word. But I’ve found that whenever we talk about this, there seems to be an immediate reference to how God can use other ways as well and the focus shifts to how God uses other means. It’s as though we’re not satisfied with God’s regular provision – we want something else.

I have no doubt that God uses different ways to speak to us – but the point is that the primary way is through his Word. That is where we will find him daily, and that is where we should be seeking him. 

Contentment

Jesus said effectively to take one day at a time and not to worry about tomorrow – including God’s provision of our food – rather to be seeking God’s kingdom. Matt 6:25-34. This, I think, is the secret to contentment as Paul writes in 1 Timothy 6:6-8.

Godliness with contentment is great gain.

If we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.