Does Jesus really want us to ask the Father to give us food every day? In this message, Pastor Jamie Nunnally continues the series about the Lord’s Prayer, focusing on the line: “Give us this day our daily bread.” This is the first time in Jesus’ model prayer that we ask for something for ourselves.
The word “daily” here means only what is necessary for today. You could say “sustain us with what we need for today.”
Manna in wilderness
Exodus 16:2-5; 13-31
Notice, God gave it to them and he gave them only what they needed for the day: the two request in the Lord’s prayer. Manna was training for dependence on God and contentment for today.
Why pray for our daily bread?
- Dependence on God.
John 15:5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”
Since our culture is so fiercely fights for our independence politically, Christians will have to fiercely fight for our dependence spiritually. The lie of our culture is that our happiness will be found in our self-sufficiency. But God says freedom comes from allowing a loving Heavenly Father to be your provider.
Matthew 6:-31-33 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God[a] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
God wants us to rely on Him because He is the only thing that is fully reliable, dependable, and trustworthy in this world. You won’t worry about getting when you get close to the
giver. - Contentment for today.
1 Timothy 6:6-8 Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. 7 After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. 8 So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.
Contentment replaces the desire for excess with the desire for enough.
Hebrews 13:5 “Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”
Jesus is the bread we desire.
John 6:48-51 “Yes, I am the bread of life! 49 Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. 50 Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”
Jesus is your daily bread. He is enough for today he’ll be there tomorrow too.
*When you pray, are you asking God to give you your daily bread?