“Give us this day our daily bread.”
That’s the only request for (or reference to) something tangible in the Lord’s Prayer. . .or is it?
In John 6 Jesus says, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” Sounds like Jesus isn’t referring to the bread we eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The life in the spirit that Jesus offers is (or, should be) our daily bread.
Sometimes people fast from food. Some people don’t have the means to obtain food to eat on a daily basis. Daily bread is about much more than remembering to ask God to provide for us tangibly, then, because God doesn’t forget to provide. Jesus reminds us of this earlier in the Sermon on the Mount when he talks about the sparrows falling from their nests and clothing the wildflowers of the field. We know He’s going to provide. Why ask for something that we already know He’s going to give?
Prayer is communal. Why doesn’t Jesus say, “Give me this day my daily bread?” Instead, he says, “our.” Give us this day life in the spirit. . .together. Jesus calls us to share the joys of daily bread with each other. People who live life in the spirit share their tangible bread with those who don’t have any. In giving us community, God gives us the means to take care of each other. Often, God provides for His people, through His people. The more we seek daily bread in the spirit and through relationship with Jesus, the more we have to share with others. . .in the spirit.
It also shows the interplay between body, mind, and spirit. Our bodies aren’t the only things that need nourishment. The idea of Jesus being “the bread of life” reminds us that we need to be fed holistically.
The question still awaits: why ask for something that we already know He’s going to give? Maybe it’s also supposed to be a reminder to us. Think about the bread that God gives the Israelites as they wander around in the wilderness. The manna comes to them each day and He commands them to gather just enough for one day. Why? So that they will learn to trust that God will give them more the next day, just as He said. Asking God to provide bread “daily” reflects an attitude that is completely willing to trust that God will be faithful day in and day out.
God calls us, individually and as community, to trust that He will provide for our body, mind, and spirit, both tangibly and spiritually. I like how John sums up this idea in his version of the Lord’s Prayer:
“Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me” (John 17:7-8).
Asking for daily bread reaffirms our acceptance of God’s holy Word, revealed through Jesus Christ.
Lord,
Give us this day our daily bread, indeed. Give us full life in your spirit and the nourishment that can only come from intentional relationship with Jesus Christ. We love you.
Amen.
Erin E. Daugherty, Abilene Christian University
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