Daily Bread

 By: Melanie Moore

We are in the process of launching our high schooler into the grand adventure of adulthood and college. It seems like yesterday that he was going to kindergarten. How does this happen so quickly?

At times, I feel overwhelmed with all of the decisions that he will need to make in the upcoming year. Where will he go to college? What will he study? How will all the finances work out?

Then, I remember how God provided manna for the children of Israel in the wilderness. He provided enough for each day, and it was provided a day at a time. In fact, if the children of Israel were greedy or perhaps worried that they wouldn’t have enough for the next day, they would try to gather extra manna just in case. God wanted them to trust Him, so any manna that was left over until the next day would spoil and be full of worms.

Do I trust God to provide for me each day or do I fear that somehow, he will forget about me? Am I satisfied with today’s manna or do I try to hoard back more in case God doesn’t pull through for me?

As I studied about the manna God sent each day, it reminded me of one of the most famous lines of the Lord’s Prayer:

“Give us this day our daily bread.”

Matthew 6:11

These are the words Jesus spoke in his model prayer as he taught the disciples how to pray. Throughout my life, I’ve always believed that this is how I prayed, in obedience to the Lord’s teaching. 

However, I am now realizing that I haven’t been praying for daily bread. I’m praying for God to provide the whole loaf far in advance.

Do I truly pray for bread – knowledge, wisdom, leading, patience, strength – for each day? Or, am I praying God would give me a lump sum so that I can divide it out as needed?

If we pray that God will provide the whole loaf of bread for us far in advance, the problem is that we miss out on the blessings he has for us each day. We start to lean into our own capabilities and strength to handle all that life throws at us. Instead, I believe as Jesus modeled how we should pray, he gave us a key word: "daily".

When we pray for today's needs, we see God show up for us each and every day. We recognize that as our needs are met, it is not of our own strength. God is working out every step of our lives as we learn to trust him. 

Today, I am praying that God would give me daily bread and supply all of my needs each day. However, even more than that, I’m praying that God would change my heart. I want to be a patient believer who trusts that each day he will provide what I need. The next day, He will be faithful to do the same.

If you are carrying a large burden today, I encourage you to pray for today’s bread – pray that God will grant you the patience, strength, wisdom, physical provisions, and peace for this very day. I’ll be praying the same for my heart as well.