Reflections on the Lord's Prayer, Part 6: “Give us today our daily bread”

The first three petitions have shaped our priorities: not our name, but his is holy; not our kingdom, but his should come; not our will, but his be done. Once we are firmly in this mindset, we can come before the Father with our needs. Much, much too often we reverse the order that Jesus gives. We come to the Father like spoiled, whiny children asking for what we want. I don't think Jesus ordered these petitions the way he did just to give respect to God first, but I think he wants us to approach God in the right attitude. We've gone through a journey of submission: whatever we wanted when we first came to pray has now been subjected to his name, his kingdom and his will. Sometimes, this mindset will make us realize how petty our desires are. But then again, we may also realize just how much we need.

Three types needs are addressed in the second half of the prayer: physical, relational and spiritual. Together, these make up what it is to be human, and we shouldn't think that one is more important than the others.

Jesus starts with our physical needs: daily bread. In a Sam's Club culture, we hardly ever mean this when we pray it. While many Americans live paycheck to paycheck, most of us don't live day to day. We can stock up food for months, and even when supplies run a little low, there's always delivery pizza. Certainly part of this prayer is recognizing God as the source of the things we have and of our ability to work, but I want to point out two things that show something deeper going on.

First, it's interesting to note that we're told to pray for bread and not for cake. As our Father, God will provide for our needs but he will not spoil us. The meaning of “daily bread” is difficult for some people. There's an insight from Proverbs that will help us: “Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread” (30:8-9). Neither poverty nor riches. We trust God completely to give us exactly what we need; no more, no less.

Along with that, notice what pronouns Jesus uses: “give us today our daily bread.” When I thank God that my pantry is full, can I neglect my brothers and sisters who have nothing? The plural pronouns teach us to pray not only for ourselves, but for others. Here again we see how this prayer will not allow us to be inactive. Even as we trust God to meet our needs, we make ourselves available to meet the needs of others. Greed is not an option here.