“Give us this day our daily bread.” - Matthew 6:11
Do you ever worry? Do you ever fret about the future? Whether you worry or not, you have probably been tempted to a few times. Our concerns about the future are due, in part, to the uncertainty that lies before us. We don't know what tomorrow will bring. If we try to look even further into the future, everything seems disconcerting. We know that the future will probably consist of some trials, heartaches and disappointments. While it is true that the future may include great days of joy, we tend to focus solely on the dark days that lie ahead.
Simply put, we tend to worry because we allow our fears to swallow our faith. We tend to forget the promises of God and focus upon the uncertainty before us. In light of the future, our human frailties seem to grow before us. We realize that we need God for the path ahead. We can't go forward without Him.
We need the Lord daily. Unless He intervenes, our best efforts will be in vain. Knowing this, Jesus instructed His followers to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Yes, I may work and earn wages that help me purchase food, but God is the One who gives me the ability to work, the job to work at and the food I purchase at the grocery store.
Do you remember how scarce food and supplies were in the early days of Covid? Memories of those days should teach us that we aren't independent. Yes, there were some who may have manipulated prices during the time, but a worldwide famine could occur and produce similar, if not worse, results. Simply put, we are at the mercy of God for the food we receive.
Thus, when we eat, it is good to give thanks for the provisions set before us. Never take this for granted. Additionally, we should be thankful for the cook who prepared the meal, whether at home or at a restaurant.
Consider the many meals you've digested through the years. If you eat three meals a day, that's over a thousand meals each year. God has been good to you, hasn't He?
So many take their daily meals for granted. They act entitled to the best meals. They fail to appreciate what God has provided to them. Don't be among this crowd. Be grateful for each meal. Without them, you couldn't survive.
Whether you eat at McDonald's, a fancy restaurant or at home, treat each meal as a special event --- because it is. We need to be reminded often of the fact that some have nothing to eat. There are many overseas who do not have safe water to drink or ample food to eat. Even here in America, there are some who will go to bed hungry tonight.
Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Do you pray for this or do you take it for granted?
I want us to consider something else. While we feed our bodies daily, we need to be just as zealous to feed our souls. God provided daily bread for us when He sent His Son to this world. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.” Do you thank God for this bread? Have you feasted on this bread recently?
Too many Christians act as if they only need to feed their souls once a week. Sunday is their day to be fed spiritually. They will go to church and expect the preacher to feed them with a brief message. Then they will go throughout the rest of the week and never feed on the good things of God.
Job said, “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” Job desired the Word of God more than his meals. Wow! Job was serious about feeding his soul. Why aren't we? Job had a desire for the Lord and His Word.
We often pray for revival, but it could be that we'd be living in revival if we fed our souls more often, in fact, daily. In this message we are thinking about our daily bread. While our bodies need daily bread to function properly, we need daily bread for our soul to experience optimal life.
I have to admit that I have overeaten at the dinner table more than once. But I have never known anyone to overeat spiritually. Overeating natural food may produce physical problems and disease. Yet I am not aware of any harm that comes by feasting on the good things of God. In fact, the more, the better.
We should pray for God to continue providing us our daily bread. We should give thanks to Him for each meal. Yet the Bible says, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” This is the daily bread we need most of all.
Join with me in praying, “Give us this day our daily bread.”
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