Give us this day our daily bread.
What is meant by this Petition?
God gives, indeed, without our prayer, even to the wicked also, their daily bread; but we pray in this petition that He would make us sensible of His benefits, and enable us to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.
What is implied in the words "our daily bread"?
All things that pertain to the wants and the support of this present life; such as food, raiment, money, goods, house and land, and other property; a believing spouse and good children; trustworthy servants and faithful magistrates; favorable seasons, peace and health; education and honor; true friends, good neighbors, and the like.
In this Petition we acknowledge that every good gift comes from God; [Jas. 1:17] and we pray that He would give us, day by day, those things which we need for our earthly support and comfort, and would make us content and thankful.
While we are to pray first and chiefly for spiritual blessings, the Saviour here teaches us that we may and should pray for temporal benefits also.
GIVE. By praying God to give us our daily bread, we acknowledge that it comes from Him.[9] He is the absolute owner of all things, [I Cor. 10:26] and divides to all men as He will. All that we have is His gift. He gives it as a blessing upon our labor; hence, we must work as well as pray. [II Thess. 3:10] But without His blessing, our labor would be in vain. [Ps. 127:1] The farmer sows, but God gives the increase.
[Footnote 9: Compare this Petition with the First Article of the Creed and its Explanation.]
US. We are taught to pray not only for ourselves, but for others also. We should be concerned that they too may have their daily bread; and, when necessary, we should give them a portion of what God has first given to us, and thus become the means through which He supplies their wants. [Heb. 13:16]
THIS DAY. We are not to pray for "much goods for many years," but only for this one day's needful supply. When the morrow comes, if we are still alive, we are to pray again. [Matt.6:34+] We are to depend upon God from day to day. We are, indeed, to make a proper provision for our future, but we are not to give way to anxious, unbelieving care about it.
OUR. We ask for bread which we may call our own, bread honestly gotten, bread which God intends we shall have as a reward of our labor; not some one's else bread, and not such things as God, in His wisdom, sees fit to withhold from us.
DAILY BREAD. According to Luther's explanation in the Catechism, our daily bread includes
FOOD, RAIMENT, to supply our bodily wants;
MONEY, GOODS, HOUSE AND LAND, AND OTHER PROPERTY, by means of which we may procure the supply of our bodily wants;
A BELIEVING SPOUSE AND GOOD CHILDREN, that we may have a good Christian home;
TRUSTWORTHY SERVANTS AND FAITHFUL MAGISTRATES, that we may have the help and protection which we need for the enjoyment of our own;
While we pray in this petition that God would give us all the things enumerated above, if He sees fit, we should remember that He is still giving us our daily bread when He gives us only those things which we actually must have for the support of our life. [1 Tim. 6:8]
GOD GIVES INDEED, WITHOUT OUR PRAYER, EVEN TO THE WICKED [Matt. 5:45] ALSO THEIR DAILY BREAD; for God is good, and seeks to lead men to repentance by His goodness. [Rom. 2:4]
AND ENABLE US TO RECEIVE OUR DAILY BREAD WITH THANKSGIVING. [Eph. 5:20+] Since all the blessings we enjoy are God's gifts, bestowed without any worthiness on our part, [Gen. 32:10] we pray that we may always receive them with thankful hearts, and express our gratitude with our lips and in our lives. We should give thanks at every meal, and in all our prayers.
Contentment. True thankfulness implies contentment with those gifts which God sees fit to bestow upon us. [Heb. 13:5+, 1 Tim. 6:6-8+] We must not murmur because He does not include in our daily bread some things which we desire to have; nor dare we permit the withholding of those things to prevent us from being truly thankful for the many benefits which God does bestow upon us.
QUESTIONS.—1. What do we acknowledge and for what do we pray in this petition? 2. Why do we pray God to "give"? 3. Why do we pray, "give us"? 4. Why do we pray "this day"? 5. Why do we say our daily bread? 6. What does daily bread include? 7. How much must God give us in order to answer this prayer for daily bread? 8. Why does God give, even to the wicked? 9. What should we bear in mind with respect to all our blessings? 10. How should we receive our daily bread? 11. How should we express our gratitude? 12. What is to be said about contentment?
SCRIPTURE VERSES.—Matt. 6:34. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Eph. 5:20. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Heb. 13:5. Let your conversation be without covetousness: and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
1 Tim. 6:6-8. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content.
READING.—The Feeding of the Five Thousand, John 6:1-13.
All books are sourced from Project Gutenberg