Why should we pray for "our daily bread"?

"Give us today our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11).

Prayer is perhaps the most powerful weapon God has given us to wield on this earth. He hears our prayers and is able to answer them miraculously, according to His will. It comforts us and stays close to the brokenhearted. God is with us in the terrible circumstances of our life and in the daily dramatic moments. He cares about us. It precedes us.

When we pray to the Lord each day, we still don't know the full extent of the need we will need to navigate to the end. The "daily bread" is not only provided through food and other physical means. He tells us not to worry about the days to come, because "every day already carries enough worries". God faithfully fills the womb of our soul every day.

What is the Lord's Prayer?
The popular phrase, "give us our daily bread," is part of the Our Father, or Lord's Prayer, taught by Jesus during His famous Sermon on the Mount. RC Sproul writes "the petition of the Lord's Prayer teaches us to come to God with a spirit of humble dependence, asking him to provide what we need and to support us day by day". Jesus was dealing with the different behaviors and temptations that his disciples had to face and gave them a model after which to pray. "Commonly known as' The Lord's Prayer ', it is actually' The Disciples' Prayer ', since it was intended as a model for them," explains the NIV Study Bible.

Bread was important in Jewish culture. The disciples to whom Jesus addressed the Sermon on the Mount recalled the story of Moses leading their ancestors through the wilderness and how God provided them with manna to eat each day. “Prayer for food was one of the most common prayers in ancient times,” explains the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible. "God can be trusted, who has provided his people with daily bread for 40 years in the desert, for sustenance". Their faith was strengthened under present circumstances by remembering God's past provision. Even in modern culture, we still refer to the household income earner as the breadwinner.

What is "our daily bread"?
“Then the LORD said to Moses, 'I will rain bread from heaven for you. People have to go out every day and collect enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see if they follow my instructions ”(Exodus 16: 4).

Biblically defined, the Greek translation of bread literally means bread or any food. However, the root of this ancient word means “to elevate, to elevate, to elevate; take upon oneself and carry what has been raised, take away what has been raised, take away “. Jesus was delivering this message to the people, which would connect the bread to their literal hunger of the moment, and to the past provision of their ancestors across the wilderness by the manna that God gave them every day.

Jesus was also pointing out the daily burdens he would carry for them as our Savior. By dying on the cross, Jesus bore every daily burden we would ever carry. All the sins that would have strangled and strengthened us, all the pain and suffering in the world - He brought it.

We know we have what we need to navigate every day as we walk in his strength and grace. Not for what we do, have or can accomplish, but for the victory over death that Jesus has already won for us on the cross! Christ often spoke in a way that people could understand and relate to. The more time we spend in Scripture, the more He is faithful to reveal layer upon layer of the love intertwined in every intentional word He has spoken and in the miracle He has performed. The living Word of God spoke to a crowd in a way that we are still gleaning from today.

"And God can bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work" (2 Corinthians 9: 8).

Our trust in Christ does not begin and end with the physical need for food. Even as hunger and homelessness continue to ravage our world, many modern people do not suffer from a lack of food or shelter. Our trust in Christ is encouraged by our need for Him to meet all of our needs. Worry, fear, confrontation, jealousy, illness, loss, unpredictable future - to the point where we can't even fill in a week's calendar - it all depends on your stability.

When we pray that God will provide us with our daily bread, we literally ask him to meet our every need. Physical needs, yes, but also wisdom, strength, comfort and encouragement. Sometimes God satisfies our need to be condemned for destructive behavior, or reminds us to extend grace and forgiveness for fear of bitterness in our hearts.

“God will meet our needs today. His grace is available for today. We don't have to be anxious about the future, or even about tomorrow, because every day has its problems, ”writes Vaneetha Rendall Risner for Desiring God. While some may have no difficulty meeting the physical needs of daily nutrition, others suffer from a plethora of other ailments.

The world gives us many everyday reasons to worry. But even when the world seems ruled by chaos and fear, God reigns. Nothing happens out of its sight or sovereignty.

Why should we s even humbly ask God to give us our daily bread?
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will not be hungry. Whoever believes in me will never thirst again ”(John 6:35).

Jesus promised never to leave us. It is the living water and the bread of life. Humility in praying to God for our daily supply reminds us of who God is and who we are as His children. Embracing Christ's grace daily reminds us to lean on him for our daily needs. It is through Christ that we approach God in prayer. John Piper explains: "Jesus came into the world to change your desires to be your primary desire." God's plan to make us depend on him every day promotes a spirit of humility.

Following Christ is a daily choice to take up our cross and lean on Him for what we need. Paul wrote: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, with prayer and petition, with thanks, present your requests to God" (Philippians 4: 6). It is through Him that we receive supernatural strength and wisdom to endure difficult days, and humility and contentment to embrace restful days. In all things, we seek to bring glory to God as we live our lives in the love of Christ.

Our Father knows what we need to navigate gracefully each day. No matter what the time is on the horizon of our day, the freedom we have in Christ can never be shaken or taken away. Peter wrote: "His divine power has given us all we need for a divine life through our knowledge of him who called us for his glory and goodness" (2 Peter 1: 3). Day after day, he gives us grace upon grace. We need our daily bread every day.