The Lord’s Prayer, Part 4 of 6

“Give us this day our daily bread“

This is part 4 of our deep dive into The Lord’s Prayer. Here are the links if you want to revisit Parts 1 through 3: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Matthew 6:11 says that we are to pray: “Give us this day our daily bread.” Note that we are to ask for enough food for today—not tomorrow or next week or next year.

This is reminiscent of the story in Exodus 16, when God provided manna for the Israelites after they came out of slavery in Egypt. Each day God gave them just enough food for that day—and that day only. Those who gathered some extra and saved it found that on the next day it stunk and had bred worms, so that it was inedible. Only on the day before the Sabbath did God provide extra manna so that they would not need to gather any on the Sabbath, and of course then the extra did not spoil.

By providing food day-by-day, God was trying to teach the Israelites to have faith in him. In effect, he was telling them, “Don’t worry about tomorrow. I will feed you then just like I did today. Trust me.”

Jesus said something similar in chapter six of Matthew’s Gospel, where he tells us not to worry about food or clothing, but to focus on God:

Do not worry then, saying, “What are we to eat?” or “What are we to drink?” or “What are we to wear for clothing?” For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.[1]

Like the manna in the wilderness, this is a lesson about trusting God, which is just another way of saying we are to place our faith in him. If we trust God, then he will provide for us, he will redeem us, and he will grant us eternal life.

So pray for what you need today, and leave the rest to God.

Link to Part 5

[1]. Matthew 6:31-33