How to Pray the Lord's Way: 'Our Daily Bread'
(3rd blog post in a series on The Lord’s Prayer)
By Anthony Lucarini
If there is one thing I don’t enjoy eating, it’s appetizers. Appetizers seem to have no substance. They always leave me hungry for more.
I think the same can be said for our souls. Our souls crave substance, and outside of Jesus, our souls are only getting appetizers that don’t satisfy. We live in a culture where this generation is the most worried, stressed out, anxious, and depressed generation this world has ever seen. Why? We are longing for substance. But instead, we are being fed a desire for more: more money, more stuff, more status, more power, more influence, more followers, more people knowing your name, more people knowing your company, more people knowing your position, more people knowing your title.
This myth of more leads to the lie that once you get there, you will be satisfied. But can I tell you something? More is never enough. More will never satisfy. We have been designed by our creator God with a vacuum-sized hole in our hearts that was only made to be filled by the One who made it. He is the only one who will satisfy.
The Bread of Life
What we need is something of substance—not appetizers. What we need is bread.
In Matthew 6:11, Jesus taught His followers to pray for daily bread. In Exodus 16, God provided literal daily bread for His people in the wilderness. Having been miraculously delivered from slavery in Egypt, the Israelites crossed the Red Sea under Moses’ leadership. What we learn about “daily bread” in this story is this: While the bread is physical, it represents so much more. Let’s take a look:
1. The bread represents the PRESENCE of God.
When God provided manna and quail to the Israelites in the desert, He was saying, “I am here.”
Can I give you some advice?
Don’t wait to be in the desert to look up and realize God has been there the whole time!
Don’t wait until your back is against the wall to start looking for God.
Don’t wait until you’re in a time of desperation to start crying out for God to come through.
God is going to be with you in the valleys, but His presence can also be enjoyed on the hills and the highs of life! When is the last time you stopped to recognize the presence of God in your life? Are you aware right now that God is involved in your daily life? What is the bread in your life where you see evidence of God’s presence?
2. The bread represents our DEPENDENCE on God.
I think one of the greatest hindrances to the Christian walk is the myth of self-reliance—the idea of “I can do this on my own.” Evangelist D.L. Moody said, “When a man thinks he has got a good deal of strength and is self-confident, you may look for his downfall. It may be years before it comes to light, but it is already commenced.”
In Exodus 16, as the Israelites are wandering in the desert, they complain about their freedom and insist that things would be better if they had just stayed in Egypt. They figure that they’d be in captivity, but they would at least have full stomachs. But God swoops in with patience and says, “You can depend on me to meet your needs today. And you know what, don’t keep any food for tomorrow, because tomorrow is a new chance for you to depend on me again.”
Let me ask you this: How often is this our attitude towards God?
I’ve got this!
I don’t need you!
I can do it on my own.
And then … we make a huge mess. And God ever so patiently swoops in to clean up our mess. In what areas do you need to depend on God, rather than rely on yourself?
3. The bread represents the PROVISION of God.
God knows exactly what you need, and He knows how to provide. One part of Exodus 16 I love is verse 17, where it says, “Some gathered much, some gathered little.” What that tells me is that God loves the individual—not just the masses. He knows that there were some bigger guys among the Israelites who may require just a few more pieces of bread to get them through the day than someone else who may not require as much.
God knows exactly what you need in this season and in this moment. Even more so, He knows how to provide for that need—whether that’s a financial need, medical need, physical need or relational need. You name it, God sees your need, and He has the ability to provide. We can take comfort in knowing that our needs are met, that we have food, or “bread,” for our needs.
In Matthew 6, when Jesus instructs His disciples to pray this prayer, the bread is not just the bread. It’s not just a reminder that God can provide for our daily needs, but it’s a marker in our minds to be reminded of His presence and our dependence. This is the substance that our soul desires.
We can rest in the fact that we have a God who cares, a God who knows our needs and is with us in our needs, and knows how to meet them before we even ask.
“Give us this day our daily bread.” This is what Jesus asks His disciples to do to obtain this bread. Simply ask. When He says, “Give us,” that’s not a demand or a command. That is a request. Father, will you give me my daily bread? Will you give me what I need for today? Will you remind me of your nearness? Will you remind me of my weakness? Will you remind me of your provision?
Here is my one suggestion for you today: Write down your prayers. Here’s why. When you write your prayers down, you can go back to them. And more importantly, you can go back to them when you’ve seen God answer them. And in doing this, you will see that we have a good God, who cares for His people, loves His people, and provides for His people.
Anthony Lucarini is the associate student pastor for LowCountry Community Church in Bluffton, South Carolina.