Lesson
8: Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
Our
Father in heaven,
Hallowed
be your name;
Your
kingdom come;
Your
will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give
us this day our daily bread;
And
forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors;
And
do not lead us into temptation,
But
deliver us from the evil.
For
yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.
Amen.
Matthew 6:11
Give us today our daily bread.
Matthew 6:11
[ASV] Give us this day our daily bread.
Psalm 37:25 I
have been young, and now am old, yet
I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his children begging for
bread.
The Main
Points for This Lesson:
Needs and Wants. In
this life, we have needs and we have wants. Needs are things we
require in order to live. Wants are things we desire but can live
without.
Daily Bread. In the
Lord's Prayer, Jesus uses the phrase “daily bread” to refer to
our daily needs. It may be reasonable to say that our basic needs are
really daily needs. That is, we need them daily in order to live. If
our daily needs are not met on a regular basis, while we may not die
immediately, life is fading, and death is drawing near.
Earthly Bread. We need earthly bread in order to live in this world.
Jesus spoke in the Sermon on the Mount of food, drink and clothing as
needs. These are basic and daily needs. God most often uses our labor
as the means through which he provides our daily bread (Psalm
104:14-15). Yet, God has many times provided for his children their
daily bread through more miraculous means.
Spiritual Bread. We also need spiritual bread in order to live unto
eternal life. This bread comes from God as well. Jesus said of
himself, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). God provides this
bread to his children through such means as his word (John 6:63; 1
Peter 2:2), through our obedience to his will (John 4:34), through
our proper receiving of the flesh and blood of Christ in the bread
and wine in communion (ie. the Lord's Supper, the Lord's Table) (John
6:53-58). This spiritual bread is a daily need.
The Lord's Prayer
teaches us both how to pray and how to live.
In praying, “Give
us this day our daily bread,” what are we asking of our Father in
heaven?
We are asking God to meet our needs this day, having both in our
prayer and in our living sought first the kingdom of God and his
righteousness (Matthew 6:33).
We are asking that we would receive daily bread (our needs, not our
wants) for today. We are not asking that God would provide for us for
tomorrow or next week, but just for today. Again, we are asking only
for the required amount for today to be given us today. The prodigal
son requested to receive all his inheritance in one day. Through such
a request, he lost all his inheritance, and almost lost his soul (had
he not come to his senses). So Jesus taught us to pray, give us THIS
DAY our DAILY BREAD.
In this petition, we are also asking that our heavenly Father would
meet the needs of all his children, all our brothers and sisters. Our
good works toward the household of the faith (Galatians 6:9-10)
should not be in word and tongue only, but in deed and truth (1 John
3:17-18; James 2:15-16). Yet this does not mean that we should not
use our tongue for good. From it should arise prayer from a pure
heart to God for the daily bread of all his children.
How does this
petition teach us to live?
In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus teaches us to both pray and live first
for God's name and kingdom, and then for our own needs. Seek first
God's kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be
added to you (Matthew 6:33). Our prayer for daily needs should be a
faithful exhortation to righteousness in our ears, and a constant
call to seek first his kingdom from whose hand we hope to receive
daily bread.
We learn in this petition that we can carry nothing out of this
world, and so we learn to be content having food and clothing (1
Timothy 6:6-10). Jesus warns the children of God in this prayer
against being determined to be rich, and instead calls us to
godliness with contentment, which is great gain.
We learn to cast all our anxieties upon the Lord, because he cares
for us. God calls us to seek first his kingdom. Yet he does not
neglect us, but provides for the needs of his people. (We may find
that our own needs are most truly met when we seek first God's
kingdom and righteousness.) Are you anxious about the needs of today?
Ask your heavenly Father for today's daily bread. Then be thankful as
he provides for your needs, or even as you find he already has
provided for your needs for today. (We may often be anxious for the
needs of tomorrow. This prayer reminds us that we do not need to
worry about tomorrow's needs.)
In this petition, we also learn to take thought for the needs of
others. We ought to pray for our own needs, both physical and
spiritual, as well as for the needs of others (Philippians 2:4).
Finally, we learn in this prayer to work. As God's children, we are
called to labor for our earthly bread with the proper aim of
receiving through such work God's provision of daily bread. Much
more, we ought to labor for our spiritual bread, that we, from the
Father's hand, may receive the bread that remains to eternal life
(John 6:27).
Suggestions:
Open each lesson
with prayer for the teacher and the students and this class time.
Begin by reminding
the children that we are learning about the Lord's Prayer, and that
this lesson is about the fourth petition (or request) in the Lord's
Prayer - “Give us this day our daily bread.”
Give a simple
definition of daily bread. It is the things we need (not want) to
live each day.
Discuss “daily
bread” with the children. You can ask them to name things that can
be daily bread. Perhaps make two lists, one of wants, and one of
needs. Ask them about ways that these needs are met each day. If they
did not think of it, talk about daily bread in its spiritual sense,
and Jesus as the bread of life. Ask them about ways we get this type
of bread. Remind the children that in both the physical and spiritual
sense of daily bread, while it may come through various means, it
ultimately comes from our Father in heaven.
The stories below (1
Kings 17:1-6; 1 Kings 17:7-16; Matthew 14:14-21) can be used to teach
the children about God's provision of daily bread for his children.
As you read, you can ask the children if they think Elijah or the
disciples were worried about not having enough daily bread. Do they
think God was worried? What should they do if they are worried about
not having enough daily bread?
Close the lesson
with prayer related to the subject and the students. Pray the Lord's
Prayer together.
Stories:
1 Kings 17:1-6
[1] Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the foreigners of Gilead, said to
Ahab, “As Yahweh, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand,
there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my
word.” [2] Yahweh’s word came to him, saying, [3] “Go away from
here, turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, that is
before the Jordan. [4] It shall be, that you shall drink of the
brook. I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” [5] So
he went and did according to Yahweh’s word; for he went and lived
by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan. [6] The ravens
brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in
the evening; and he drank of the brook.
1 Kings 17:7-16
[7] After a while, the brook dried up, because there was no rain in
the land. [8] Yahweh’s word came to him, saying, [9] “Arise, go
to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there. Behold, I have
commanded a widow there to sustain you.” [10] So he arose and went
to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a
widow was there gathering sticks: and he called to her, and said,
“Please get me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.”
[11] As she was going to get it, he called to her, and said, “Please
bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” [12] She said, “As
Yahweh your God lives, I don’t have a cake, but a handful of meal
in the jar, and a little oil in the jar. Behold, I am gathering two
sticks, that I may go in and bake it for me and my son, that we may
eat it, and die.” [13] Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go
and do as you have said; but make me of it a little cake first, and
bring it out to me, and afterward make some for you and for your son.
[14] For thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of meal
shall not empty, neither shall the jar of oil fail, until the day
that Yahweh sends rain on the earth.’” [15] She went and did
according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house,
ate many days. [16] The jar of meal didn’t empty, neither did
the jar of oil fail, according to Yahweh’s word, which he spoke by
Elijah.
Elijah
was a righteous man, doing the will of God, earnestly seeking first
God's kingdom and his righteousness. This resulted in a lack of daily
bread for Elijah (and others). In these two connected stories, we see
God's provision of daily bread for his servant.
Matthew 14:14-21
[14] Jesus went out, and he saw a great multitude. He had compassion
on them, and healed their sick. [15] When evening had come, his
disciples came to him, saying, “This place is deserted, and the
hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into
the villages, and buy themselves food.” [16] But Jesus said to
them, “They don’t need to go away. You give them something to
eat.” [17] They told him, “We only have here five loaves and two
fish.” [18] He said, “Bring them here to me.” [19] He commanded
the multitudes to sit down on the grass; and he took the five loaves
and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, broke and
gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave to the
multitudes. [20] They all ate, and were filled. They took up
twelve baskets full of that which remained left over from the broken
pieces. [21] Those who ate were about five thousand men, besides
women and children. [see also Mark 6:34-44; Luke 9:11-17]
Here
again we see that it is a light things for our heavenly Father to
provide daily bread for his children. We may without fear and anxiety
serve the Lord in all circumstances.
More Stories
and Examples:
2 Kings 4:1-7
[1] Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the
prophets to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead. You
know that your servant feared Yahweh. Now the creditor has come to
take for himself my two children to be slaves.” [2] Elisha said to
her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me: what do you have in the
house?” She said, “Your handmaid has nothing in the house, except
a pot of oil.” [3] Then he said, “Go, borrow containers from of
all your neighbors, even empty containers. Don’t borrow just a few.
[4] You shall go in, and shut the door on you and on your sons, and
pour out into all those containers; and you shall set aside that
which is full.” [5] So she went from him, and shut the door on her
and on her sons; they brought the containers to her, and she poured
out. [6] When the containers were full, she said to her son, “Bring
me another container.” He said to her, “There isn’t another
container.” The oil stopped flowing. [7] Then she came and told the
man of God. He said, “Go, sell the oil, and pay your debt; and you
and your sons live on the rest.”
A
widow of a servant of God found herself unable to pay a debt. The
creditor was coming to take her two children to be slaves to pay the
debt. The Father in heaven who provides his children with daily bread
provided for the need of this widow and her children.
2 Kings 4:42-44
[42] A man from Baal Shalishah came, and brought the man of God bread
of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and fresh ears of grain
in his sack. He said, “Give to the people, that they may eat.”
[43] His servant said, “What, should I set this before a hundred
men?” But he said, “Give the people, that they may eat; for thus
says Yahweh, ‘They will eat, and will have some left over.’”
[44] So he set it before them, and they ate, and left some of it,
according to Yahweh’s word.
As
in the stories of Jesus feeding the 5000 and 4000, here was some
food, but not enough to feed the 100 men who needed daily bread.
Again, God did not simply provide just enough. Rather, that our faith
may be strengthened, the leftovers are meant to show us plainly that
God did, and does, provide for all the need.
2 Kings 6:1-7
[1] The sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See now, the place
where we dwell before you is too small for us. [2] Please let us go
to the Jordan, and every man take a beam from there, and let us make
us a place there, where we may dwell.” He answered, “Go!” [3]
One said, “Please be pleased to go with your servants.” He
answered, “I will go.” [4] So he went with them. When they came
to the Jordan, they cut down wood. [5] But as one was felling a beam,
the ax head fell into the water. Then he cried, and said, “Alas, my
master! For it was borrowed.” [6] The man of God asked, “Where
did it fall?” He showed him the place. He cut down a stick, threw
it in there, and made the iron float. [7] He said, “Take it.” So
he put out his hand and took it.
Our
Father in heaven is not stingy. He does not limit his provision to
food and clothing. In this story, a servant of the Lord had a true
need that did not involve food and clothing. The lost as head was
borrowed. God heard this petition for daily bread, and met his need.
Fear not little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give
you the kingdom (Luke 12:32).
Matthew 15:29-39
[29] Jesus departed there, and came near to the sea of Galilee; and
he went up into the mountain, and sat there. [30] Great multitudes
came to him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many
others, and they put them down at his feet. He healed them, [31] so
that the multitude wondered when they saw the mute speaking, injured
whole, lame walking, and blind seeing—and they glorified the God of
Israel. [32] Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “I have
compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three
days and have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away
fasting, or they might faint on the way.” [33] The disciples said
to him, “Where should we get so many loaves in a deserted place as
to satisfy so great a multitude?” [34] Jesus said to them, “How
many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small
fish.” [35] He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground;
[36] and he took the seven loaves and the fish. He gave thanks and
broke them, and gave to the disciples, and the disciples to the
multitudes. [37] They all ate, and were filled. They took up
seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over. [38]
Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
[39] Then he sent away the multitudes, got into the boat, and came
into the borders of Magdala. [see also Mark 8:1-9]
Luke 12:13-34
This
portion includes a story, a parable and a teaching. One man asks
Jesus to help him get his share of the inheritance. Jesus tells the
parable about the rich man with abundant crops who stored it up as
treasure on earth instead of as treasure in heaven. Jesus used that
as a base to teach about trusting God to provide daily bread, seeking
first his kingdom, and laying up treasure in heaven.
John 6:1-71
While
this chapter is long, it shows us God's wonderful provision of daily
bread for both our physical and spiritual needs.
Other Verses:
Genesis 48:14-16
[14] Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it on Ephraim’s
head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head,
guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn. [15] He
blessed Joseph, and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham
and Isaac walked, the God who has fed me all my life long to this
day, [16] the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the
lads, and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers
Abraham and Isaac. Let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the
earth.”
Exodus 16:1-36
(4,13-18) [4] Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread
from the sky for you, and the people shall go out and gather a
day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they
will walk in my law, or not. [13] In the evening, quail came up and
covered the camp; and in the morning the dew lay around the camp.
[14] When the dew that lay had gone, behold, on the surface of the
wilderness was a small round thing, small as the frost on the ground.
[15] When the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another,
“What is it?” For they didn’t know what it was. Moses said to
them, “It is the bread which Yahweh has given you to eat.” [16]
This is the thing which Yahweh has commanded: “Gather of it
everyone according to his eating; an omer a head, according to the
number of your persons, you shall take it, every man for those who
are in his tent.” [17] The children of Israel did so, and gathered
some more, some less. [18] When they measured it with an omer, he
who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little had no
lack. They gathered every man according to his eating.
Deuteronomy 2:7
For Yahweh your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He
has known your walking through this great wilderness. These forty
years, Yahweh your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.
Deuteronomy 8:2-4
[2] You shall remember all the way which Yahweh your God has led you
these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, to
prove you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his
commandments, or not. [3] He humbled you, and allowed you to be
hungry, and fed you with manna, which you didn’t know, neither did
your fathers know; that he might teach you that man does not live by
bread only, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of Yahweh’s
mouth. [4] Your clothing didn’t grow old on you, neither
did your foot swell, these forty years.
Psalm 34:8-10
[8] Oh taste and see that Yahweh is good. Blessed is the man who
takes refuge in him. [9] Oh fear Yahweh, you his saints, for there
is no lack with those who fear him. [10] The young lions do lack,
and suffer hunger, but those who seek Yahweh shall not lack any
good thing.
While
God has
provided daily bread to both the good and the wicked, the promises
given here are not for all, but for those who fear the Lord, for
those who seek the Lord.
Psalm 37:25-26
[25] I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the
righteous forsaken, nor his children begging for bread. [26] All
day long he deals graciously, and lends. His seed is blessed.
It
is the righteous whom the Psalmist has not seen
forsaken. May we learn to humbly ask for daily bread, and may this
petition for our daily need be a constant exhortation to live a
righteous life, seeking first God's kingdom, from whose hand we hope
to receive daily bread.
Psalm
104:14-15,27-29 [14] He causes the grass to grow for the
livestock, and plants for man to cultivate, that he may produce food
out of the earth: [15] wine that makes glad the heart of man, oil to
make his face to shine, and bread that strengthens man’s heart.
[27] These all wait for you, that you may give them their food in due
season. [28] You give to them; they gather. You open your hand; they
are satisfied with good. [29] You hide your face: they are troubled;
you take away their breath: they die, and return to the dust.
This
Psalm speaks of God's provision for all living things, including man.
While God has provided (and still does) daily bread through
miraculous means, it seems his provision comes most often through his
provision of work. In the case of this Psalm, it is said that God
provides plants for man to cultivate, that he may produce food out of
the earth. Hence, the apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in
Thessalonica, “If anyone will not work, neither let him eat” (2
Thessalonians 3:10).
Proverbs 30:7-9
[7] “Two things I have asked of you; don’t deny me before I die:
[8] Remove far from me falsehood and lies. Give me neither poverty
nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me; [9]
lest I be full, deny you, and say, ‘Who is Yahweh?’ or lest I be
poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.
Isaiah 33:15-17
[15] He who walks righteously, and speaks blamelessly; He who
despises the gain of oppressions, who gestures with his hands,
refusing to take a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of blood,
and shuts his eyes from looking at evil— [16] he will dwell on
high. His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks. His
bread will be supplied. His waters will be sure. [17] Your eyes
will see the king in his beauty. They will see a distant land.
Matthew 4:1-4
[1] Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be
tempted by the devil. [2] When he had fasted forty days and forty
nights, he was hungry afterward. [3] The tempter came and said to
him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become
bread.” [4] But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not
live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth
of God.’”
Matthew 6:24-34
[24] “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one
and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and despise the
other. You can’t serve both God and Mammon. [25] Therefore I tell
you, don’t be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what
you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Isn’t
life more than food, and the body more than clothing? [26] See the
birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor
gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of
much more value than they? [27] “Which of you, by being
anxious, can add one moment to his lifespan? [28] Why are you anxious
about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They
don’t toil, neither do they spin, [29] yet I tell you that even
Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these. [30] But
if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists, and
tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won’t he much more clothe you,
you of little faith? [31] “Therefore don’t be anxious, saying,
‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what
will we be clothed?’ [32] For the Gentiles seek after all these
things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these
things. [33] But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness;
and all these things will be given to you as well. [34] Therefore
don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for
itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.
Just
as it is so ordered in the Lord's Prayer, Jesus here teaches us to
seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness, and that if we seek
that first, our needs of today will be met. In one sense, this is
another way of saying what John recorded in his Gospel, “Work …
for the food which remains to eternal life” (John 6:27). It
should be noted that God's promise of daily bread in these verses
(6:33) is not to everyone, but specifically to those who seek first
his kingdom and righteousness.
Luke 12:13-21
[13] One of the multitude said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to
divide the inheritance with me.” [14] But he said to him, “Man,
who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” [15] He said to
them, “Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man’s
life doesn’t consist of the abundance of the things which he
possesses.” [16] He spoke a parable to them, saying, “The ground
of a certain rich man produced abundantly. [17] He reasoned within
himself, saying, ‘What will I do, because I don’t have room to
store my crops?’ [18] He said, ‘This is what I will do. I will
pull down my barns, and build bigger ones, and there I will store all
my grain and my goods. [19] I will tell my soul, “Soul, you have
many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, be
merry.”’ [20] “But God said to him, ‘You foolish one, tonight
your soul is required of you. The things which you have
prepared—whose will they be?’ [21] So is he who lays up treasure
for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:22-34
[22] He said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, don’t be
anxious for your life, what you will eat, nor yet for your body, what
you will wear. [23] Life is more than food, and the body is more than
clothing. [24] Consider the ravens: they don’t sow, they don’t
reap, they have no warehouse or barn, and God feeds them. How much
more valuable are you than birds! [25] Which of you by being anxious
can add a cubit to his height? [26] If then you aren’t able to do
even the least things, why are you anxious about the rest? [27]
Consider the lilies, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do
they spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not
arrayed like one of these. [28] But if this is how God clothes the
grass in the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is cast into the
oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith? [29]
Don’t seek what you will eat or what you will drink; neither be
anxious. [30] For the nations of the world seek after all of these
things, but your Father knows that you need these things. [31] But
seek God’s Kingdom, and all these things will be added to you. [32]
Don’t be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good
pleasure to give you the Kingdom. [33] Sell that which you have, and
give gifts to the needy. Make for yourselves purses which don’t
grow old, a treasure in the heavens that doesn’t fail, where no
thief approaches, neither moth destroys. [34] For where your treasure
is, there will your heart be also.
John 4:31-34
[31] In the meanwhile, the disciples urged him, saying, “Rabbi,
eat.” [32] But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you
don’t know about.” [33] The disciples therefore said one to
another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” [34] Jesus
said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and
to accomplish his work.
Here
we see that daily bread is not just physical bread for the body.
Jesus taught that doing the Father's will is food for the doer.
Whether God's will involves a
specific task, or it
is the daily simple will of God
that we humbly obey his word (this
is always first and foremost God's will for his children),
loving him and loving our neighbor as ourself, may we learn to find
the necessary spiritual bread that comes through doing the will of
our Father in heaven.
John 6:1-71 –
The whole chapter is related to this topic. Below are a few excerpts
from it.
John 6:11-13
[11] Jesus took the loaves; and having given thanks, he
distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to those who were
sitting down; likewise also of the fish as much as they desired. [12]
When they were filled, he said to his disciples, “Gather up
the broken pieces which are left over, that nothing be lost.” [13]
So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with broken
pieces from the five barley loaves, which were left over by those who
had eaten.
John 6:26-27
[26] Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, you seek me,
not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves, and
were filled. [27] Don’t work for the food which perishes,
but for the food which remains to eternal life, which the Son of
Man will give to you. For God the Father has sealed him.”
John 6:48-58
[48] I am the bread of life. [49] Your fathers ate the manna
in the wilderness, and they died. [50] This is the bread which comes
down out of heaven, that anyone may eat of it and not die. [51] I am
the living bread which came down out of heaven. If anyone eats of
this bread, he will live forever. Yes, the bread which I will give
for the life of the world is my flesh.” [52] The Jews therefore
contended with one another, saying, “How can this man give us his
flesh to eat?” [53] Jesus therefore said to them, “Most certainly
I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his
blood, you don’t have life in yourselves. [54] He who eats my
flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up
at the last day. [55] For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood
is drink indeed. [56] He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives
in me, and I in him. [57] As the living Father sent me, and I live
because of the Father; so he who feeds on me, he will also live
because of me. [58] This is the bread which came down out of
heaven—not as our fathers ate the manna, and died. He who eats this
bread will live forever.”
Philippians 4:6-7
[6] In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and
petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
[7] And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will
guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.
2 Thessalonians
3:6-12 [6] Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother who
walks in rebellion, and not after the tradition which they received
from us. [7] For you know how you ought to imitate us. For we didn’t
behave ourselves rebelliously among you, [8] neither did we eat bread
from anyone’s hand without paying for it, but in labor and travail
worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you; [9] not
because we don’t have the right, but to make ourselves an example
to you, that you should imitate us. [10] For even when we were with
you, we commanded you this: “If anyone will not work, neither
let him eat.” [11] For we hear of some who walk among you in
rebellion, who don’t work at all, but are busybodies. [12] Now
those who are that way, we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus
Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
Such
a command does not deny God’s provision of daily bread for his
family. Rather, it acknowledges that God uses means to accomplish his
ends. Work is the usual means by which God provides daily bread to
those who ask.
1 Timothy 6:6-10
[6] But godliness with contentment is great gain. [7] For we brought
nothing into the world, and we certainly can’t carry anything out.
[8] But having food and clothing, we will be content with that.
[9] But those who are determined to be rich fall into a temptation
and a snare and many foolish and harmful lusts, such as drown men in
ruin and destruction. [10] For the love of money is a root of all
kinds of evil. Some have been led astray from the faith in their
greed, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Hebrews 13:5-6
[5] Be free from the love of money, content with such things as
you have, for he has said, “I will in no way leave you, neither
will I in any way forsake you.” [6] So that with good courage we
say, “The Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to
me?”
1 Peter 5:6-7
[6] Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he
may exalt you in due time; [7] casting all your worries on him,
because he cares for you.
Asking
God for daily bread is not a low or ungodly thing to do. Jesus taught
his disciples to ask their Father in heaven for daily bread. Rather
than considering the prayer for daily bread as a lesser prayer to be
used only when really “necessary,” instead the children of God
ought daily to lift up to God this petition for daily bread and all
that it means to them and to God.
