Week 2, day 3: Can we trust God for everything?
“Give us today our daily bread.” (NIV)
“Give us today the food we need.” (Good News)
Joanna Moss writes:
When reflecting on this verse, it’s tricky to not immediately think about food. In a society where, for the most part, we live in an abundance of food, the need to depend on God to provide ‘our daily bread’ can get a bit lost behind…well, behind our piles of food. In the comfort of my own food security, I am prone to forget the grace of God’s provision over me as well as feel uncomfortable at the contrast of my plenty to others lack. For myself, Andrew and Laura, we recognise the tension of feeling blessed for what we do have, whilst also knowing that for many there isn’t enough.
As we thought on this, we were reminded that we are told to pray for ‘our daily bread’: the context of the Lord’s prayer is community. Andrew highlighted in our discussion that as we each wrestle with local and global inequality, this verse is a reminder to steward what we have been given carefully but also with generosity. To not hoard what we don’t need, but to see where we can be God’s hands and feet in providing daily bread in our own community.
Of course, this verse goes far beyond just our physical provision. In praying for ‘our daily bread’, there is an all-encompassing-ness to it as we are asking to receive everything we need for the day ahead - strength, wisdom, grace, patience, resilience, increased capacity, (fill in your blank here). That’s not to say that everyday suddenly becomes easy and stress-free, but more that in trusting God to provide what we need, we don’t have to fear scarcity, strive on alone or worry about having enough left over to survive tomorrow as well as today. We can trust that God will give us what we need for today and what we need for tomorrow too, but not until tomorrow. For me, there is freedom in that revelation but also a struggle. I am typically reluctant to ask for help and would rather rely on my own capabilities. But this verse reminds me that I can and should be daily asking God for what I need, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically.
For Laura, she shared how she sees this outwork in her own life. When she starts the day trusting that God will give her everything she needs emotionally her day goes a lot better because she knows that God has given her everything she needs for it. Instead of relying on our own emotional capacity and resilience, she can work out of God’s.
In all this, I am made aware that I don’t truly trust that or live as though God can provide me with all I need for each day. As I try to get better at asking God daily for what I need, I want to also be mindful of the things or people I am relying on instead of God.