The Lord’s Prayer, as taught by Jesus in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4, contains the phrase “Give us this day our daily bread.” This simple petition carries profound meaning and application for believers. At its core, praying for our daily bread is praying for God to supply our basic physical needs. However, it encompasses much more than simply food. Let’s explore the fullness behind this fundamental yet far-reaching request.
Asking God to Meet Our Physical Needs
The most straightforward understanding of “daily bread” is that it refers to the food and drink necessary to sustain our physical bodies. When we pray for daily bread, we humbly acknowledge our dependence on God as the ultimate provider of all we need to live (James 1:17). Just as He fed the Israelites with manna and quail in the wilderness (Exodus 16), and as Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish to feed the 5000 (Matthew 14:13-21), He promises to supply the basic necessities of life.
Praying this petition recognizes that while we work, our jobs and income are not ultimately our source. As Psalm 104:27-28 states, “These all look to you, to give them their food in due season. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.” God is the One who causes food to grow and who gives us the ability to obtain it. Fundamentally, our daily bread comes from His hand.
Of course, this applies to more than just food. As Matthew 6:25 says, your Heavenly Father knows you need clothes and shelter too. Bringing these needs to God in prayer demonstrates faith in His fatherly care and attentiveness towards what we require to sustain earthly life. It’s a request for Him to continue providing as He always has.
Acknowledging Our Dependence Day by Day
Praying for “daily” bread emphasizes that we are asking God to meet today’s needs, not stockpiling future supplies. Jesus wants us to maintain complete reliance on and confidence in Him for each new day’s provision. Every morning is an opportunity to begin again in recognizing His faithfulness.
This mindset contrasts with the temptation towards self-sufficiency, where we rely on our savings, investments, or stable income for security. But in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches that storing up earthly treasures is futile in light of our Father knowing exactly what we need (Matthew 6:19-21, 31-34). We honor Him through daily dependence rather than manufactured self-reliance.
Interestingly, when the Israelites collected manna in the wilderness, anything kept overnight spoiled and bred worms – except what was collected right before the Sabbath for their needs on that day (Exodus 16:19-26). This reinforced for them the concept of daily provision from God’s hand.
Asking for Sufficient Provision, Not Abundance
“Daily bread” implies a request for enough to get us through the day – not feasting, not stockpiling, but being sustained. Proverbs 30:7-9 expresses it well: “…give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.”
When we pray for daily bread, we ask God for “just enough” according to His wisdom. It requires faith to trust that what God provides will be sufficient, resisting the temptation towards coveting more.
Nourishment for Spiritual Hunger and Thirst
While physical needs are in view, “daily bread” holds a deeper meaning as well – one that Jesus makes explicit in John 6. After miraculously feeding thousands, He declares, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35).
Several verses later in John 6:48-51, Jesus expands on Him being the “bread of life” that came down from heaven. Just as daily bread sustains our bodies physically, Jesus as the living bread sustains our souls spiritually now and for eternity. It’s ultimately a prayer for Him to nourish us from His presence.
There are other passages like Deuteronomy 8:3 where God’s words are equated with bread because His truth feeds and sustains our spirits. In Matthew 4:4, Jesus quotes this verse to refute Satan’s temptation, explaining that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Praying for daily bread encompasses, above all, an appeal to God to satisfy the hunger and thirst of our souls through encountering Jesus regularly in His word.
Asking for Strength and Wisdom for Today’s Needs
Bread nourishes our bodies to strengthen and equip us for each day’s tasks and challenges. It fuels us for the day ahead. Similarly, our spirits need continual strengthening and equipping through time with God so we can follow His will and glorify Him with our lives.
So praying for “daily” bread includes petitioning God for the direction and spiritual nourishment needed to meet today’s unique opportunities and demands. It’s essentially asking Him to grant us what Ephesians 5:15-17 describes: “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” Each new day presents new choices and challenges for living wisely.
Like the Israelites receiving manna for their journey in the wilderness, God faithfully supplies what we require for each leg of life’s journey. Praying for daily bread recognizes our need to be filled afresh by Him each morning for strength, discernment and wisdom to follow His path.
A Prayer for Contentment
Fundamentally, praying for our daily bread expresses contentment with whatever portion God chooses to provide for that day. It’s asking Him to help us maintain perspective that our worth and security have nothing to do with our bank accounts. As 1 Timothy 6:6 reminds us, “godliness with contentment is great gain.”
Bringing this simple yet profound request to God each day helps root out anxiety, fear, envy and discontentment over perceived unmet wants. It cultivates deep trust in His promise from Matthew 6:33 to provide what we need when we “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.” Daily bread prayer positions our desires around His priorities rather than earthly appetites.
A Model for Bringing All Our Needs to God
At a broader level, praying for daily bread serves as a model for bringing all our needs and concerns to our caring heavenly Father. Just as parents desire to meet their children’s daily needs, God eagerly longs to grant His beloved children’s requests according to His will (Matthew 7:7-11). It reminds us of our relationship to Him.
No matter what we face, God calls us to “cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Entrusting even basic needs to Him cultivates reflexes to turn to God first in everything, through prayer and with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6).
Considering the richness within this simple five-word petition gives us greater motivation for bringing it to our Father daily. Each time we pray “Give us this day our daily bread,” we affirm our dependence on Him, express contentment with His provision, seek nourishment for body and soul, and model bringing all needs to Him.