Matthew 6:9-13 “Give Us Daily Bread”
Author: Dr. George M. Flattery“Give Us Daily Bread”
NAU Matthew 6:9 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen .’
More Thoughts from The Lord’s Prayer, Matthew 6:9-13.
Today, we begin the second set of petitions. The first set had to do with God (verses 9-10). When we have prayed the first set, we are in the right frame of mind to begin the second (verses 11-12). The second set has to do with our personal needs. All too often we begin with these without paying attention to the first set. As a result, we may pray without fully harmonizing with the will of God.
According to Matthew, Jesus said for us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Although some interpreters spiritualize the word “bread,” the main emphasis is on our physical needs. Jesus said “daily bread,” but this word is emblematic of all things physical. People everywhere are concerned about jobs, income, food, clothing, housing, transportation, and other needs.
The phrase “daily bread” calls to mind the things that are needed for our existence. When we pray, we are to come to God with our needs. He abundantly supplies; often He provides much more than we need. However, there are believers who need more than they have. We should pray that God will supply their needs as well.
More Thoughts from The Lord’s Prayer, Matthew 6:9-13.
In my last “thoughts,” we discussed the prayer for daily bread. Today, let’s focus on the fact that Jesus exhorts us to come to God asking that He “give” us needful bread. He is not suggesting a “give me” approach to praying. Such an approach usually begins with requests.
Beginning with our requests is not always wrong, but when we follow the model Jesus has given us, we are prepared to ask for needs. We have already honored God and submitted to His will. We have already put the kingdom of God first. Under these conditions praying about our needs is not selfish.
The prayer Jesus sets forth is “give us this day” our daily bread. The verb that Jesus uses is as present imperative. It means that we are to ask God to keep on giving us our daily bread. This suggests that we are to renew our petition day by day. The Lord may give us more than we need for the day, but we can continue to present our needs to the Lord with our gratitude for what He has given us.
Our dependency is upon God. Great fortunes have been lost. Business tides turn. Strong men have faced reverses. Those who are survivors are sometimes few; many have found that God alone is their security. We ask for today. We keep on asking God to supply our daily bread.
George M. Flattery, Ed.D., is the founder of Global University and Network211.