Daily Bread: A Prayer of Trust

Matthew 6:11 11 Give us today our daily bread. (NIV)

Christ’s lesson on how to pray begins by teaching us to position ourselves with the words “Our Father.” We remember that He is our Dad, and we run to Him like a toddler runs into His arms as He celebrates us, lifting us high in the air. And we remember we are not alone. There are many children of God all around us to support and help us through the difficulties of life.

Then, we position God by hallowing His name. We do not trivialize Him. Though He is our Dad, He remains the Omnipotent One. These positional movements within our spirit prepare us to pray according to His will as it is in Heaven. Today, we look at the next movement—trust.

When Jesus asks us to pray for our daily bread, He is clearly referencing the manna in the desert. In John’s Gospel, Jesus refers to Himself as both the Manna from Heaven and the Bread of Life. It would be simple enough to see this part of the prayer as a request that Jesus would be with us, or that He would give us what we need for this day. And neither would be untrue, but there is still a deeper movement He is calling us to.

Moses delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, but their faith was not enough to trust God to move straight into the Promised Land. Instead, in doubt, they wandered in the desert for forty years. They had no food, but they experienced the miraculous appearance of manna each morning. Though it was a type of unleavened bread, they did not know what it was at first. In fact, the word “manna” means “What is it?” Out of their lack of understanding, God fed them in a brand new way.

God provided for them each day, but there was something greater happening. The Lord was not punishing Israel for their lack of faith alone. He was also helping them find new faith. He gave them manna but did not allow them to gather more than what they needed that day. When they tried to keep some overnight, it rotted. They had to learn day by day, not worrying about tomorrow, but trusting that when tomorrow came, so would the Lord’s provision.

Asking the Lord for our daily bread is a prayer of provision, but more than that, it is a prayer of trust. We are asking the Lord to form us in rest rather than stress, faith in place of worry.

We can imagine that after only a short period of time, seeing God’s faithfulness, the Israelites stopped going to bed wondering what they would eat the next day. Though they had nothing, they knew He would make it appear the next morning.

God is challenging us to see His past faithfulness and know that He will be faithful to the end.

Prayer

Father, teach me to trust You one day at a time. Help me to rest in Your provision and not be consumed with worry about tomorrow. Form my heart to see Your faithfulness and to depend on You fully. Amen.