One of the biggest keys to living a life of peace and fulfilment is to live one day at a time. So many people are focussed on the past - they are always looking back. Others are always planning for the future or worried about what might happen in the future. In the process they miss the great potential of each new day. As a famous cartoonist said: ‘yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift from God that is why we call it the present.’
To get the most out of life we must live in the present not the past or the future. Jesus said in Matt 6: 34 ‘Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.’ Every day is a gift and since we are not promised tomorrow, we need to have the strength and wisdom to overcome the challenges of each day. And we need to make the most of the opportunities and blessings of each day.
Now of course it is good to plan ahead wherever you can in your personal life, your finances, your education, your careers and so on. But we need to understand that the same God who promises to be with us through the years and ages, is a God who measures life by days (Psalm 90:12). God is the God of days. When God created the world, the Bible says He created it in 6 days with a specific purpose for each day and then on the 7th day He rested. Jesus knew his future destiny, but He took each step one day at a time (Luke 13:32). In the Acts we read how the disciples lived out their faith each day (Acts 2:42, 46-47).
Christianity is to be a daily lifestyle. To be a Christian means much more than to going to church services once or twice a week. We can know God on the daily basis. Life is to be lived on a daily basis which is why we should pray on a daily basis. This is a core part of the Lord’s prayer which we are studying. After teaching us to focus on the bigger picture of praying for God’s kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven, Jesus now teaches his disciples to pray at a more personal level to our Father in Heaven ‘give us today our daily bread’ (Matthew 6:11). You need to receive God’s bread every day of your life.
1. When we pray for daily bread we are praying for God to meet our physical needs each day (Exodus 16:15, 20, 31-32; Matthew 6:25-27,31-34; Philippians 4:19)
2. When we pray for daily bread we are praying for us to know God each day (John 6:35)
3. When we pray for daily bread we are praying for God’s grace for every day (Lamentations 3:22-23; 1 Chronicles 16:11; Isaiah 41:10; Philippiaƒns 4:6; Deuteronomy 35:33)
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When we pray for daily bread, we are praying for God to meet our physical needs each day. Bread represents the necessities of life. In the Old Testament we can see that God supplied bread to the whole nation of Israel when they were out in the desert (Exodus 16:15, 31-32). Not only did God supply bread for His people but he did it daily, not with weekly deliveries. They could gather as much as they needed but they were commanded by Moses not to store it for future days. God wanted them to depend on Him daily for their food and always have fresh supplies. But we read in Exodus 16:20 ‘some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of magots and began to smell.’ That’s what happens when we ignore God and just focussing doing things our way and store up treasures on earth. Rather we should put our trust in God for our ultimate source of supply, whether it is through a job we have, or help in some other way. Jesus taught that we should focus on putting God first in our lives and then expect God’s daily provision (Matthew 6:25-27, 31-34). Many people have a battle in their minds because they do not believe that God can supply all their needs. They think that in order to prosper, they have to work really hard. Today you may be having financial struggles and wonder how you can survive. Well you need to break everything down into days and every day pray this prayer: give us today our daily bread. The Lord knows what we need even before we ask for something and He wants to provide for each one of our needs. We must understand that provision and prosperity were already conquered through the death of Jesus on the Cross and have our eyes opened that we can enjoy God’s riches (Philippians 4:19). So start to pray daily, declaring God’s promises and living with expectation that God will meet your needs. The more we learn to do this, the more we will receive many miracles in our finances. God has so many blessings in store for His children, far more than we can ask or even imagine.
When we pray for daily bread, we are praying for us to know God each day. When we pray for bread we can also pray to know more of Jesus, the bread of life (John 6:35). Jesus was always interested in feeding people physically as we see in the miracles of the feeding of the four thousand and five thousand. But He also came to this earth so that we would be spiritually fed. He is the only one who can fulfil the deepest needs of our hearts. He is the only one who can bring true and lasting contentment. He alone that stop you being spiritually hungry and thirsty. So every day we need to come close to him that we can experience Him, the bread of life, in a new way. Every day we can have a fresh and greater experience of the love and presence of Jesus. Every day we can be nourished by Him as we read and meditate on the Bible that speaks of Him. When we do this we will never feel empty and unfilled. So let’s come daily and say ‘today Lord I want to know you more.’
When we pray for daily bread, we are praying for God’s grace for every day. We do not know what challenges lie ahead of us each day: that’s why we need to pray for His mercy and help at the start of each day. And we can do so with great confidence (Lamentations 3:22-23). Every morning the Lord has new strength for you. Every day He can sustain you. Every day He has all you need to get you through each day. Every day He is ready and willing and able to fulfil His promises to you (1 Chronicles 16:11). There is no need to fear (Isaiah 41:10; Philippians 4:6; Deuteronomy 35:33). So let’s take one day at a time and let’s put more trust in the Lord to help us every day. Not every day is an easy day. Not every day is a problem free day. Not every day is a sunny day. But every day can be a day to discover more of the Lord’s provision, more of the Lord’s presence and never-failing goodness and mercy as we pray ‘give us today our daily bread.’
