BibleProject | the Lord's PrayerSample

Trusting for Daily Bread

Today, we’ll start exploring the second half of the Lord’s Prayer, where Jesus shifts focus from God and his kingdom to the needs of humans. The topic of Jesus’ first plea is food.

“Our daily provision of bread, give to us today.”

Jesus’ request links to Israel’s famous journey through the wilderness, when God provided just enough manna for each day (Exod. 16). God was teaching Israel to trust him alone for life’s provisions. And when we pray these words, we can cultivate a deep sense of dependence on and gratefulness toward God.

Jesus is not discouraging people from wise planning for the future. Instead, he is encouraging a shift in perspective from an assumption that survival depends solely upon us (which produces fear and competition) to a trust in God alone for life (which bolsters faith, hope, and love).

Trusting God for daily provision is easier said than done. We have bills to pay and mouths to feed, not to mention unpredictable financial markets! But when we’re struggling to believe that God can be trusted to provide for us, we can look to the story of Scripture. Over and over again, through every book, God is described as consistent and faithful. He provides a world of abundance and calls his people to share it generously with everyone else.

Watch the video below to learn more about this aspect of God’s character.

Now, let’s slowly read and meditate on the whole prayer, making it our own.

Matthew 6:9-15
9 Therefore, when you pray, do it this way:
Our Father who is in the skies, may your name be recognized as holy.
10 May your kingdom come, and may your will be done, as it is in the skies so also on the land.
11 Our daily provision of bread, give to us today.
12 And forgive us our debts, just as we also have forgiven those indebted to us.
13 And don’t lead us to be tested, but deliver us from the evil one.
14 For if you forgive people their transgressions, your Father in the skies will also forgive you.
15 But if you will not forgive people, then neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.

Reflection Question
When we believe that we are responsible for our daily provisions, we can experience fear that leads to competition and a scarcity mentality. What would change if we believed that God, alone, is ultimately responsible for everyone’s needs—that God alone gives and sustains life? How would we see people differently? How would our values change?