The Daily Bread Prayer – A Powerful Petition in Scripture

“Give us this day our daily bread” – this simple yet profound petition is at the heart of the Lord’s Prayer, one of the most well-known and recited prayers in Christianity. The plea for “daily bread” expresses our reliance on God for our basic needs and reminds us to be content with enough for today.

The full Lord’s Prayer, recorded in Matthew 6:9-13, reads as follows:

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

This prayer outlines core tenants of the Christian faith – acknowledging God’s sovereignty, seeking His kingdom, asking for provision and forgiveness, and requesting deliverance from evil. The petition for daily bread is smack in the middle, indicating its importance.

Bread has always been a staple food and symbolizes God’s faithful provision. When we ask for “daily bread,” we’re asking to be sustained just for today. It’s a prayer for our needs, not our greeds. This request teaches us to rely on God daily and find contentment in each day’s provision.

The History and Significance of the “Daily Bread” Petition

References to bread as our sustenance abound in Scripture. In the Old Testament, manna from heaven sustained the Israelites in the wilderness. Jesus later proclaimed Himself as “the bread of life” and the Word of God as our true bread from heaven.

In the 1st century Jewish context of the Lord’s Prayer, bread represented your entire livelihood and daily sustenance. Asking God for daily bread was asking Him to provide for and sustain you each day. This petition reflected the precarious nature of life at the time – famine and starvation were common. Many lived day to day, relying on God to provide enough food for their families.

Jesus instructs his disciples to pray for daily bread, reminding us to humbly rely on God for provision, not riches. Similarly, we can bring Him our needs and trust that He will faithfully sustain us each day. The “daily bread” petition continues to be relevant today as we’re faced with economic uncertainty, poverty, unemployment and hunger in the world. It’s a prayer for God to meet our basic needs as we seek His kingdom first.

The lesson remains – don’t be consumed by anxiety over the future. Instead, ask God to sustain you today. Find contentment and thanksgiving for the daily blessings He provides. Tomorrow’s needs can wait until tomorrow. Approach each day with gratitude and freedom from worry.

Bringing the “Daily Bread” Prayer Into Our Lives

This profound yet simple petition has much wisdom for our lives today. Here are some ways we can apply the “daily bread” prayer:

• Pray it each morning to start your day mindful of relying on God’s provision.
• When faced with anxiety over finances, future needs or greed, remember to ask for just “daily bread.”
• Practice contentment in looking at your needs met for today. Don’t keep wanting more.
• Thank God throughout the day for providing your “daily bread” – whether literal food or other needs met.
• Remember that true life is not defined by possessions or wealth. Don’t make money or earthly things your priority.
• Trust that God promises to sustain you each day. Have faith in His daily grace and mercy towards you.
• Let go of worrying about tomorrow. Focus on doing God’s will today and trusting Him to provide for tomorrow’s needs then.

The simple petition for “daily bread” contains profound truth to shape our priorities, trust, gratitude and contentment. May we continually bring this prayer to God, relying on Him to provide what we need today and finding freedom from anxiety about tomorrow.CopyRetry