When it comes to thinking about this prayer for our daily bread, there are a handful of similarly worded statements throughout the Bible that use similar language. Jesus Himself, was confronted with this need of His daily bread in His own series of temptations in the wilderness. Dietrich Bonhoeffer captures this wrestle:
"In the beginning, even before the start of his ministry, Jesus is tempted by the devil. The powers of evil, of falling away from God, approach him and try to bring him down at the very moment when he is assuming his role as Messiah (Luke 4:3-4). Luke reports that Jesus is famished, and then the devil confronts him: If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread. If you have the power of God, then use it for yourself. Perform a miracle: turn the stone into bread, and you will be filled. Why, after all, do you have such power? If you are the Son of God, prove your power.... In this voice of apparent intercessory love, Jesus recognizes the voice of the devil. It was an outrageous suggestion, and he rejects the devil: 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4). Here that means basically: God deceives no one."
Jesus could well have turned the stones into bread - He had the power, the ability, and the need. However, with His mind in the words of Moses (Deuteronomy 8:3), He chooses to live, not be bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. This statement is one of trust. Trusting that God can provide and will provide everything we need to live. Jesus could well have taken things into His own hands, instead He chose to trust God.
Our trust begins at the beginning of the Lord's prayer. As much as we can approach God confident that He is both Father and King, then we can trust that He will always give us enough.
Our trust begins at the beginning of the Lord's prayer. As much as we can approach God confident that He is both Father and King, then we can trust that He will always give us enough.
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF
- How is the prayer, 'Give us this day our daily bread,' impacted by our trust?
- Which takes more trust: to ask God for the big things in life or the little things?
- How does the beginning of this prayer inspire our readiness to trust?
- How might you pray 'Give us this day our daily bread'?
This is borrowed from Bonhoeffer's Lent Devotion, God is On the Cross.