“…Give us this day our daily bread…” - Matthew 6:11 (NKJV)
How reassuring that we can approach the Lord’s throne and ask Him to meet our daily needs and rest knowing that He will be faithful to supply them! He teaches us to trust, however, by supplying our daily needs—giving us what we need one day at a time. In the Old Testament, God provided for His people’s need for food by supplying them with daily manna, but He specifically instructed them to only gather enough for that one day. Each night, the Israelites went to sleep with full trust and confidence that they would wake up tomorrow and find God had supplied their needs yet again.
This piece of the Prayer that Jesus teaches does not limit us to asking merely for physical needs. When Jesus speaks to His disciples, the word He uses for daily is the Greek word epiousios, which literally translated means “supersubstantial.” This is the only time in history that this Greek word is recorded as being used. Each day, the Lord is prepared to meet more than just our physical needs but also our supernatural needs. The Greek word for bread is ártos which translated properly means “bread.” It is also figuratively translated as “divine provision—all the sustenance that a yielded believer needs to live in God’s will.”
These definitions tell us that asking for our “daily bread” is not only limited to food or physical needs. We can ask boldly for the protection, food, and strength we need, and we can ask Him for the wisdom, discernment, and peace we need to walk out His will to which He has called us. He knows exactly what we will face each day, and He will give us exactly what we need to live in His will.
Most of us would likely prefer “monthly bread” or “annual bread,” not “daily bread.” But the two fundamental concepts that Jesus teaches here have to do with 1) Timing and 2) Amounts. God knows “when” and He knows “how much” I need.
Jesus said that He came so that we would have life and life to the fullest. When we need provision for an area of our lives in which we are weak, we need only claim the promises of Scripture and ask the Holy Spirit to help us in our weaknesses (Romans 8:26). Through the power of Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit in us, we can live life to the fullest knowing all of our needs—physical and spiritual—will be met!
“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. Lord, You know my needs that will arise today. I’m asking You to meet those needs through Your divine provision. Go before me and help me to trust that You will meet today’s needs. Give me the strength to match my circumstances, not circumstances to match my strength. Amen.”