Sufficiency For Today
“Give us this day our daily bread,” — Matthew 6:11
When we ask the Lord for daily bread, we are humbling ourselves before the One who is, who was, and who will be forevermore, and asking Him to be our Provider.
Not just for our daily provision, as the verse reads, but further — we recognize that He is the holder of our days, the One in whose hands tomorrow lies. Therefore, we need only request what will fill us for this day, and may rest in the safety of being held in our Father’s arms.
God has the whole world in the palm of His hand, and He alone has the wisdom to grant us sufficiency in our daily needs, both material and immaterial.
When the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness for forty years, in the book of Exodus, they had grown weary and began grumbling to Moses and Aaron about the provision they were receiving from the Lord (Exodus 16).
God then rained down manna from heaven, to test the people whether they would obey and walk in the commands of the Lord. They were to gather enough for the day, showing trust that the Lord will provide for the next.
So, does this mean we do not make requests that extend beyond the day? By no means. I think it’s the Father’s delight to sit and give plans and wisdom, and to hear His children’s desires and petitions into the future. After all, He Himself said that He has good plans for us —
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” — Jeremiah 29:11
Moreover, the Lord Jesus had Himself spoken in John 6:35, that He is the Bread of Life. When we ask the Lord for our daily bread as modelled in the Lord’s Prayer, we may be asking for Jesus Himself. Our faithful companion and friend, steadfast Father, and beautiful brother. Our First Love, Husband, and Master. Is He not sufficient to meet our needs, as He accompanies and leads us through the day?
He who is tireless and longing to hear our requests and thoughts as we pass through each moment…
The heart of the matter is this — how often do we worry rather than pray before God? When our eyes wander from daily provision and our hearts flounder from the posture of giving gratitude to God for what we have, we tend to drift toward covetousness and discontentment. This, in turn, hinders our capacity to love well God and others, and to set ourselves toward the purpose He has for us this day.
Today, souls need to be saved. Today, we need new mercies, continued repentance. Today, children need discipling. Today, God is calling you to the secret place, to the workplace, to the homeless man in your city, to your home, to your husband and family. We ought to take more seriously the day the Lord has graciously set before us.
Matthew 6:34 says, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” There is wisdom in choosing to steward today, and humility in asking God for what we need this day. May we act as His dependent daughters, resting in the solace of our Heavenly Father’s arms of provision and care.
May we look to the One who fulfills, who satisfies our every need for today, seeking to not look beyond the beautiful face of Him who laid down His life for us on the cross, doing so that we may have life everlasting in Him. May we obey His voice today, as He feeds us with what is needful.
As we await His return…
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