With the Thanksgiving season upon us it seems fitting that the next part of the Lord's prayer deals with God's provision. "Give us this day our daily bread." What a concept! Let's examine it just a little. What exactly is our daily bread?
For most of mankind's existence it has been a daily struggle to get something to eat. Modern technology has created a different world for us but in Biblical days people were truly tied to the land. What they were able to raise is what they ate. Bread was literally "the bread of life." If they failed to have a good wheat harvest they could easily starve. It was a year long process of plowing fields, sowing and harvesting to have a daily portion of bread. Considering this should make us so thankful that most of us will never go to bed hungry. To this Jesus spoke! And what strange teaching he did!
He told his disciples things like "take no thought for tomorrow" and when you go to preach take no coat, no staff, no money in your purses, etc..." He wanted them to learn to depend completely on God. He was not telling them that they didn't have to prepare. The scripture is very clear that we must work to eat. But he was reminding them, as his word reminds us now, that our very existence depends on God's mercy and love. We can work ourselves near to death and without God's blessing on it, our work is in vain. David said it like this in Psalm 127:1. "Except the Lord build the house they labor in vain that build it."
But we are God's children and he truly does want to establish "our houses and bless our fields." This prayer starts with "our father" and what a father he is. Let us take this time that we call "Thanksgiving" to truly give thanks to God for all he has given. Even for "our daily bread."
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