The Lord's Prayer:  REFRESHMENT

“Give us this day our daily bread.”

Or

“Give us today the food we need.”

The best place to start this study so as to catch all the really deep implications of what Jesus must have intended for the disciples to be asking is with a word study of “bread” and “daily”. According to Strong's Concordance, the Greek word translated “bread” means “bread”! And the Greek word translated “daily” means “subsistence” i.e. Needful or “daily. (or possibly the ensuing day or night, so “following” or “next”.

With this great revelation, now put the request into the context of the Sermon on the Mount, and the reality of the context of their setting.

Did the disciples have refrigeration? Could they hoard their resources and put by for a month or so? Were they “gainfully employed” and free to run to market at any time? To whom were they coming and in what relationship?

In Matthew 6:25-34 how much is to be “spiritualized” so that somehow bread/food is to mean a portion of Jesus or “the word” or some such? Is the mention here of clothes to be understood as “spiritually clothed in righteousness” and “drink” to mean as Jesus implied else where, my food and drink is to do the Father's will? (See John 4:32-34) Why complicate the message? Jesus knew the need of his disciples and told them that in their relationship with the Father, (or the King) they should come to him with the very real and practical daily needs that they have, and trust him to supply. Everything about the kingdom message was to be in relationship and trust. To set priorities and to be about doing God's will, and He would provide. No mention of wealth, or extras. Just the food needed for this day.

It recognizes their dependence on God, and it recognized that it was moment by moment. It is the theme of abiding. And it is continued in the next phrase as well. How often would they need to come to God for “food”? How often would they need to come to the Father for forgiveness? How often would they need to “forgive them who have debts against us”?

It is only in our affluence that we could construe that this petition or plea has some metaphysical implication. It is not asking for cash or money. It is not asking for corporate funding. It is intensely personal. And if there is a place for “plural” as in “our daily bread” it was because they were a small band, each of whom were in the same place of dependency and were committed to sharing whatever they had. It would be in the same sense of a family praying together for their daily bread.

That reminder to myself is what is significant to the prayer. I ask for the daily bread so that I remind myself that it is daily, it is sustenance, and it is from the Father, who delights to hear from us, to have us state clearly what we perceive to be our needs, and then to trust him to deliver... as He determines.