Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
Milk comes from mothers, honey comes from bees, and manna comes from heaven. But surely bread is the result of our own labour: the mixing, the kneading, the proving, the fire that needs to be built, wood or charcoal collected. And yet, Jesus reminds us in the prayer he teaches the disciples to pray that everything—our energy and the products of it, time, skill, and ingenuity—emerges from God’s creative energy.
This is why Jesus teaches us to pray for food for today, a portion just enough to meet our needs for one day. Jesus reminds us later on in Matthew that tomorrow will bring along its own needs and worries. But today is what we have. It is this present moment.
Jesus’ prayer reminds us of all God has done and is doing, all God’s promises, and God’s goodwill for our lives. We are invited to place ourselves in God’s care and to be the receivers and the agents of God’s grace in the world.
MOVING FORWARD: Teach the Lord’s Prayer to a child in your family or circle of friends. Commit to praying it with this child each time you are together.
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