TEACH US TO PRAY (5): DAILY BREAD

(Luke 11:1-4)
Intro An old Scottish woman sang in the choir of a church where a young
pastor tended to pray long with hard theological words that few could
understand. One day, she tapped him on the shoulder and said, A word of
advice on your prayers, Pastor. Just call Him Father and ask Him for
something. Well, thats pretty good advice, and it squares with Jesus
response to the request, Teach us to pray. God is addressed as Father, there
are no long words, the prayer is short and consists of 5 petitions.
Needs Related to God Petitions 1 & 2. They orient us. Our life is
meant to be lived by His will and to His glory. We are made for Him, not the
other way around. Prayer is about aligning me with Gods will, not Him
with mine. Thats the first 2 petitions.
II.

Needs Related to Us

This should greatly encourage us. Within the greater framework of Gods will,
He has concern for our personal needs. We cant be the center of our universe,
but God is very interested in what happens on our planet as it orbits His sun.
We can bring our everyday requests a coat, a car, books, a vacation, a
bicycle. God meets us where we are. He cares about us personally.
A. Give Us Each Day Our Daily Bread
Simple request. Enough food for one day, and by extension provision for all
our physical needs. We are invited to pray for them. But in this simple phrase,
some eye-opening lessons are implied when it comes to our physical needs.
1. It teaches us to be thankful
I have long thought it interesting that the Lords prayer doesnt include
thanksgiving. But in re-studying this passage, I think it is there hidden in
plain sight. The verb here is Give. Implies gift! Give what? Our daily
physical needs. Of course, God already knows what we need. Were not
giving Him new info. So why ask? I think as an act of humility. It recognizes
the truth of James 1:17, Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights. By asking for what I need, tho He
1

already knows, I acknowledge Him as the source of all good things, and my
asking is at once an act of humility and an act of thanksgiving.
Meeting my needs is His gift hence something to be thankful for. I ask; He
gives. The only appropriate response is gratitude. Jesus exemplifies this. There
He stands one evening before 10-12,000 tired, hungry people. Andrew has
scrounged up one little lunch 5 barley loaves (small) and 2 fish (sardine
type). What would you have done? On my best day my best day, Id have
been praying desperately for a better solution. On my best day! What did
Jesus do? John 6:11, Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given
thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. He gave thanks? For
5 rolls and 2 sardines? Yes. Why? He trusted the Father. What a lesson for us.
Gratitude for whatever we have is the first step to unleashing Gods power.
Thats the attitude suggested in, Give us each day our daily bread.
2. It teaches us to be dependent
No one wants to be dependent. It is un-American! But think about this. The
one physical need Jesus urges us to pray for is what? Bread, right? Daily
bread. Thats as basic as it gets. And the fact that Jesus urges us to pray for it
implies what? It implies we cant do it on our own. This implies that we are
inadequate for our most basic need. Wow! Are you ready for that? We say,
Wait a minute. I work hard to provide for my family. So now Im supposed
to give that up and just pray bread onto the table? Is that the plan?
No! Jesus isnt suggesting we give up our day job! If we ask God to do His
part, we need to do our part. Thats why Paul instructs in II Thess 3:10-12, If
anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11 For we hear that some among
you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. 12 Now such persons
we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly
and to earn their own living. So keep working, right? But why ask God for
daily bread if Im already earning it? Because, Beloved, altho we are doing
our part, God needs us to see we need Him. Who put us in America, the land
of opportunity? He did. Who gave us the skills to do our job? He did. Who
protects our health? Its a gift from God that can be gone in a moment. Who
brings success of our company? Sure people are working at that, but there are
a thousand things that could take it all away tomorrow a downturn in the
economy, new technology that makes the product obsolete, a new employee
who is better a thousand things. Listen you and I are as dependent as
newborn babies. Do you see? And thats just where God wants us. Acts 17:28
2

reminds us that it is in Him that we live and move and have our being.
Without Him we are nothing, Beloved. This is intended to remind us of that.
Turn to Exod 16. Two million Israelites have escaped Egypt due to Gods
mighty intervention. But now they have no food. So look at Gods provision.
Exod 16:4, Then the LORD said to Moses, Behold, I am about to rain bread
from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a days portion
every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.
Note, God provided one day at a time. Daily! On the 6th day they could gather
double to keep from working on the Sabbath, but otherwise a day at a time.
What is He teaching them? Dependence a day at a time. Not a year, not
month, not a week day at a time. And also please note, God didnt just put it
on the table, did He? He could have. He could just have easily put it in each
tent as to spread it around the desert floor, but what is He teaching? You are
dependent on me, but you are to work for what you get. A day at a time.
So, how did they do? V. 19: And Moses said to them, Let no one leave any
of it over till the morning. 20 But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part
of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with
them. 21 Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat;
but when the sun grew hot, it melted. That would have been me. Plan ahead.
Save up. But that wasnt the plan. What is God teaching? You need Me.
So, does this mean no savings, no plans for retirement, no contingencies? No,
that is not the point at all. Elsewhere God urges we consider the ant. Prov 6:8,
she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. Planning
ahead. Being prepared. God commends it. He is not against being prepared.
What He is saying is, Dont depend on the job. Dont depend on the bank
account. Depend on Me. Plan ahead but trust in Me. Im your security.
I learned a lot about dependence in 1988. I went to Fla to check on acceptance
testing of a statewide AFIS project being run by a PM who worked for me. I
found a project in deep trouble. I ended up spending 3 months there myself
with a team of 20 engineers, 16-18 hour days. Didnt think it could be done.
Nor did the customer. They imposed a huge bond that would have sunk our
company if we failed. I quickly learned God is in charge. Wed scramble
each day, then Id tell the Lord, Its over to you. I learned dependence. I still
remember the day a week before our deadline for the first time I thought
maybe. And God brought us through. Truth is, were just as dependent every
3

day, we just dont see it until God makes it crystal clear. I am the source of
your daily bread, not your job, not your boss, not yourself. Me.
3. It teaches us to be trusting
Isnt trust the same as being dependent? Not really. You can be dependent, but
not be trusting. Your life would be characterized by constant anxiety. But God
doesnt want us dependent and wringing our hands. He wants us dependent
and trusting. We are to pray Give us each day our daily bread. There is an
obvious question here that usually gets skipped right over. Why does Jesus say
each day and daily. Wouldnt one or the other be sufficient?
Everything hinges on the word daily (). Its a difficult word, not
used anywhere else in the Greek language not only in the NT, but in any
Greek text. It is unique. It has traditionally been translated daily but it must
mean more because that would simply be a restatement of each day.
Kenneth Bailey, a scholar who has lived most of his life in the middle East
suggests we get a hint from a 2nd century Syriac translation of Luke. Syriac
was closely related to Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke. This 2nd century
Syriac translation, uses ameno which means lasting, never-ceasing,
perpetual. Thus, Jesus phrase would read, Give us each day our bread that
does not run out. Were asking God to give us a daily allotment from a
supply with our name on it (ours) that never runs out! I dont know about
you, but I think that is cool. That is the ultimate invitation to Trust me. Trust
me. Your supply is unending! Its just that it gets doled out as you need it.
There is a wonderful promise in Deut 33:25, And as your days, so shall your
strength be. That reminds us that God gives us what we need when we need
it, but from a never-ending resource. A naval officer called the Navys centralsupply computer complex for a vital piece of equipment. After putting him on
hold to check the computer, the supply officer came back with Sorry, sir,
that parts not in stock anywhere in the world; you'll have to try somewhere
else." Somewhere else?! There is nowhere else! But for the believer there is
a supply depo for needs that is literally out of this world. It is permanent; its
never-ending and by this prayer Jesus us urging us use it! Trust Me.
4. It teaches us to be content
Give us our daily bread. Nothing about dessert there! Does that mean that
Jesus doesnt want us to have and enjoy good things? Not at all. I Tim 6:17,
4

assures us its God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. Its not
a matter of how much we have or dont have, but a question of where our
hope is. Certainty is in God, not in riches. So we are to be content with what
God has provided through our efforts whether its a little or a lot.
God thru Solomon says in Prov 30:7-9: Two things I ask of you; deny them
not to me before I die: 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me
neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I
be full and deny you and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor and steal
and profane the name of my God. This is exactly the spirit that Jesus prayer
encourages trusting God for physical needs, but seeing the danger in
wanting beyond that. Paul said it even more succinctly in Phil 4:11-12, I
have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be
brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I
have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.
Contentment allows us to focus on the things that really matter.
But there is a lot of misunderstanding about contentment. Some think it
means lack of ambition. They suggest it means you should never seek
advancement, improvement, a new and better job or whatever. Actually, it
doesnt mean that at all. But the question that should drive us is will this
advance the mission that God has made me for? Or am I wanting this to
advance my own cause, to in James words, spend it on my own passions.
And the second question to ask is will I be content with whatever answer God
gives? Contentment is not a lack of ambition. Contentment is ambition under
the control of a loving heavenly Father. Contentment is a willingness to
accept graciously and willingly any advancement or even any demotion that
He may choose for me. But contentment is not inertia doing nothing. Do you
see? Contentment is found in doing whatever I can, but accepting as Gods
will whatever outcome He arranges.
Contentment means to commit all my efforts and ideas and dreams to God
allowing Him to take it from there, realizing that whatever He answers is for
the best. Thats the only way to live. Did you hear about the two teardrops
floating down the river of life? One asked the other, Who are you? The
second replied, I am a teardrop from a girl who loved a man and lost him.
But who are you? The first one answered, I am a teardrop from the girl
who got him. Thats where Jesus is going with His prayer, Give us each day
our daily bread. Be content with the daily needs and let God add on as He
sees fit what He knows will be best in the long run.
5

5. It teaches us to be generous
In interpreting the Bible, it is often helpful to notice what is missing as well as
what is there. And will you notice that while that God cares deeply about us
personally, the words I or me are totally missing from this section. Jesus
does not suggest we pray, Give me each day my daily bread. He doesnt say
it that way, does He? Instead He says to pray, Give us each day our daily
bread. This suggests that in the process of making request for myself, I must
also be faithful to pray for others. It is not just me, but those that He has put in
my sphere of influence that I need to pray for, right? For many of us, the
prayer often sounds like, Lord, please bless me and my wife, and our son
John and his wife us four and no more. Wed probably not add that last
phrase overtly, but by selfishness of our prayer life, we infer it. Jesus is
teaching us to see beyond our needs equally to those of others.
Conc So, this passage is teaching we acknowledge we need God, even for
the basics. The story is told of some scientists who sent a delegation to tell
God, We no longer need you. We can clone people, walk on the moon, split
the atom we are self-sufficient. God said, Okay, but lets test your
theory. The scientist replied, Great. Whats the test? God said, Lets
create a man from dust, just like Adam. The man said, Sure, and reached
down to grab a handful of dirt. But God said, No, no, no. You go get your
own dirt! Turns out, we need God a lot more than we think! Thats what
Jesus reminds us by teaching us to pray, Give us each day our daily bread.
But the good news is Phil 4:19, And my God will supply every need of yours
according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Thats how Jesus is teaching
us to pray with this petition pray for our needs and the needs of others not
for wants, but for needs. God is ready to supply them out of the vastness of the
riches in Jesus. Thats more than we will ever need.
Paul Miller in A Life of Prayer tells how once in his life he and wife Jill ran
out of bread. He was in college and supporting a wife and daughter by
painting. But on New Years Day 1975 they had run out of food, money, and
work. They had sold their books, jewelry, and high-school rings. Having done
all they could they down at our kitchen table and prayed for food. The minute
they finished praying, the phone rang. It was a painting customer. Could he
come the next day? The next day Paul not only told the customer about how
she was an answer to prayer, and she paid in advance. Daily bread. Thats
6

the recipe. Do all you can, but trust God to meet your needs and He will.
Lets pray.