“Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread” -
Matthew 6:31-34
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Today we will look at the line in the ‘Our Father’ prayer:
“Give us this day our daily bread”
Todays scripture passage is part of Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” and comes after his “Our Father” prayer. It seems that Jesus is clarifying for us in today’s verses that when we pray, ‘Give us this day our daily bread’ , we are asking God for our most basic needs. He doesn’t want us to spend our time worrying about the things we need to live, but to trust that God our Father will provide exactly what we need for today. He doesn’t want us to worry about tomorrow either because then our focus is not on God but on ourselves.
I like The Message Version of this passage-
“What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works, fuss about over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
This really gets at the heart of it, because worrying is such a natural human response to the problems that we face throughout our lives.
As Jesus said in the passage “the Gentiles” (or ‘people who don’t know God’) run after these things…”
He is calling us to be different, and to come to our heavenly Father, who knows all the things we need. He wants us to come into his kingdom and to be right with him first, so that we are free from thinking we need something more than God.
I’ve realized that when I am focused on all my worries and concerns, my focus is on me, and not God! I am missing out on the perfect peace and joy of being in the loving presence of my heavenly Father. After experiencing God’s amazing love, and warmth, I long to stay in his Holy Presence. He comforts me and reassures me that he is all that I need. Then I can go and face the day and all that comes with it. Because the God of the Universe, loves me and is living inside of me and is right there to help me.
For years I was handicapped by worries, doubts and fears, I was afraid to go out, or interact with the world. I became depressed and felt useless,
but God, didn’t let me stay in that state. As he called me to renew my faith in him, and as I let go of my fears and doubts he opened new doors for me.
As I surrendered my life, and my will over to God, he gave me something to do for him.
A few years back, God called me to work with the Middle School kids at church. After a while he called me to become part of the prayer team. Currently I’m serving on the Spiritual Leadership Team.
About a year ago he called me to go and volunteer at the Storehouse Food Mission, and there I began helping to serve groceries to families who came in. After awhile I became a Client Partner who takes a few minutes to talk with and offer to pray with each person before they get their groceries. Through this experience God has taught me so much about him, and about myself. I can do all that he asks me to do, through Christ Jesus!
Little by little as the Holy Spirit dwells in my heart and I in him, I have overcome my fears, and try not to give into my worries. Now I am able to let go of them easier and don’t let myself dwell on them because I know all I have to do is ask God to come and help me to have peace about whatever it is, and he delivers me from my fears and helps me to figure out the way through the problem or circumstance.
Our Heavenly Father,
I thank you for all the blessings in my life and that I can come to you each day, all day, and ask you for what I need and I know that you will provide exactly what I need for today. Help me to keep my focus on you Lord, and to not let anything come between us! I praise you and give you all the glory! Amen.
Patrice