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This is the sixth in a series of posts on The Lord’s Prayer.

“Give us this day our daily bread.”
– Jesus, The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:11)

When the disciples heard Jesus mention “daily bread,” a festive banquet probably sprung to mind – that magnificent meal God had promised for His people, who would find their seats reserved at His table of abundance. Asking for daily bread signifies much more than food, yet according to Jesus, our needs should be part of our prayers. When we pray for our bread today, we are asserting our rights as God’s children, asking today for the benefits of sharing the table with God tomorrow.

We don’t have to hang our heads in shame when we unload our problems on God. Paul prayed that God would remove what he called a “thorn in the flesh,” but God instead told him that His strength was made perfect in Paul’s weakness. Hannah begged God for a child, hardly a request one would consider important for the Kingdom of God. Yet, He gave her Samuel, the prophet who would anoint King David, ancestor of the King of Kings.

Praying for God to fulfill our needs is perfectly acceptable, because God can use our neediness to further His kingdom. Our concerns and desires can play a big role in God’s universal plan of salvation. That’s why we must pray for needs beyond our own. We don’t exist in a bubble, demanding daily bread for ourselves without giving a thought to those who yesterday went to bed hungry. We don’t just pray for the hungry. We pray with the hungry.

Often, we’re tempted to pray, “Give us our daily bread for the rest of our lives,” wanting to know that all our future needs will be provided for. Jesus, though, instructs us to pray daily for the bread for that day, just as God commanded the Israelites to not gather more manna than necessary for a day’s sustenance. May we have the spiritual maturity to trust God, allowing Him to work through our needs and desires to further His kingdom work on earth.

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