“Give us each day our daily bread.” Luke 11:3

Back in my teens and twenties, I could get a great run from the smallest of actions: skip dinner and have a flat belly for days, stay out late on a Thursday night and not miss a beat at work on Friday, reconnect with God on Sunday and feel Him carry me through all week. It really was a magical time…

… and all a thing of the past!

Now, I can diet for a month and still get a bloated stomach from eating a single cookie. I can stretch my muscles, from head to toe, one day, only to find I can’t touch my toes the next. I can spend time in prayer in the morning, finding peace, and a wave of anxiety can threaten to overtake it that afternoon.

That’s why, when the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, Jesus made sure to include “Give us each day our daily bread” in the words of the “Our Father.” He knew everything is fleeting, and the shelf-life of peace and security is very short. That’s just our world on this side of Heaven.

We were created to get up every single morning and start anew. We have to leave yesterday behind us, and face tomorrow tomorrow. Right here, right now, we’re supposed to go to God for our daily bread, just enough for today.

We can’t hoard it. It’s only meant to sustain us until we lay down our heads at night. It’s God’s way to inspire us to go back to Him again tomorrow, and the next day.

It’s not a process with a negative connotation, like the short-term effects of dieting and exercise. It’s a positive process that trains us to return to The Source of All, each and every day.

Questions for Reflection:

• Do I go to God daily for what I need?
• Do I recognize and accept that He only equips me for today so I’ll return to Him again tomorrow?

Right here, right now, we’re supposed to go to God for our daily bread, just enough for today.

Tweet