Give Us This Day

It may be the shortest request in the Lord’s Prayer, and it may also be the one we pray least honestly. Most of us don’t want daily bread. We want a full pantry, a padded account, and a plan for the next ten years. We would rather not need to ask.

Jesus teaches us to ask anyway, and to ask for today. Israel learned this in the wilderness. The manna came each morning, enough for that day, and whatever they tried to hoard went bad overnight. God wasn’t being stingy. He was teaching His people to depend on Him one day at a time.

There’s freedom in this. You are not asked to carry next month’s needs on this morning’s shoulders. A few verses later, Jesus says it plainly: tomorrow will take care of itself. Today has enough in it. And the Father who feeds the birds knows exactly what’s on your table and what isn’t.

Asking for daily bread also keeps us thankful. When the meal comes, we know where it came from. It’s a gift, not a wage.

So pray it today, and mean it. Ask for what you need for this day—food, strength, patience, wisdom for the conversation you’re dreading. Then trust that the One who gives the bread will be there again tomorrow morning.