When I was in Boot Camp at MCRD Parris Island, there was a food hoarding problem (in retrospect, I imagine this is a perennial thing). Recruits would squirrel away peanut butter packets or granola bars or apples–really, anything we could get our hands on–because even though we were ostensibly eating 2200 calories a day, we were always hungry. Maybe even more than this, though, when someone else (whom you barely know) is in control of your every moment, it can be a little hard to trust that they are really going to care for you and ensure all of your needs are met.
I wonder if this is something like what it means to ask God to “give us, this day, our daily bread”–is it that we trust God completely, or we’re not really sure if there will be enough to meet our needs? After all, what if someone else gets all the toilet paper? What will we do then?
We’ve seen how the world looks when people look out for their own needs without considering others, and it is disappointing. I believe that prayer is meant to change us more than it is meant to appeal to God’s beneficence (God is always good!), so maybe when we who have enough to meet our needs and more pray this prayer, it’s pointing us to our role in helping to meet the needs of others.
Matthew 6:9-11 (CEB)
9 Pray like this:
Our Father who is in heaven,
uphold the holiness of your name.
10 Bring in your kingdom
so that your will is done on earth as it’s done in heaven.
11 Give us the bread we need for today.
John 6:30-31; 35 (CEB)
30 They asked, “What miraculous sign will you do, that we can see and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Consider these questions:
- What does it feel like to you to trust in God’s providence? If you don’t trust, can you identify why not?
- Do you feel as if you have enough to meet your needs? If so, how do you use the extra? If not, whom or what do you trust in for help?