Give us bread for tomorrow
Matthew 5:7-15
7 ‘When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 ‘Pray then in this way:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
In the middle of the Lord’s Prayer is the phrase “Give us this day our daily bread” – or an alternative way of translating the Greek would be “Give us our bread for tomorrow.” I find the alternative reading adds depth to the prayer. For most of us who are reading this devotional know where food for today is – it is already in our home. But as the last couple of years have demonstrated sometimes concerns arise about food for tomorrow or for next week as weather and pandemics disrupt. The prayer invites us to trust God to provide for our future needs. And that is not so easy.
In vs. 8, Jesus declares that God the Father knows our needs before we ask. First, through Jesus Christ who was fully human and fully divine, God understands the human predicament of worry for the future, knows the worry about will there be enough, God understands. And second, prayer thus becomes asking God, who understands us, prayer is entering into conversation with God with us, Emmanuel.
The worry about the future also leads into vs. 12 and 14,15 – grudges, bitterness, unforgiveness all become things that turn God’s provisions into dust. That is, when bitterness haunts our lives, we often fail to see the good that God brings. Bitterness eats away at our spiritual well-being, destroying our ability to trust anyone including God. The ability to pray with confidence that God will supply our future physical needs, is deeply rooted in our ability to trust the spiritual provisions of God such as forgiveness for ourselves and others. The physical and the spiritual are inseparable.
PRAYER:
Our Father in heaven, teach us the joy of trusting you for the bread, the provisions, we need for life, both now and in the future. Teach us to give the future into your hands, knowing that you will do more than we could ever ask or imagine. In Jesus’ name. Amen.