Daily bread was laid out on a table to cool. If you go to Old Salem on a Wednesday, you will find warm loaves of onion bread hand made just like it has been baked hundreds for hundreds of years. For thousands of years people have been praying for daily bread. In 2019 what exactly does that mean? Is there still a reason to pray for daily bread? Can’t we just walk to the nearest store and find limitless loaves many flavors and textures? Three things:
1) Daily bread, as we ask for it in the 4th Petition of the Lord’s Prayer, is not just bread. God gives us everything that we need for our daily lives. Do you need saline for your contacts? What about gasoline for your car? We could keep going down the seemingly endless list of necessities that we need, but I think that the 4th Petition can help us out.
2) All that we have might physically come from a big box store, but the true giver of those gifts is still our gracious God. The 4th Petition helps us to remember that as we ask God for those blessings.
3) One of the best parts of knowing from whom a gift comes is that we can say thanks! In fact how difficult is it to receive a gift of any size and NOT know to whom we are to thank? The 4th Petition is a great way for us to receive the gifts from our God with thanksgiving.
One final piece of this study that I will let you watch in the Bible class is the spread and break down on the petitions. I know that my prayer life doesn’t always reflect 6:1 spiritual to physical ratio of the Lord’s prayer, but it is helpful to keep in the back of your mind as you boldly approach the throne of grace.
Please click HERE to view the Bible class slides.