Give Us this Day Our Daily Bread

Recently I watched a DVD curriculum series by Francis Chan called "Basic". It's a series of seven short films that focus on the basics of Church and the Christian life, according to what the Bible says. All of them are incredible and challenging. Each one spoke to me, and I'm looking forward to really diving into each one in the next few weeks and months.

Today I want to share one brief thought on the disc entitled, "Prayer", and share experience with it. Taking the Biblical model of the Lord's Prayer, Francis Chan goes phrase by phrase to help us see what we're really praying, what we're really asking God to do or what we're really committing to as we talk to God. Honestly, it's a bit frightening when you begin to understand what is contained in the words many of us learned as children and can quote without thinking twice.

Eventually I'll look at each phrase, but I'm starting to see at certain stages of life different things stand out to us. I've shared that over the past three years God has given me a word of the year that everything has revolved around. I've started to notice that at certain moments in life different phrases stand out to me that people say.

For example, when I was ordained this past summer the General Superintendent quotes part of 2 Timothy 4, "I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction... be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." The part that stood out to me, that I distinctly remember him saying, was, "endure affliction."

With what we were going through at the time, what was about to come, and most likely what is still waiting in the distance, that part is the only thing I clearly remember hearing that night.

And as I watched the Basic series I had a similar moment. All of it is incredible. All of it is thought provoking and challenging. But out of all of it the one thing that has really stood out to me most, the one thing that I haven't stopped thinking about is the statement made on the phrase, "Give us this day our daily bread."

I loaned my copy of the series to a pastor friend, and I can't find the full video online so you're going to get my best recollection of the quote. Basically Francis says, "If God really gave us our daily bread, I think most of us would be like, 'That's it?! That's all You're going to give me?!'"

Many, if not all, of us worry about the future. We wonder how we'll pay for things, when we'll be able to buy a house, how we'll afford college for the kids. We worry about tomorrow at the expense of today. We are told not to worry about tomorrow, not to worry about what we'll eat, drink, or wear, because God will take care of us. We are told simply to ask for our daily bread.

As my wife and I have been on this journey of one salary, not knowing how we're going to pay some bills, and in general just wondering where we're going to end up, I've been focusing a lot on that phrase, "Give us this day our daily bread." All I have is today, all that I have any right to ask God for is enough for today. And the thing of it is, God will provide that. Jesus told us to ask for it. God will provide what we need for each day. When He does we need to receive it with gratitude.

God will provide for our daily needs. Are we content to let Him do that?

"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you