Grace and Peace Episode 61
Presbyterian Church of Easton
November 28, 2021
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2
125 Q. What does the fourth petition mean?
A. “Give us this day our daily bread” means: Do take care of all our physical needs so that we come to know that you are the only source of everything good, and that neither our work and worry nor your gifts can do us any good without your blessing. And so help us to give up our trust in creatures and trust in you alone.
Matthew 6:9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘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 today our daily bread.
Our request for “daily bread” shows the close intimate relationship we have with our God. The God we worship provides for us all we need for daily living. John Calvin told us to pray for everything we need everyday. But notice that the Lord’s prayer does not start with our petitions for our own needs. It starts by praising God and praying for God’s kingdom on earth. This is how our prayer should begin. Focus first on who God is and what God does. Then ask God for what you need.
The reason we do this is because if we start with our own needs first we are selfish, thinking only of ourselves. But if we put our needs in the context of the needs of God’s kingdom on earth then any “need” we think we have that is contrary to God’s will for his kingdom falls away forgotten. We pray for those things that we need and will advance God’s kingdom on earth.
Today, very few of us in North America need daily bread. We are blessed with refrigerators filled with yesterday’s leftovers. And many of us eat more than we should. But there are people in the world who don’t know if they will eat today or not. And we should do whatever we can do to ensure that everyone in the world has nutritious meals to eat everyday. So for us, a request for daily bread creates attitudes of generosity and thoughtfulness.
Lord, bless us today with everything we need, and help us to know how to bless others by satisfying their needs thus advancing your kingdom on earth. This we pray in our Lord Jesus’ glorious name. Amen.
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